Collect Series First Sunday Lent Year A

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:

 

1. What does Christ's death and resurrection mean to me?
2.  How can I reflect its meaning in my life this coming week?
3.  What is the self sacrificing love of Christ?
4. How may I be able to reproduce it in my life this coming week?
5.  How does my Lenten observance support this goal of self-sacrifice?
6.   How can I grow in understanding of the riches hidden in Christ this           week?
7.   How have I succeeded in my Lenten commitment so far? 
8.  Have I kept to the commitment I set myself or have I already strayed away from what I started?
9.  What alterations do I need to make to my Lenten commitment during this week? 
10.  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.