1st Sunday of Lent (A)

 Gen. 2:7-9; 16-18, 25, 3:1-7; Rom. 5:12-19; Mt. 4:1-11

The Gospel places before us one of the most profound and revealing moments in the life of Jesus: his forty days in the wilderness, led not by accident but by the Spirit, into a place of hunger, silence, struggle, and decision. Before Jesus heals the sick, proclaims the kingdom, or confronts injustice, he first enters the desert. The desert in the Bible is never just a geographical place; it is the space where illusions are stripped away, where a person confronts God, self, and the powers that seek to divert the heart. Israel passed through the desert for forty years, learning painfully what it meant to trust God. Moses fasted forty days on Sinai before receiving the law. Elijah walked forty days to Horeb before encountering God in the still small voice. Now Jesus fasts forty days, reliving the story of Israel and of humanity itself, but this time with a decisive difference: where others faltered, he remains faithful.

The first temptation comes at the most vulnerable moment: “He was famished.” Hunger is real. Jesus does not pretend otherwise. The devil’s suggestion is subtle and seemingly reasonable: “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to

Ash Wednesday (A)

Joel 2:12-18; 2 Cor 5:20-6:2; Mt 6:1-6, 16-18

On a cold winter morning, a young executive stood in front of the mirror adjusting his expensive suit. His calendar was full, his phone constantly buzzing, his life seemingly successful. That same evening, he received a call that his father had suddenly passed away. Standing at the cremation ground, watching ashes return to ashes, he whispered through tears, “All this running… for what?” That moment shattered his illusion of control and permanence. Ash Wednesday begins exactly there—at that honest moment when human pride collapses and truth stands bare before us.

Ash Wednesday confronts us with a reality we often avoid: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” These words are not meant to frighten us but to free us. In the Bible, ashes symbolize humility, repentance, and dependence on God. When Jonah preached

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

 Sir. 15:15-20; 1 Cor. 2:6-10; Mt. 5:17-37

A wise old story from the East tells of a king who placed two paths before his people. One was wide, smooth, and well-lit; the other narrow and steep. At the entrance of both paths stood a sign: “You are free to choose.” Many took the easy road. But those who chose the harder path discovered that it led to peace, wisdom, and life.

Today’s first reading from Sirach reminds us: “If you choose, you can keep the commandments.” God does not force holiness on us. He invites us to choose life. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us that mere external obedience is not enough. What God desires is a righteousness of the heart, deeper than rules, deeper than appearances—“Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees…”

Jesus begins with a command everyone agrees with: “You shall not murder.” Most of us can say with confidence, “I have never killed anyone.” But Jesus goes further: anger, insults, and contempt are also seeds of destruction.