Men’s failure

First Sunday of Lent – Year A 

Collect

Grant, almighty God, through the yearly observances of holy Lent, that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

First Reading
Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7

The creation of our first parents, and sin.

A reading from the Book of Genesis

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.

The word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17

R. :

℟. (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.

℟. 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.”

℟. 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.

℟. 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.

℟. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Second Reading
Rom 5:12-19 or 5:12, 17-19

Where sin increased, there grace increased all the more.

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans

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.

The word of the Lord.

Or: [Shorter Form]

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 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.

The word of the Lord.

Acclamation before the Gospel
Mt 4:4b

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Mt 4:1-11

Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights and was tempted.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

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.

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflection

While the Church continually invites us to conversion, during the season of Lent this call becomes more intense. Through the passages from Scripture chosen to be proclaimed during the Eucharistic celebration throughout this season, the Church helps us to understand truly how we can experience this conversion. The cycle of readings for Year A, in particular, has since the earliest centuries of the Church been chosen to accompany those who are to be baptised at the Easter Vigil, through rites celebrated on these Sundays.

Today’s readings of the Word of God help us to understand more clearly why we must convert, to what we must convert, and through whom we are able to convert.

The reading from the Book of Genesis describes for us the original state of man as that creature made by God in his own image. God adorned man with many beautiful qualities, above all with freedom—so much so that he used this very freedom to turn against his Creator and sought to become like him! To convert, therefore, means to return to that state of intimate friendship with God which man enjoyed at the beginning of creation. It is not a relationship built on law and fear, but one founded on love.

Many of us still clearly remember a question and answer from our early years of catechesis: “Why did God make you?” “God made me to know him, love him and serve him, and so to be happy with him for ever in the next life.” Genuine conversion consists in these three steps. First, to know God for who he truly is: the Creator and Father of all. The second step is truly to love him: that he may always and in everything come first in our lives; that our heart may beat in harmony with his. Yet sincere conversion does not find its fullness unless it leads to serving God, especially by recognising what God’s will is in our lives and carrying it out.

If we reflect carefully on today’s Gospel reading according to Saint Matthew, we find Jesus following this very process in his struggle in the desert against the devil. In the first temptation, Jesus shows us that we come to know God through his Word. When the devil tempts Jesus a second time, Jesus warns him that whoever truly loves God does not put him to the test by abusing the freedom he has been given. Finally, the devil ceased tempting Jesus when he showed that he was ready to serve God alone.

Yet this conversion cannot be achieved by our efforts alone. As Saint Paul tells us in the Second Reading, “the grace of God and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflowed to the many.” It is through Jesus alone that we are able to turn to God and call him, “Abba, Father.”

On this First Sunday of Lent, those catechumens who are to be baptised at the Easter Vigil celebrate what is known as the Rite of Election. Through this rite they are invited to choose Christ truly as their Saviour and thus to enter more deeply into the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus. May this Lent be for us all a time of genuine conversion, of grace and of many blessings.Prayer O God, our loving Father, you desire to renew all things in Christ and to draw all people to him; guide these chosen children of the Church as they prepare to receive Baptism, and grant that they may be faithful to their calling, so that they may be built up in the kingdom of your Son and receive the seal of the Holy Spirit according to your promise. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer

O God, our loving Father, you desire to renew all things in Christ and to draw all people to him; guide these chosen children of the Church as they prepare to receive Baptism, and grant that they may be faithful to their calling, so that they may be built up in the kingdom of your Son and receive the seal of the Holy Spirit according to your promise. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

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