Daily Readings - Sun Feb 26 2023
Genesis
7And then the Lord God formed man from the clay of the earth, and he breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul8Now the Lord God had planted a Paradise of enjoyment from the beginning. In it, he placed the man whom he had formed9And from the soil the Lord God produced every tree that was beautiful to behold and pleasant to eat. And even the tree of life was in the midst of Paradise, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil16And he instructed him, saying: "From every tree of Paradise, you shall eat17But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat. For in whatever day you will eat from it, you will die a death.18The Lord God also said: "It is not good for the man to be alone. Let us make a helper for him similar to himself.25Now they were both naked: Adam, of course, and his wife. And they were not ashamed
1However, the serpent was more crafty than any of the creatures of the earth that the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Why has God instructed you, that you should not eat from every tree of Paradise?2The woman responded to him: "From the fruit of the trees which are in Paradise, we eat3Yet truly, from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of Paradise, God has instructed us that we should not eat, and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we may die.4Then the serpent said to the woman: "By no means will you die a death5For God knows that, on whatever day you will eat from it, your eyes will be opened; and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.6And so the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and beautiful to the eyes, and delightful to consider. And she took from its fruit, and she ate. And she gave to her husband, who ate7And the eyes of them both were opened. And when they realized themselves to be naked, they joined together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves
Romans
12Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into this world, and through sin, death; so also death was transferred to all men, to all who have sinned17For though, by the one offense, death reigned through one, yet so much more so shall those who receive an abundance of grace, both of the gift and of justice, reign in life through the one Jesus Christ18Therefore, just as through the offense of one, all men fell under condemnation, so also through the justice of one, all men fall under justification unto life19For, just as through the disobedience of one man, many were established as sinners, so also through the obedience of one man, many shall be established as just
Matthew
1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, in order to be tempted by the devil2And when he had fasted for forty days and forty nights, afterwards he was hungry3And approaching, the tempter said to him, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.4And in response he said, "It has been written: ‘Not by bread alone shall man live, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ 5Then the devil took him up, into the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple6and said to him: "If you are the Son of God, cast yourself down. For it has been written: ‘For he has given charge of you to his angels, and they shall take you into their hands, lest perhaps you may hurt your foot against a stone.’ 7Jesus said to him, "Again, it has been written: ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ 8Again, the devil took him up, onto a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory9and said to him, "All these things I will give to you, if you will fall down and adore me.10Then Jesus said to him: "Go away, Satan. For it has been written: ‘You shall adore the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ 11Then the devil left him. And behold, Angels approached and ministered to him
Sermon
The readings today take us on a journey from the origins of humanity to the triumph of grace over sin. In the first reading, we hear the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, where the serpent’s temptation leads them to disobey God’s command. This act of disobedience introduces sin and death into the world, marking a turning point in human history. The second reading from Romans connects this event to the coming of Christ, who through his obedience undoes the sin of Adam. Paul emphasizes that just as sin entered the world through one man, so too does salvation come through the one man, Jesus Christ. Finally, in the Gospel, we see Jesus facing temptation in the desert, but unlike Adam and Eve, he resists the devil’s offers, demonstrating his fidelity to God’s will.
These readings are deeply interconnected. The story of Adam and Eve sets the stage for understanding the nature of sin and its consequences. The Romans passage explains how Christ’s obedience reverses the effects of Adam’s disobedience, offering us justification and life. The Gospel then shows us how Jesus, as the “new Adam,” resists temptation and remains faithful, modeling for us how to live in accordance with God’s will. Together, these readings remind us that sin is not the end of the story; through Christ, we have been given the gift of grace and the power to overcome temptation.
In our daily lives, these readings invite us to reflect on our own struggles with sin and temptation. Like Adam and Eve, we are often lured by promises of power or pleasure that seem appealing but lead us away from God. Like Jesus in the desert, we are called to resist such temptations by trusting in God’s providence and staying rooted in his word. The moral lesson here is clear: sin may have entered the world through Adam, but through Christ, we have been given the grace to live as children of God. Let us turn to him in prayer, seek strength in his word, and strive to live lives of obedience and trust in his plan.