Beware the Camel’s Nose

February 22, 2026

First Sunday of Lent

First Reading: Genesis 2:7-9, 3:1-7 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 51 Second Reading: Romans 5:12-19 Gospel: Matthew 4:1-11

Irish poet and playwright Oscar Wilde famously once said, "I can resist anything except temptation." It's funny because it’s true, and that's exactly where we're starting this Lent: not with a lecture, nor with a guilt trip, but with the truth. If we can't be honest about temptation, we can't really understand what Jesus did for us in that desert.

There's an old fable about the camel and the tent. One night, it was particularly cold in the desert, so the camel pokes his nose inside and asks, “Hey man, it’s really cold out here. Could I maybe stick my nose in the tent, just for a moment, to try and warm up?" The owner feels compassion, so he says okay. The camel says, “Wow, that’s great, but if I could just put my entire head in, that would be even better for me to warm up.” Next, it’s his neck, then his hump, and so on. Before long, the entire camel is in the tent, forcing the owner to stand outside in the freezing cold because the camel has taken over. It's the oldest trick in the book, and the original trickster wasn't a camel.

If we look at Genesis today, God gave Adam and Eve everything: a beautiful garden, food in abundance, even His own presence. There was a boundary, but just one: no eating from the Tree of Life. The serpent, just like the camel, entered the picture slowly, subtly. He started with a question. "Did God really say that?" Planting just a little doubt; just a small reframe; just “a nose in the tent.” By the end of the story, Adam and Eve find themselves outside the garden, ashamed, and hiding from the God who made them and loved them — outside their safe environment, just like the camel’s owner.

Now, let’s peek ahead to the Gospel. Jesus is in the desert, 40 days without food. He's exhausted and he's hungry. The devil shows up, thinking he will win because of Jesus’ physical hunger and weakness. Because that's when the devil shows up — when you're at your lowest.

However, here’s what Satan didn’t bargain for: yes, Jesus was fasting physically for 40 days. No question, by the end of that, his body was depleted. But, what was he doing out there for 40 days besides not eating? He was praying and in constant communion with the Father. While his body was getting weaker, his spirit was getting immeasurably stronger. That desert wasn't just a test — it was a preparation. Forty days of drawing closer to God, filling himself with the Word, listening to the voice of the Father. So, when the devil shows up with his three clever offers — turn stones to bread, jump off the temple, bow down and take the kingdoms of the world — he's not facing a man running on empty. He's facing a man filled with strength from on high.

Jesus doesn't debate him. He doesn't say, "Hmm, let me think about that." Three times, Jesus reaches for the same thing: the Word of God. "It is written." Boom. "It is written." Boom. "It is written." Boom. Three pitches; three strikes; and Satan is out!

Billy Graham used to say, “The sword of the Spirit (the Bible) is the weapon God has provided for us to use in this battle between truth and deception. Make it a priority to wield that sword skillfully.” 

Jesus showed us exactly what that looks like. He didn't out-argue the devil with clever logic. He used Scripture like a weapon, a weapon he had been sharpening for 40 days in the wilderness.

Saint Paul ties it all together for us in his letter to the Romans. Adam sinned — one act, one moment — and that sin became our birthright. That's the bad news. On the other hand, there is good news, and Paul says it like he can barely contain himself: through the abundance of grace and the gift of justification through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the sin of Adam, inherited by all of us, was defeated and overcome for us all!

So, here's the parallel I want you to sit with this week: Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness praying, fasting, clinging to the Word of God. He came out of that desert physically tired, but spiritually unbreakable. He demonstrated that strength definitively, shutting down Satan not once, not twice, but three times without even flinching.

We have our 40 days too. Our prayer, our fasting, our almsgiving — these aren't just religious checkboxes. They are the same type of spiritual practice Jesus performed, and they are the means by which we grow closer to God. Lent takes us away from the noise of the world, and it strengthens us against our own battles with the devil. If we give these 40 days our sincere effort and attention, we will emerge at Easter not just having given something up but having gained something incredible: a deeper relationship with God, a stronger spirit, and a better ability to face our own temptations when the camel comes sniffing around our tent.

This week, our new Holy Father Pope Leo XIV offered his Lenten message for 2026, and I thought it was beautiful in its simplicity. He called us to three things:

1. First, to listen to the voice of God through Scripture and prayer, exactly what Jesus modeled for us in that desert.

2. Second, to fast not only from food, but from words that cause harm to others Think about that one. Some of us will find that fast harder than skipping meals.

3. Third, to experience Lent together as a community of believers, not just as isolated individuals on private spiritual journeys.

May we take those words to heart. May we seek to imitate the dedication of Jesus in our own 40 days — praying more, listening more, letting go of the words and habits that wound. And may we do it together as a family of faith so that when Easter morning comes, we emerge not just relieved that Lent is over, but genuinely closer to our Lord and to each other.