Day: February 22, 2026

February 22, 2026
St. Patrick Cathedral
Fort Worth, Texas

Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7
Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17
Romans 5:12-19
Matthew 4:1-11

The drama of temptation by the devil entices us to think that we can battle temptation alone without God.  Our first parents, Adam and Eve, prior to their fall into sin, entered into dialogue with the devil about what God commanded them to do.  Eve listens to the devil who tempts her and Adam to disobey God’s command to them not to even touch let alone eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  The promise that the devil makes is that they will be like gods.  To be like gods means that they will no longer be human in accord with the way God created them in their humanity.  They will no longer have need for God nor to be in relationship with God.  They would come to see God as a rival to their freedom and knowledge.