Newsletter First Sunday of Lent / Sunday February 22nd, 2026

In Matthew’s Gospel, the Spirit leads Jesus away from the comfort of the Temple courtyard into a barren wilderness. There, after forty days of prayer and fasting, He encounters the Devil, who offers the easy shortcuts of power, safety and self‑    satisfaction. Each temptation is a mirror of the ways we, too, try to fill the emptiness of our own deserts—through success, certainty, or the pursuit of personal comfort—rather than through the quiet trust that God is already present.

The first Sunday of Lent is a perfect moment to ask ourselves: What desert am I walking through today?

· The desert of schedule – a calendar packed with meetings, errands, and endless to‑do lists that leave little room for stillness.

· The desert of doubt – those lingering questions about whether God truly hears our prayers or cares about our ordinary lives.

· The desert of habit – the routines that keep us from noticing God’s new mercies (the “fresh manna”) that He drops daily.

A simple practice for the weeks ahead

Each morning, before the day’s rush, take a moment to sit on the edge of a chair (or even on a quiet stone in the    garden) and repeat, “Lord, lead me out of my desert.” Let that quiet prayer be the first step of your Lenten pilgrimage. As you walk, remember that the desert is not a place of abandonment; it is precisely where God meets us, clears away the clutter, and whispers, “I am with you.”

May this season of conversion deepen our trust that, even in the most barren places, the Spirit is ever‑present, leading us toward the fullness of Christ’s love. Let us walk together, holding one another’s hands, as we journey toward the joy of the Resurrection.

May the Lord who guides Jesus through the desert guide us through this Lenten journey, granting us the grace to hear His voice and the courage to answer, “Here I am, Lord, send me.”