1st Sunday of Lent

1st Sunday of Lent

February 22, 2026PURPLESunday · Lent

First Sunday of Lent

The First Sunday of Lent marks the beginning of the Church's forty-day journey toward Easter. Having been marked with ashes on Ash Wednesday, we now enter fully into this season of repentance, fasting, and renewal.

Jesus in the Wilderness

The Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent always recounts Jesus' temptation in the wilderness:

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. When he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry afterward." — Matthew 4:1-2

Jesus' forty days in the wilderness provide the model for our forty days of Lent. As he faced temptation and emerged victorious, we too engage in spiritual battle during this season.

The Three Temptations

Satan tempted Jesus in three ways:

  1. Stones to bread: The temptation to satisfy legitimate needs in illegitimate ways
  2. Throw yourself down: The temptation to test God and seek spectacular signs
  3. Worship me: The temptation to gain the world by abandoning God

These categories encompass most human temptation. Jesus defeated each with Scripture, showing us the power of God's Word.

The Significance of Forty

The number forty appears throughout Scripture in contexts of testing and preparation:

  • Forty days of rain during the flood
  • Forty years of Israel's wilderness wandering
  • Forty days of Moses on Mount Sinai
  • Forty days of Elijah's journey to Horeb
  • Forty days of Jesus' fasting

Lent's forty days (not counting Sundays) connect us to this biblical pattern of preparation through trial.

Entering the Battle

Lent is not merely about giving things up—it is spiritual warfare. Through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we:

  • Strengthen our souls against temptation
  • Loosen the grip of sin and attachment
  • Grow in dependence on God
  • Prepare to celebrate Christ's victory at Easter

The Catechumens' Journey

For those preparing for Baptism at the Easter Vigil, this is a particularly intense time. The Rite of Election, often celebrated on this Sunday, marks their formal enrollment among those who will be baptized. The whole Church accompanies them in prayer.

Hope Amidst Discipline

Though Lent is penitential, it is not without hope. We fast precisely because we believe in the feast to come. The desert leads to the promised land; the cross leads to resurrection.