Monsignor Enrique Díaz Díaz shares with Exaudi readers his reflection on the Gospel of this Sunday, February 22, 2026,   entitled:  “You shall worship the Lord your God, and He alone you shall serve . ”

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Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7:  “Then their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked.”

Psalm 50:  “Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.”

Romans 5:12-19:  “The gift of God far outweighs the sin”

Matthew 4:1-11:  “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.”

The opening pages of Genesis attempt to answer humanity’s fundamental questions: Why am I here? Where does evil come from? What lies beyond death? Why are we different? It answers not with scientific assertions, but with narratives born of profound religiosity and recognition of God’s presence, yet cloaked in simplicity. Why evil? The text teaches us that evil stems from the profound imbalance that arises when humanity forgets its very nature and strives to be more. Genesis tells us that God created all things for human enjoyment, that we can enjoy them all… except for one tree. Humanity focuses more on what it cannot have than on what it can. It is not content with being a creature; it aspires to be God. The serpent’s words carry all the poison of temptation and seek to confuse:  “He has forbidden you to eat from any tree.”  It fails to recognize the grandeur of the life God has given them, nor does it discover the great gift of caring for the Lord’s creation… It sows ambition in their hearts. To abandon his being as a man and search beyond.

The first commandment in Genesis is joy. Man was placed in the garden to enjoy himself and be happy. The prohibition is not opposed to joy but rather protects and safeguards it, guiding it in the right direction. Man was not created to suffer, as some would have us believe, but for happiness. The world created by God is good and contains everything that can satisfy our desires… But man wants more, he aspires to more and seeks his own path, and like a fish out of water, when man leaves his element, he loses his sense of purpose and discovers himself naked, empty, and worthless. Man, who wants to be God and denies God, loses his true meaning. This temptation is the paradigm of all temptation, and we easily see it in the temptations the devil presents to Jesus. What is wrong with satisfying hunger? And it even seems we hear the justifications of many who gorge themselves on their wealth: “What’s wrong with me eating or drinking or getting drunk on what I’ve earned by the sweat of my brow?” The sad thing is that while you’re getting drunk and gorging yourself, others, perhaps your own family, are dying of hunger.

The limits set by God are for the sake of fullness. The devil incites us to violate these boundaries in order to torment humanity, to diminish our space, to suffocate us, and to make us prisoners. The ambition for all the kingdoms he offers Jesus, the wealth that imprisons and suffocates humanity today, does not bring freedom but rather binds the heart and makes it a slave. For money and power, people kill and lie, they deny their own brothers and sisters, they disregard the dignity of the person. Thus, money is not possessed, but rather it takes possession of the heart. The violence unleashed in our time has its roots in this same temptation of ambition for money and power. Everyone justifies themselves with their apparent rights, but the life and happiness of humanity are shattered by the ambition of a few. It is original sin repeated ad nauseam, even though in the end we discover ourselves naked and worthless. Money, power, and pleasure continue to grip the heart of man and are his main temptations, disguised in justifications that justify nothing and leave a trail of injustice, lies, and poverty.

Many consider it childish to talk about the devil, but evil is present in our world, and more than believing in the devil, we should believe in God and His goodness. But let us be aware that we are all subject to temptation, which, cunning and dangerous, creeps in from all sides. Malicious, it disguises itself as goodness and distances us from God. It would be very dangerous to forget our own fragility. The devil makes himself present where everything seems fine and contaminates the most sincere environments. Every time we try to seek God, the adversary appears with his temptations. The only way to overcome him is as Christ teaches us today in the Gospel: to recognize that we are loved by God and to listen to His word. More than letting ourselves be tempted by the devil and his great allies (pleasure, power, and possessions), we should let ourselves be tempted by the love of God, let ourselves be seduced by His plans for true happiness. Today we can contemplate Jesus tempted, tested, lacking advantages, but with great certainty in the love of God His Father. Let us follow His example of radical commitment and promptness. There is in Him, as there sometimes is in us, neither ambiguity nor complacency. He finds in the Word of God a faithful and sincere answer, not adapting it to his own interests as the devil proposes. Let us learn from Jesus that it is more important to follow God’s ways than to succumb to the temptation of forging our own. God’s ways do not lead to failure, but to triumph, to fulfillment, and to true happiness. Speaking of demons, the love of God is far more important and powerful.

The first Sunday of Lent invites us to discover the true dignity and vocation of humankind. Its value lies not in outward appearances, but in being made in the image of God and being his beloved child. Let us examine ourselves to see if we have fallen into the temptation of living by outward displays and appearances, for we will soon find ourselves exposed. What are the main temptations that beset me? How am I facing them? Is Jesus my guide, my strength, and my model for moving forward? What interests are occupying my heart: injustice, pleasure, selfishness, or lies? Today we need to remember that in God and in his love lies the true meaning of every person.

Good and generous Father, grant us to discover the immensity of your love and to understand true conversion, which comes through encountering our poorest and most vulnerable brothers and sisters. Amen.