First Sunday of Lent - 2/22/26

By Father Pinto Paul, C.S.C.

If listeners remember only one thing this Sunday, it should be this: Jesus shows us that temptation is overcome not by our own strength alone, but by clinging to God's Word and trusting in His provisions and families can practice this together in their daily struggles.

Scripture Insight

In today's Gospel, Jesus faces the same basic temptations that brought down Adam and Eve in the Garden: the lure of physical satisfaction, the testing of God's faithfulness, and the pursuit of power and glory. Where our first parents failed by doubting God's goodness and grasping for more, Jesus succeeds by responding to each temptation with Scripture, demonstrating complete trust in the Father. This reveals that temptation itself is not a sin, even Jesus was tempted but that victory comes through grounding ourselves in God's Word and choosing dependence on Him over self-reliance. Notice that Jesus withdrew to the desert to pray before facing this trial and his strength flowed from communion with the Father. The parallel between the two Adams in Paul's letter to the Romans reminds us that Christ's obedience reverses the catastrophic effects of that first disobedience, opening the path of grace for all families.

Family Life Connection

Every family knows the wilderness of temptation. Parents face the temptation to take shortcuts in their marriage when communication gets hard, to lose patience with their children when exhausted, or to pursue success and security at the expense of family time and prayer. Children face pressure to compromise their values to fit in, to choose the easy path over the right one, or to believe the lie that they need to prove their worth through achievement. Like the serpent's question to Eve "Did God really say...?" our culture constantly whispers doubts about God's plan for marriage, the value of sacrifice, and the dignity of every human life. But Jesus shows families that we don't face these battles alone or unarmed. When we root our family life in Scripture, when we pray together, and when we help each other recognize and resist temptation, we participate in Christ's victory over the evil one.

Practical Takeaway for Families

This Lent, try these simple family practices:
- 5-Minute Gospel at Dinner: Read one verse from the Sunday Gospel and ask: "What is Jesus saying to our family today?"
- Make a Family Temptation Plan: Talk honestly (age-appropriately): "What is hard for me during Lent?" Then choose one temptation each and pray for one another daily.
- Pause and Pray: Choose Before anger, impatience, or shortcuts: Pause, whisper "Jesus, help me," and choose the better way.
- Five-Finger Breathing Prayer (for stress/anger). Trace your fingers slowly: breathe in going up, breathe out going down, praying: "Jesus, I trust in You."

The Story

A mother was in the kitchen, trying to finish her work. The day had already been long. Her body was tired. Her mind was full. Her patience was thin. And then, her six-year-old son began to interrupt her again and again.

"Mama... Mama... Mama..."

At first she answered gently. Then she tried to ignore him. But he kept coming—asking questions, pulling at her dress, wanting attention, making noise, running around the kitchen.

And slowly... something began to rise inside her.

Irritation. Frustration. Anger.

And then the temptation came—strong and sudden.

She felt the words forming in her mouth: "Stop it! Leave me alone! I can't take this anymore!"

She was just seconds away from shouting.

But right there—in that moment—something deeper happened.

She paused.

Not because the child changed... Not because the situation improved... But because she chose something greater than anger.

She turned off the stove. She wiped her hands. She walked to her son, bent down, and said calmly,

"Come with me."

She took him to the living room, sat him on the couch, and sat beside him. Then she held his small hands in hers, looked straight into his eyes, and said with a trembling voice,

"Honey... I can't take it anymore. I'm struggling. I feel angry. I feel like shouting... and I don't want to hurt you."

Then she said something the child never expected:

"I need a favor from you."

And the boy looked at her, confused.

She said softly:

"Please... pray for me."

And at that moment, the whole atmosphere changed.

The kitchen was still messy. The work was still unfinished. The child was still a child.

But the devil lost his victory.

Because anger was not given permission. Temptation was not obeyed. And love took control.

That mother did not simply avoid shouting...

She turned her temptation into prayer.

She made her weakness a moment of grace.

And she taught her child a lesson he would never forget:

When you feel anger rising... don't react—pray.

When you feel like shouting... invite God in.

When the heart is burning... let prayer become water.

And that day, instead of a wound, that child received a memory.

A holy memory.

A memory that probably shaped his whole life:

"My mother didn't scream... she asked me to pray."

STORY 2 (OPTIONAL)
I know a mother of three who keeps a small basket of Scripture cards on her kitchen counter. She started this practice during a particularly difficult Lent when she felt overwhelmed by the temptation to yell at her kids every time things got chaotic. Instead of giving in, she'd grab a card, read it aloud, and sometimes her children would join in.

One day, her six-year-old was frustrated with his homework and about to throw his book across the room. His older sister walked over, handed him a card from the basket, and said, "Maybe Jesus has something to say about this." It wasn't a magic solution, but it became a family habit—turning to God's Word first, just like Jesus did in the desert.

Practical Ways to Pray Like Jesus as a Family:

1. Fix a time and be faithful to it — Jesus prayed morning, noon, and evening. Choose one consistent time your family can gather—even 5-10 minutes. Morning prayer before school, grace before dinner with one added intention, or bedtime prayer with Scripture. God is less interested in the quantity than in our fidelity.
2. Teach children that prayer is relationship, not just ritual — Jesus didn't just "say prayers"—He prayed. He spoke to the Father as a friend (John 15:15). Encourage family members to talk to God from the heart: "Jesus, I'm scared about my test tomorrow." "Lord, help Mom and Dad not to fight." "Thank you for my little brother, even when he's annoying."
3. Withdraw together into "family desert moments" — Jesus went to deserted places to pray (Mark 1:35). Create sacred space in your home: turn off screens for 10 minutes, light a candle, sit together in silence or with soft music, and invite each person to talk to God in their heart. Then share one thing you prayed about.
4. Pray before making decisions — Jesus prayed all night before choosing the Twelve Apostles (Luke 6:12). Teach children to pray before big and small choices: "Should I try out for this team?" "How should I respond to that mean comment?" "What should our family do this summer?" God speaks to those who take time to listen.
5. Return to prayer when you fail — After Peter denied Jesus, after the disciples fell asleep in Gethsemane, Jesus didn't abandon them. He called them back to prayer and mission. When your family misses prayer time or when temptation wins, don't give up. Come back the next day. Fidelity matters more than perfection.

A Warning Worth Heeding

Satan tries to limit your family's prayer—because he knows that your prayer limits his activity. Busyness without prayer creates spiritual emptiness. We become active on the outside but hollow within.

Henri Nouwen wrote: "If you do not succeed in meeting God in the depths of your heart, your chances of meeting Him in external things are very remote."

Jesus' Simple Request

In Gethsemane, Jesus asked his disciples for just two things:

• "Watch one hour with me."
• "Do this in remembrance of me."

This Lent, can your family give Jesus that hour across the week? Seven days, one hour total—less than 10 minutes a day.

When your best friend is God, you are never alone in the wilderness of temptation.

The Holy Family is not just a model to admire but a pattern to follow. This Lent, encourage families to imitate Mary, Joseph, and Jesus by establishing daily prayer rhythms, turning to Scripture when tempted, and choosing obedience to God's will in the "Nazareth moments" of ordinary family life. When families pray like the Holy Family prayed, they discover the same strength Jesus found in the desert: the power to resist temptation and choose the path of love.

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus, you faced temptation and won the victory for us through prayer and trust in the Father. Help our families to follow your example by making prayer our daily habit, turning to Scripture in moments of struggle, and supporting one another when the path is difficult. Teach us to watch one hour with you, to do all things in remembrance of you. May this Lent draw us closer to you and to each other. Amen.