Collect Series
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FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
COLLECT
The Collect for the first Sunday of Lent Year A
reads as follows:
Grant, almighty God,
through our yearly observances of
Holy Lent,
that we may grow in understanding of
the riches hidden in Christ,
and by worthy conduct pursue their
effects.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your
Son,
who lives and reigns with You in the
unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
In making this prayer tangible, the
following reflection questions emerged:
- What does Christ's death and
resurrection mean to me?
- How can I reflect its meaning in my
life this coming week?
- What is the self sacrificing love of
Christ?
- How may I be able to reproduce it in
my life this coming week?
- How does my Lenten observance support
this goal of self-sacrifice?
- How can I grow in understanding of
the riches hidden in Christ this week?
- How have I succeeded in my Lenten
commitment so far?
- Have I kept to the commitment I set myself or have I already
strayed away from what I started?
- What alterations do I need to make to
my Lenten commitment during this week?
- What extra supports do I need to
ensure progress during the first full week of Lent.
GOSPEL REFLECTION
First
Sunday of Lent
Matthew
4:1–11
Theme:
“Led by the Spirit into the Desert”.
Setting the Scene
At the beginning of Lent, Jesus is led by
the Spirit into the desert. This detail is important. The desert is not a
punishment or a failure; it is part of God’s design.
For forty days and nights, Jesus fasts and
prays. In the silence and solitude of the wilderness, He faces temptation — not
at the height of His public ministry, but at its threshold. What unfolds in the
desert will shape everything that follows.
The temptations Jesus encounters are
subtle and deeply human: the desire for comfort, power, and control. Each time,
Jesus responds not with argument or force, but with Scripture — rooted in trust
in the Father.
Gospel Reflection: Choosing Trust Over
Control
This Gospel reveals that temptation is not
simply about doing wrong; it is about being drawn away from trust in God. The
devil’s questions are carefully phrased: “If you are the Son of God…”
They invite Jesus to prove Himself, to act independently, to grasp rather than
receive.
Jesus resists each temptation by remaining
anchored in His identity and relationship with the Father. He refuses to turn
stones into bread, not because hunger is wrong, but because dependence on God
matters more than immediate relief. He refuses power without obedience, glory
without sacrifice.
Lent invites us into this same pattern.
The desert exposes what we rely on when familiar supports are stripped away. It
reveals where we seek security apart from God — and gently calls us back to
trust.
Personal Reflection
The desert is not always a physical place.
Often, it appears as uncertainty, silence, limitation, or vulnerability. Like
Jesus, we may find ourselves tempted to escape discomfort, seek control, or
prove our worth.
This Gospel reassures us that temptation
is not a sign of failure. It is a place of discernment. Lent gives us time and
space to notice what pulls at our hearts and to choose, again and again, to
trust God’s word over other voices.
As we begin this first full week of Lent,
we are invited to walk with Jesus in the desert — not with fear, but with
confidence that God is at work even in dryness and struggle.
Questions for Reflection
Where do I experience “desert moments” in
my life right now?
What temptations feel most familiar to me
— comfort, control, or recognition?
How do I respond when prayer feels dry or
difficult?
What helps me remain grounded in God’s
word during times of testing?
What invitation might God be offering me
through this season of Lent?
SUMMARY
On the first Sunday of Lent each year, we are given the Gospel of the
temptations of Christ.
Each of the temptations invite Jesus to be the false Messiah by being
the political Messiah, a powerful ruler and to accept human privileges of
power, wealth and glory. Like Jesus, in his humanity, Satan still tempts
us. The temptations have many forms and guises but underneath each of them,
their purpose is twofold, that is to provide a short term gain or attraction
since Satan's goal is to lead us away from God.
The important point to remember about temptation is that, like Adam and
Eve in the garden when they saw the apple, it was as scripture says ' pleasing
to the eye and good to eat'. Temptation therefore comes as a guise
in the form of a good in our lives- something desirable and worthwhile.
It also comes a pleasing alternative- a quick solution where no effort on our
part is required.
When we give in to temptation, we take the easier route, the more
pleasing option. When we resist temptation, we build up our defences in the
form of grace so that when stronger temptations emerge, we have the grace and
strength with God's help to overcome it. The .other important point to remember
about temptation and how Satan tempted Jesus was that he did not turn up on day
1 in the desert but he waited until he was hungry and tired. Jesus responded
strongly using scripture as His.
If our pattern is to easily fall into temptation (take the easier route
when we know in our hearts, we need to be taking a different option) then we
all need to build our strength- weight training for the soul. God does
not provide us with a temptation which is greater than we can manage.
However, we need to be aware of what temptation really is and not be drawn into
the enticement. The evil one is subtle so we need to stay focused and
finely tuned to God's way. Lent is our intense weight training boot camp but
remember, we must stay focused all the year.
Now when we consider the love of God and resist it because my love for
Him is stronger than my need for the coffee, then I assure you, it definitely
becomes easier. Put Lent into the picture as well as motivation and it
definitely helps. However, remember the subtly of the evil one whispering
in the ear ' cake with your coffee wont hurt you- you will enjoy it. Perhaps
even you need it or you deserve to reward yourself'- it can become easier to
listen to the reasoning and succumb. Why because there is nothing
inherently wrong with the cake. However, the reason for going without it
is for spiritual reasons- my love for God and building up my spiritual muscle.
The response of Jesus to Satan also needs to be our own. Jesus chooses
complete dependence on God, a recognition that God and his will must always
come first, a willingness to obey God at any cost. In effect Jesus states
that nothing- not pleasure, not power, not wealth must ever come between us and
saving will of God. Jesus does not fool around with temptation but stamps on it
decisively. We too need to stamp decisively on the temptations that come our
way so that we remain faithful to God.
During this first full week of Lent, let us ask God to be merciful to us
and pray that when temptation comes our way, we will call on God to assist us
to be strong. Let us stand up to Satan and all his works this week. Let us
remember our goal- Heaven.
Closing Prayer
Lord
Jesus,
You were led by the Spirit into the desert
and remained faithful in trust and obedience.
Walk with me in my own desert places.
Help
me to listen to God’s word,
to resist voices that pull me away from truth,
and to grow in trust as I journey through Lent.
Amen.
