First Sunday of Lent (Year A)

First Sunday of Lent February 22, 2026

Genesis 2:7-9, 16-18, 25; 3:1-7;   Romans 5:12-19;   Matthew 4:1-11

(image courtesy: Google)

An eight-year-old boy approached an old man in front of a wishing well, looked up into his eyes, and asked: "I understand you're a very wise man. I'd like to know the secret of life."  The old man looked down at the youngster and replied: "I've thought a lot in my lifetime, and the secret can be summed up in four words. The first is think. Think about the values you wish to live your life by. The second is believe. Believe in yourself based on the thinking you've done about the values you're going to live your life by.  The third is dream. Dream about the things that can be, based on your belief in yourself and the values you're going to live by.   The last is dare. Dare to make your dreams become reality, based on your belief in yourself and your values."  And with that, Walter E. Disney said to the little boy, "Think, Believe, Dream, and Dare."

As we begin the First Sunday of Lent, these four words speak deeply to the readings placed before us: Think, Believe, Dream, and Dare. Lent is precisely this journey. It is a time to think about our values, to renew our belief, to dream of the life God desires for us, and to dare to choose God over temptation.

In the first reading from Genesis, we see the beauty of God’s original dream for humanity. God forms man from the dust of the earth and breathes into him the breath of life. The garden is filled with beauty, harmony, and intimacy. Man and woman walk with God. They are naked and feel no shame. This is God’s dream: a life rooted in trust, obedience, and communion.

But then comes the serpent. The tempter does not begin with a command; he begins with a question. “Did God really say…?” The serpent attacks the mind first. He disturbs their thinking. Instead of trusting God’s goodness, the woman begins to doubt. She sees the fruit differently now. It looks desirable. It looks good. The problem began when they stopped thinking according to God’s truth and started thinking according to the serpent’s suggestion.

They also stopped believing in God’s word. Instead of believing that God’s command was for their protection, they believed the lie that God was withholding something good from them. Their dream changed. Instead of dreaming of deeper communion with God, they dreamed of being like God on their own terms. And finally, they dared but in the wrong direction. They dared to disobey.

The result was shame, fear, and separation.

St Paul in the letter to the Romans explains the consequence: through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin. Adam’s failure affected all humanity. But Paul does not end with despair. He gives us hope. Just as sin came through one man, salvation comes through one man Christ. Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more.

In the Gospel of Matthew, we see the new Adam. Jesus is led into the desert and tempted by the devil. The setting is significant. The first Adam was tempted in a garden full of abundance. Jesus is tempted in the desert after forty days of fasting. The first Adam failed in a place of plenty. Jesus triumphs in a place of hunger.

The devil uses the same strategy. He attacks thinking: “If you are the Son of God…” He tries to create doubt about identity. He tempts Jesus to turn stones into bread. He tempts Him with power and glory. He tempts Him to test God. In each temptation, the devil proposes a different value system comfort over obedience, power over trust, spectacle over humility.

But Jesus thinks rightly. He responds with Scripture. “Man shall not live by bread alone.” “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” “You shall worship the Lord your God and Him alone shall you serve.” Jesus’ thinking is rooted in God’s word. He believes completely in the Father. He does not need to prove Himself. He does not need shortcuts. His dream is not personal glory but the Father’s will. And He dares not to disobey, but to remain faithful. He dares to choose the harder path. He dares to say no to immediate satisfaction in order to say yes to eternal salvation.

Lent places us in that same desert. It is a season of testing, purification, and renewal. The four words from the story can guide us.

First, Think. Lent invites us to examine our values. What truly guides my decisions? Is it comfort, approval, success, pleasure? Or is it faithfulness, humility, love, and obedience to God? Temptation often begins in the mind. If we do not think clearly according to God’s truth, we will slowly justify wrong choices. This week, take time each day for silent reflection. Read the Word of God. Allow your thinking to be shaped by Scripture, not by the noise of the world.

Second, Believe. Adam and Eve stopped believing in God’s goodness. Jesus believed fully. Lent is a time to renew trust. Do I believe that God’s commandments are for my freedom, not my restriction? Do I believe that God’s grace is stronger than my weakness? Saint Paul assures us that Christ’s obedience brings justification and life. Believe that grace is available. Go to confession. Receive the Eucharist with faith. Trust that God is working even when you feel in the desert.

Third, Dream. God has a dream for each of us a life of holiness, joy, and communion. Sin reduces our dreams to small, selfish desires. Lent expands our vision again. Dream of becoming more patient. Dream of reconciling with someone. Dream of deeper prayer. Dream of being a light in your family or workplace. When Jesus rejected the kingdoms of the world, it was because He had a greater dream the Kingdom of God.

Fourth, Dare. It takes courage to live differently. It takes courage to forgive. It takes courage to fast and pray consistently. It takes courage to say no to habits that bind us. Lent is not passive. It calls for a decision. Dare to begin again. Dare to wake up earlier for prayer. Dare to reduce screen time. Dare to practice charity intentionally. Dare to choose honesty when lying would be easier. Holiness is not accidental; it is chosen daily.

For this week, let us take one concrete step in each area. Think by spending ten minutes each day reflecting on the Gospel. Believe by making an act of trust in moments of anxiety. Dream by identifying one spiritual goal for this Lent. Dare by taking one practical action that moves you toward that goal.

In the beginning, Adam failed to think according to God, failed to believe His word, dreamed wrongly, and dared to disobey. In the desert, Jesus thought with clarity, believed completely, dreamed of the Father’s will, and dared to remain faithful. Because of Him, we are not trapped in Adam’s failure. We are invited into Christ’s victory.

As we begin this Lenten journey, let those four words echo in our hearts. Think according to God’s truth. Believe in His promise. Dream of the life of grace He offers. Dare to choose Him every day. If we live this way, Lent will not just be forty days of sacrifice. It will be a path back to the garden, back to communion, back to life.

Think. Believe. Dream. Dare. This is not only the secret of life. It is the path to holiness.

Happy Sunday 

Sixth Sunday of the Year (Year A)

 Sixth Sunday of the Year February 15, 2026

Sirach 15:15-20; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37

(image courtesy: Google)

Many years ago, when a social worker worked as a volunteer at a hospital, he got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare & serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. All saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, “Yes I’ll do it if it will save her.” As the transfusion progressed, he smiled, seeing the colour returning to her cheek. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, “Will I die right away, or how soon?” The boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he would have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her. WOW!.  Beautiful. He loved his sister and gave everything.

This moving act of love opens for us the heart of today’s liturgy. The readings of this day speak about choice, obedience, wisdom, and the depth of righteousness that God desires. At the center of all three readings is a call to generous love, a love that goes beyond calculation, beyond minimum requirement, and beyond external observance. It is a love that chooses God wholeheartedly.

In the first reading from the Book of Sirach, we hear a clear and direct message. “If you choose, you can keep the commandments.” God places before us fire and water, life and death. We are free to stretch out our hand and choose. Sirach reminds us that God does not force anyone into goodness. He has given us intelligence, freedom, and responsibility. The commandments are not burdens imposed to restrict us. They are pathways to life. They are the means by which we protect our dignity and the dignity of others. Obedience is not blind submission but a conscious decision to walk in God’s ways.

Sirach also makes it clear that God is just. He sees all things. Nothing escapes His sight. We cannot blame God for our sins. We cannot say that He caused us to do wrong. We choose. This truth can be uncomfortable, because it places responsibility on our shoulders. Yet it is also liberating. If we can choose wrongly, we can also choose rightly. Every day presents us with opportunities to choose life. Every decision, small or great, shapes our character and destiny. Fidelity to God’s law is not a matter of fear, but of love and trust.

The second reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians takes us deeper. St Paul speaks about wisdom. Not the wisdom of this world, which often measures success by power, wealth, or popularity, but the hidden wisdom of God. This divine wisdom was prepared before the ages for our glory. It is a wisdom that the rulers of this age did not understand. It is revealed to us through the Spirit.

The wisdom of God is revealed most perfectly in Christ. It is a wisdom that sees beyond appearances. It teaches us that true greatness is found in humility, that true victory is found in sacrifice, and that true life is found in self-giving love. Human reasoning alone may not grasp this mystery. But the Spirit enlightens our hearts. Through prayer, through the Word of God, and through the sacraments, we begin to see as God sees. We begin to value what He values.

This wisdom prepares us to understand the Gospel from Matthew. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declares that He has not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to fulfil them. He does not weaken the commandments. Instead, He deepens them. “Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

The scribes and Pharisees were careful in observing the external details of the law. Yet Jesus calls for something more. He moves from the external action to the inner attitude. “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not kill.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment.” He moves from the act of adultery to the purity of the heart. He speaks about truthfulness, integrity, and faithfulness. In every example, Jesus shifts the focus from mere compliance to conversion of heart.

The Gospel challenges us to examine not only what we do, but why we do it. It asks us to look at our thoughts, our intentions, our hidden attitudes. We may avoid serious sins, yet still harbour resentment, jealousy, or pride. We may speak politely yet hold bitterness within. Jesus calls us to interior transformation. The law written on stone must be written in our hearts.

This is demanding. It requires sacrifice. It requires letting go of anger, forgiving those who hurt us, controlling our impulses, and speaking truthfully even when it costs us. It means choosing reconciliation over revenge. It means choosing fidelity over selfish desire. It means choosing honesty over convenience. In short, it means choosing love.

The readings today invite us to move from minimum requirement to generous response. God does not ask for half-hearted obedience. He desires our whole heart. Just as Sirach places before us life and death, Jesus places before us the narrow path and the broad path. The narrow path is not restrictive because God delights in limiting us. It is narrow because love demands focus, discipline, and commitment.

In our daily lives, we often face simple but significant choices. Will I forgive or will I hold a grudge? Will I speak truth or will I exaggerate? Will I serve or will I remain indifferent? These choices may seem small, yet they shape our soul. Each act of love strengthens us. Each compromise weakens us. The Christian life is built on countless daily decisions to choose God.

True love always involves sacrifice. It moves beyond calculation. It does not ask first, “How much must I give?” but rather, “What is needed?” The wisdom of God teaches us that giving ourselves does not lead to loss but to fulfillment. When we give generously, we reflect the very heart of Christ, who gave Himself completely for our salvation.

As we approach the altar today, we are reminded of the greatest gift ever given. Christ did not give us something external. He gave us His very life. In the Eucharist, we receive that self-giving love. We are strengthened to live the higher righteousness that the Gospel demands. We are empowered to choose life, to choose love, and to choose fidelity.

Let us ask the Lord for the grace to obey not only in action but in heart. May we seek the wisdom that comes from the Spirit. May we courageously choose the path that leads to life, even when it requires sacrifice. And may our love be generous, wholehearted, and self-giving, like that of the little boy who believed that to save his sister he had to give everything, and was ready to do so without hesitation.

Happy Sunday