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Mass Readings

Liturgical Readings for : Sunday, 22nd February, 2026
Léachtaí Gaeilge
Next Sunday’s Readings

First Sunday of Lent, Cycle A

We all need to awaken to the meaning of ‘being in Christ’.
We are all struggling against the powers of darkness confident that wherever there is sin, Grace also abounds still more.

Today the initial Rite of Election of Catechumens is celebrated.

FIRST READING

A reading from the Book of  Genesis          2:7-9 3:1-7
The creation and sin of our first parents.

The Lord God fashioned man of dust from the soil. Then he breathed into his nostrils a breath of life, and thus man became a living being.

The Lord God planted a garden in Eden which is in the east, and there he put the man he had fashioned. The Lord God caused to spring up from the soil every kind of tree, enticing to look at and good to eat, with the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden.

The serpent was the most subtle of all the wild beasts that the Lord God had made. It asked the woman,
‘Did God really say you were not to eat from any of  the trees in the garden?‘ The woman answered the serpent, ‘We may eat he fruit of the trees in the garden. But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, “You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death”.’
Then the serpent said to the woman,
‘No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.’

The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was desirable for the knowledge that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She gave some also to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves together to make themselves loin-cloths.

The Word of the Lord.              Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm            Ps 50: 3-6, 2-12-13, 14, 17
Response                                Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

1. Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.                       Response

2. My offences truly I know them; my sin is always before me.
Against you, you alone, have I sinned: what is evil in your sight I have done.             Response

3. A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your holy spirit.            Response

4. Give me again the joy of your help; with a spirit of fervour sustain me.
O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise.                                     Response

SECOND  READING 

A reading from the letter of St Paul to  Romans                5:12-19
However great the number of sins committed, grace was even greater.

Sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned. Sin existed in the world long before the Law was given. There was no law and so no one could be accused of the sin of ‘law-breaking’, yet death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even though their sin, unlike that of Adam, was not a matter of breaking a law.

Adam prefigured the One to come, but the gift itself considerably outweighed the fall. If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift. The results of the gift also outweigh the results of one man’s sin: for after one single fall came judgement with a verdict of condemnation, now after many falls comes grace with its verdict of acquittal. If it is certain that death reigned over everyone as the consequence of one man’s fall, it is even more certain that one man, Jesus Christ, will cause everyone to reign in life who receives the free gift that he does not deserve, of being made righteous. Again, as one man’s fall brought condemnation on everyone, so the good act of one man brings everyone life and makes them justified.

As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

The Word of the Lord.              Thanks be to God.

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Shorter form of the Second reading

A reading from the letter of St Paul to  Romans                5:12. 17-19

Sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death

has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned. If it is certain that death reigned over everyone as the consequence of one man’s fall, it is even more certain that one man, Jesus Christ, will cause everyone to reign in life who receives the free gift that he does not deserve, of being made righteous. Again, as one man’s fall brought condemnation on everyone, so the good act of one man brings everyone life and makes them justified. As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

The Word of the Lord.              Thanks be to God.

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Gospel  Acclamation          Mt 4:4
Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory!
Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.
Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you.          And with your spirit
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew             4:1-11            Glory to you, O Lord
Jesus fasts for forty days and is tempted.

Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry, and the tempter came and said to him,
‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves‘.

But he replied, ‘Scripture says:
‘Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’.

The devil then took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple.
‘If you are the Son of God’ he said ‘throw yourself down; for scripture says:
‘He will put you in his angels’ charge, and they will support you on their hands in case you hurt your foot against a stone’.
Jesus said to him, ‘Scripture also says: ‘You must not put the Lord your God to the test’.

Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ‘I will give you all these’ he said, ‘if you fall at my feet and worship me.‘
Then Jesus replied,
‘Be off, Satan! For scripture says: ‘You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.’

Then the devil left him, and angels appeared and looked after him.

The Gospel of the Lord.           Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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For homily resources for this Sunday’s Gospel click here:  https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/

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Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966 by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.