Lent is a time of Self-examination and Hope

First Reading: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51:3-6, 12-17 Second Reading: Romans 5:12-19 Gospel Acclamation: Matthew 4:4b Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11

Reflection on Today’s reading is by, S. Anthony IYOKO VILLASON SJ, Centre Catholique Universitaire, CIEE/CCU Coordinator, Central African Republic.

My brothers and sisters,

The readings for this first Sunday of Lent present us with a stark contrast: the fall of Adam and the faithfulness of Christ.

The Book of Genesis shows us that humanity receives everything from God, but that, being fragile beings, we need to live in the presence of the Lord. When humanity rejects this loving dependence and seeks to decide for itself, it essentially puts itself in God’s place and breaks the relationship that sustained it toward absolute autonomy. This is precisely where the tragedy occurs: sin is not primarily an external act, but rather an internal rupture of relationship, where the heart slips into mistrust. However, if sin entered the world through one man, it is also through one man that grace is poured out abundantly upon the multitude, as Saint Paul teaches us.

The Gospel presents precisely this man in the desert: Jesus Christ. He faces trials not through external force but through the internalized Word of God. The ashes we received on our foreheads mark the beginning of this desert trial. Where Adam yielded in the garden, Christ remained faithful in the aridity. Jesus thus appears as the new Adam, the one who restores humanity by reconciling it with God. His struggle in the desert is ours today, for the interconnected world in which we live exposes us to other forms of desert: constant distraction, dependence on the opinions of others, the illusion of self-sufficiency, and even the pursuit of power.

In Ignatian spirituality, the desert is the place for discerning spirits. Saint Ignatius teaches us that the spiritual life is marked by inner movements: consolations and desolations. The tempter brings desolation, while the Holy Spirit brings consolation within us. Based on this premise, Lent becomes for each of us a time of self-examination, a time to ask ourselves these questions: What voices dwell in my heart? What leads me toward life, and what leads me away from it?

Ignatius would be speaking here of Ignatian indifference: being inwardly free to choose what leads more fully to life in God. Jesus in the desert is completely free: he seeks neither power, nor prestige, nor security. He chooses only the will of the Father.

For us today, in our lived experience and daily activities, the desert can manifest as our trials or inner struggles. But these places are never empty, for God is with us there. Lent is therefore a time of hope. It is not a time of sadness, but rather the time that opens us to the joy of Easter.

Let us therefore ask the Lord for the grace to know Christ intimately, who fights for us, so that we may love him more and follow him more freely. And also, may this Lenten season be for us a journey back to our hearts and a path to new life.

Ad majorem Dei gloriam .