First Sunday in Lent

 

Invitation

May I draw your attention to
the daily reading of the Gospel?

This invitation is intended to share with you the joy
of the Gospel. Everyone, without exception,
can experience that joy by opening their heart
to the healing power of God’s word.

Available every day.

Opening words

The beginning of Lent reminds us
how God created man in His own image.
At the same time, we also see how man struggles with limitations
and succumbs to the temptation to become like God.
The loss of glory brings shame and vulnerability.
Yet God reaches out to us and lets us look forward to Easter.
On that day, Christ, the new man,
will recreate us as glorious beings.
Let us turn to Him with confidence
and pray for His mercy.

FIRST READING                Gen. 2, 7-9; 3, 1-7
Creation of the first human couple and the Fall.

From the Book of Genesis

In the beginning, the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground,
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life:
and man became a living being.
Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden,
somewhere in the east,
and there He placed the man
whom He had formed.
The Lord God caused all kinds of trees to grow out of the ground,
attractive to look at
and delicious to eat;
among them was the tree of life
in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Of all the animals that the Lord God had made,
none was as cunning as the serpent.
It said to the woman:
“Did God really say
that you must not eat from any tree in the garden?”
The woman said to the serpent:
“We may eat
the fruit of the trees in the garden.
God only said:
You must not eat
the fruit of the tree
in the middle of the garden,
you must not eat;
you must not even touch it;
otherwise you will die.”
But the serpent said to the woman:
“You will not die at all.
“God knows that your eyes will be opened
when you eat from that tree,
and that you will become like God
through the knowledge of good and evil.”

Then the woman saw
that the fruit of the tree was good to eat,
and that it was pleasing to the eye,
and how attractive it was
to gain insight through it.
So she picked a fruit and ate it;
she also gave some to her husband who was with her,
and he ate it too.
Now both their eyes were opened,
and they realised that they were naked.
So they sewed fig leaves together
and made loincloths for themselves.

Responsorial Psalm      Ps. 51(50), 3-4, 5-6a, 12-13, 14, 17

Refrain
Lord, have mercy, we have sinned.

God, have mercy on me in your kindness,
wash away my sinfulness in your compassion.
Wash away my guilt completely,
cleanse me of all my sins.

I acknowledge that I have done wrong,
I am always mindful of my transgression.
Against You alone have I sinned,
I have done what is contrary to You.

Create in me a pure heart, my God,
give me back a determined spirit.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and grant me a willing spirit.
Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth will proclaim your praise.

SECOND READING                 Rom. 5, 12-19 or 12, 17-19
Where death began to reign, the gift of righteousness came in abundance.

From the letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Christians of Rome

Brothers and sisters,

Through one man sin entered the world,
and with sin, death;
and so death came to all men,
since all have sinned.

For sin was already in the world,
before the law was given.
But sin is not counted where there is no law.
Nevertheless, death reigned
from the time of Adam to the time of Moses,
even over those
who had not sinned in the manner of Adam,
by transgressing a commandment.
Now Adam is a type of the One who was to come.
But the grace of God
cannot be measured by Adam’s transgression.
The fault of one man brought death to all,
but God gave all a rich reward
through the great gift of His grace:
the one man Jesus Christ.
His gift is stronger than that one sin.
The judgement that followed the one transgression,
resulted in a conviction,
but the pardon that was granted after so many transgressions,
meant complete remission.

Through the actions of one man, death began to reign,
as a result of that man’s fall.
So much more glorious will be those
who receive the abundance of grace
and the gift of righteousness,
who will live and reign,
thanks to the one man, Jesus Christ.
This means:
One mistake led to the condemnation of all,
but one good deed led to acquittal
and life for all.
And just as through the disobedience of one man
all became sinners,
so through the obedience of One
all will be justified.

Verse before the Gospel                 Mt . 4:4b

Praise and glory be to You, Lord Jesus.
Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
Praise and glory be to You, Lord Jesus.

GOSPEL                   Mt. 4, 1-11
Jesus fasts for forty days and is tempted.

From the Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew

At that time, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil.
After fasting for forty days and forty nights,
He became hungry.

Then the tempter approached Him and said:
“If You are the Son of God,
command that these stones be turned into bread.”
He replied:
“It is written:
Man shall not live by bread alone,
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

Then the devil took Him to the holy city,
placed Him on the parapet of the temple gate,
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,
to guard You in all Your ways,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
Jesus said to him,
“It is written:
You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Finally, the devil took Him to a very high mountain,
from where he showed Him all the kingdoms of the world
in their glory.
And he said:
“All this I will give You,
if You will fall down and worship me.”
Then Jesus said to him:
“Away, Satan! It is written:
You shall worship the Lord your God
and serve Him only.”
Now the devil left Him alone,
and angels came to minister to Him.

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Laudato Si

Encyclical of

POPE FRANCIS

On Care for Our Common Home

36. Caring for ecosystems requires a vision that goes beyond the short term,
because their protection is of no interest to anyone who is only seeking quick
and easy economic gain. However, the cost of the damage caused by selfish
carelessness is many times greater than the economic benefit that can be gained. In the case of the loss or serious damage to some species,
we are talking about values that transcend any calculation.
Therefore, we can be silent witnesses to very serious injustices,
when people claim to be gaining significant economic benefits
and leave the rest of present and future humanity to pay the very
high costs of environmental destruction.
To be continued
Every day at 1 am