Gospel reflection for Feb. 22, 2026, First Sunday of Lent
We embark on the Lenten Season by being challenged to remember what much of the world around us wants to forget: that we are all sinners in need of conversion. This sin is inherent to our human condition, leading us to a crippling level of alienation and distrust. The irony is that the more we dismiss this reality the more we manifest it in our lives. Instead of a world now rich with the peace of God’s Kingdom, we are on the brink yet again, of global conflagration fueled by hatred, distrust, and fear; all of which are the hallmarks of Original Sin.
The man and the woman in the Garden were free from shame, uncertainty and doubt. God walked with them and spoke with them, sharing a personal relationship with them. They desired instead to stand as his equal, and not as subject to him. The man and the woman did not accidentally or unintentionally fall for the wiles of the serpent. Instead, they placed themselves proximate to the forbidden fruit, all the while pondering what eating that fruit would mean. The serpent highlights what they already knew, the fruit looked juicy and sweet perhaps – at least imaginatively – the best piece of fruit in the garden. They ate of it, not because they were tricked into it, as they will claim, but because the serpent took advantage of their desire.
The sin of the man and the woman occurs, then, on multiple levels. Their desire turned to jealousy, then to pride, then to lust, before they finally gave in to the eating of the fruit.
Perhaps, though, their greatest sin, is the one that is not mentioned, but becomes apparent throughout the account: they experienced no remorse or regret for the sin. When confronted by God with their disobedience, and in the face of their own shame, they did not apologize or seek forgiveness from him. First the man, and then the woman, were content to pass the responsibility on to the other – first the man to the woman, and then the woman to the serpent. The serpent remains silent, and bears the brunt of God’s anger.
The lack of repentance on the part of the man and the woman continues even after their punishment is announced. It would seem that at no point neither the man nor the woman acknowledged their sin.
It is not uncommon for us to act the same way. In the face of our own sinfulness it can be easier to blame someone else for our actions, or to readily admit that we are sinful. When my sinful actions or behavior takes a deep root, the common course of response is to justify sin through a loophole, or to deny its sinfulness. I have even seen once faithful Catholics claim that they are no longer believers primarily because their sinful acts became so engrained that they found it easier to deny God than to deny themselves.
During the Lenten Season we are challenged to turn away from our sins. Before we can do that, we must repent of both the past sins and the on-going sins that separate us from God. Yet, we must also separate ourselves from what is traditionally called the “near occasions of sin.”
The man and woman in the Garden saw an occasion of sin and instead of avoiding it, allowed it to become so much a part of their thinking that when the occasion came to give in to the temptation, it was easy to do.
The prevalence of social media allows near occasions of sin to be ever nearer and more frequent. It is easy to become insulting, to express outrageous opinions and make rude comments, all behind the facade of a false moniker. It is also easy to get caught up in a website, chatroom, or become so engrossed in reels and videos that we lose a sense of self and allow our inhibitions to give way to the moment.
Jesus lived in a much simpler world, yet even he needed to escape the din of the world around him in order to fully process and understand what the Father revealed to him at his baptism. Jesus entered the desert, not to flee, but to recenter, to focus, and to prepare.
Our Lenten fast and abstinence serves the same purpose. As we enter now the First Week of Lent let us do so mindful of the need to set aside our distractions, and to focus more on our relationship with God, and the demand to love one another as Christ has loved us.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.