We Have Sinned

The Bible readings today prepare us well for the First Sunday of Lent by reminding us that "we have sinned" (Psalm 51:3). The fateful scene depicted in Genesis 2-3 shows that the fall of Adam and Eve from God's grace certainly had a lot to do with the seven cardinal sins of anger, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony. And how the serpent took advantage of that!

"The woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for gaining wisdom." This applies to us in every way, too. How many times have we succumbed to temptations for these reasons?

The Gospel today tells of another immortal scene - that of the devil tempting Jesus after he fasted for forty days and nights. The episode in Matthew 4:1-11 shows how outrageously cunning the devil is, even couching his temptations in the guise of a quote from the scripture. Only Jesus was more than his match, and He gave us a perfect demonstration of how to resist temptations.

As we prepare ourselves for the beginning of Lent, may God grant us to humility to admit that we have sinned, the wisdom to recognise the devil's temptations and the strength to resist them.