Daily Readings - Sun Feb 26 2023
Genesis
7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.8And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.9And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:17But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.18And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.25And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:3But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
Romans
12Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:17For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)18Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.19For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Matthew
1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto 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.