Lent 2026 Week 1
First Sunday of Lent
February 22, 2026
From Temptation to Trust
Opening Prayer
Loving God, as we begin this holy season of Lent, we come before you aware of our weakness and trusting in your mercy. You know the temptations we face, the fears that distract us, and the ways we struggle to listen to your voice.
Send your Holy Spirit upon us as we gather. Open our hearts to your Word, strengthen us to choose faithfulness, and guide us in the way of repentance and grace. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Introduction
Read the scriptures slowly listening for words that speak to your heart.
Reading 1
The LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being. Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and placed there the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow that were delightful to look at and good for food, with the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals that the LORD God had made. The serpent asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?” The woman answered the serpent: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; it is only about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘You shall not eat it or even touch it, lest you die.’”
But the serpent said to the woman: “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is evil.” The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom.
So she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
Responsorial Psalm
- (cf. 3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness; in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense. Thoroughly wash me from my guilt and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense, and my sin is before me always: “Against you only have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Cast me not out from your presence, and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit sustain in me. O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Reading 2
Brothers and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned for up to the time of the law, sin was in the world, though sin is not accounted when there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who is the type of the one who was to come.
But the gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one, the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many. And the gift is not like the result of the one who sinned. For after one sin there was the judgment that brought condemnation; but the gift, after many transgressions, brought acquittal. For if, by the transgression of the one, death came to reign through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act, acquittal and life came to all. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous.
Verse Before the Gospel
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Gospel
At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.”
Then the devil took him to the holy city, and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,
and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence, and he said to him, “”All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.”
Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.
Theological Overview
The First Sunday of Lent places Adam and Christ side by side. In Genesis, humanity, falls through disobedience and mistrust of God. In the Gospel, Jesus enters the desert and faces temptation without sin, responding not with power or spectacle, but with faithful obedience to God’s Word.
St. Paul deepens this contrast: through Adam came sin and death; through Christ comes grace, justification, and life. Lent begins by reminding us that sin fractures our relationship with God, but repentance opens the way to mercy (Psalm 51). The desert is not only a place of testing—it is where dependence on God is purified.
Reflection Questions
- Where do you notice the same temptation present in both Genesis and the Gospel?
- Jesus resists temptation by quoting Scripture. What “word from God” helps sustain you in difficult moments?
- Psalm 51 speaks of a “clean heart.” What might God be inviting you to surrender this Lent?
- How does seeing Christ as the “new Adam” change the way you understand sin and grace?
Closing Prayer
Merciful Father, you never abandon us in the desert. As you strengthened your Son to overcome temptation, strengthen us in our daily choices.
Create in us clean hearts, renew a right spirit within us, and help us to trust in your mercy more than in our own strength. May we walk forward this week grounded in your Word and confident in your grace. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen