A time of trial, a time of grace

 

Sunday 22 February 2026

 Meditatio:

“…and suddenly angels came and waited on him” (Matthew 4:11)

Lectio Divina:*

Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7

Psalm 50(51)

Romans 5:12-19

Matthew 4:1-11

Commentary:

There is something in many people – even atheists and agnostics  -  that senses the need for a kind of Lent. If it did not exist, we might have to invent it. Arriving as it does with spring in the Northern Hemisphere, Lent naturally invites clearing out, cutting back, reviewing, planting, and sowing.

But Lent is far more than seasonal self‑improvement. For Christians it is a time of renewal and preparation: renewal, because we periodically need to reset our spiritual compass and turn away — metanoia — from what harms us and others; preparation, because Lent leads us to the greatest day of the year, Easter Sunday. We only ever have now.

After his baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Matthew says he was led; Mark says he was driven. Either way, it was a time of testing. Jesus was confronted with questions about hunger, power, and trust — and he passed that threefold test. Matthew presents the temptations as a dialogue between Jesus and the Tempter, each quoting scripture. Shakespeare’s line rings true: “The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose.” We see the same dynamic whenever scripture is used to justify power struggles or to bend Christ toward worldly ideologies, including the modern attempts to cloak nationalism or racism in Christian language.

The first reading from Genesis shows the ancient pattern: the temptation to doubt God, to seize autonomy, to decide good and evil on our own terms. That temptation has many modern forms. At its heart is the desire to be our own gods. Jesus confronts this temptation in the desert, and again in Gethsemane. As Luke notes, the devil departed “until an opportune time.” Paul reminds us in today’s second reading that “by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” Christ undoes what Adam began.

Many of us find ourselves in a wilderness of one kind or another. In such times we may need to loosen our grip on plans and expectations, not in resignation but in trust — allowing what washes over us while keeping our inner compass set toward hope, however faintly perceived.

We often think of Lent as a time to do something: penance, charity, discipline. These are good and necessary. But perhaps we might also ask what good comes to us. Matthew ends the temptation narrative with a quiet line: “And suddenly angels came and waited on him.” After the dryness, hunger, and struggle, Jesus received help.

Where are the angels in my own life? What help have I overlooked or resisted? Where do I find nourishment after a season of trial?

Lent is a time to pause, to notice, to ask such questions — and to let grace do its quiet work.

Oratio [Collect of the Word]

O Lord, who for our sake fasted forty days and forty nights: give us grace to use such abstinence, that, our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey your godly will
in righteousness and true holiness; to your honour and glory, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen

Footnote

*  These readings are taken from the Sunday lectionary used in most Catholic churches. The source is BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages (using the New Revised Standard Version - anglicised catholic edition). Psalms in this Blog are numbered according to the Hebrew (Masoretic) text with the Greek Septuagint/Vulgate numbering in parenthesis where applicable.