The dried garden. Stories of neglected relationships

Commentary on the Gospel of February 22, 2026

First Sunday of Lent year A

Jesus fasts for forty days in the desert and is tempted.

From the Gospel according to Matthew

Mt 4.1-11

At that time, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert, to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he finally became hungry. The tempter approached him and said to him: “If you are the Son of God, say that these stones become bread”. But he answered, “It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of the mouth of God.”

Then the devil took him to the holy city, and put him on the highest point of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, go down; for it is written: “He will give orders to his angels about you and they will carry you on their hands so that your foot does not stumble on a stone”. Jesus answered him, “It is also written, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Again the devil carried him up a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory and said to him: «All these things I will give you if, throwing yourself at my feet, you worship me». Then Jesus answered him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: “The Lord, your God, you will worship: to him alone you will worship”.

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels approached him and served him.

Word of the Lord.

The garden

How many relationships we have broken! How many gardens we have left to dry up! How many flowers we let die because we didn’t water them! It’s the story of our life: friendships were born, loves, paths began, but then distrust, suspicion, tiredness, doubt that it wasn’t really worth it crept in. It also happens in the relationship with God: we met him, we got excited, then we were disappointed, we abandoned him. Maybe, who knows, sometimes we come back to him, especially when we are tired and tried, in the hope that we can start again.

The garden, which we find in the text of Genesis of this first Sunday of Lent, represents precisely the relationship of friendship, where God has placed us, where he invites us to live. But how many times have we gone out of that garden, perhaps out of presumption, perhaps because we were deluded to find happiness elsewhere, perhaps because we were tired of always seeing the same flowers. But outside of that relationship we simply discovered our fragility, we found ourselves naked, defenseless, deceived by our own reasons. So we tried to cover ourselves, we looked for surrogates, who left us dissatisfied and embarrassed.

Put to the test

It happens to leave that garden, as it happens to come out of the garden of our daily relationships, even from the most significant ones. In fact, temptation is not an exception, but it is part of life: we are constantly put to the test, life forces us to come out for what we are, we can never hide completely. Even Jesus, says the text of the Gospel of Matthew, is led by the Spirit into the desert.

Even Jesus at the beginning of his ministry must look within himself, he must reveal himself to himself and decide what kind of Messiah he wants to be. Above all, he must choose how he wants to be in the relationship with the Father: “if you are the Son of God…”. How many times do we use this killer phrase towards people: “if you were… if you loved me… if you understood me…”. They are phrases with which we provoke others to enter our expectations. Like the provocations of the devil in this episode of the Gospel.

Stones are stones

The first provocation wants to force us to force reality, to bring out what cannot be there: stones are stones and they are not eaten! Sometimes we force ourselves to look for affection from where it can’t come, we look for consolation where there can’t be. In the end, we are disappointed, frustrated, maybe we curse against the reality that has simply done its duty: it has remained what it is. Jesus does not alter reality, he does not force it to respond to his needs. The bread, what feeds us, will come from God, at the right time, as God wills.

It doesn’t make sense and it’s not healthy to force things. Having the power to force things to become what they are not, does not mean that it is a good thing: we can have the power to force people to be in a relationship even if that is not their good, we can force reality to respond to our interests by manipulating and abusing, but this says something first of all about us, it says who we are, people incapable of welcoming and respecting reality for what it is.

Love doesn’t throw tantrums

The other temptation we live in relationships emerges when we no longer trust, when we need confirmation, when we ask the other to show us his love. The devil proposes to Jesus to test the Father to verify his love. Those who behave this way in a relationship have a childish and capricious behavior. After all, he’s saying that that relationship is already over.

Those who truly love don’t need proof. Love requires trust, risk, surrender. Love doesn’t provoke. He doesn’t say: let’s see how much you love me. Love doesn’t wait for you at the gate, it doesn’t stand with the finger pointed waiting for the other’s mistake. Love doesn’t complain about silences and absences, thanks for all the times the other has been there.

The apparent good

The last provocation is perhaps the most sneaky. It is in fact the one that comes in the form of good: if you worship me…all these Realms will be yours…and you will be able to do all the good you want. It is the temptation of compromise with evil. I did it for good! It is a temptation very present also in the institutions, which justify the links with evil, presenting the positive results achieved.

Yet, there is no bad means that can make a achieved end good. Precisely for this reason, Jesus will choose a different path, that of the cross. Jesus does not take shortcuts, he does not give up fatigue and suffering. The evil deceives us, covering his perversions with the false light of what we have obtained, but sooner or later evil asks us for the bill. If you have achieved a result with compromises, cunning and lies, be prepared to pay the bill sooner or later.

The spiritual struggle

It’s true, life puts us in front of so many trials, we come out for what we are, many times we get confused and make mistakes, we break relationships and slam the door, yet in Jesus we can find the strength to face the provocations of the Evil One. The journey of Lent reveals to us first of all the spiritual struggle. We are called to fight, but we are not alone. Christ fights not only for us, but fights with us. That’s why we’re sure we’re already winners in the battle!

To read inside

• What are the dynamics that usually lead you to break up relationships?
• What is the path of conversion that you can take at the beginning of this time of Lent?

Per gentile concessione © ♥ Padre Gaetano Piccolo SJ