Msgr. Roger J. Landry
National Director, The Pontifical Mission Societies
Daily Reflection for February 21, 2026
Here is the video of today’s reflection.
The Youtube generated transcript for today’s reflection is:
I’m Monsignor Roger Landry, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies. It’s the fifth day of Lent, Sunday, February 22nd. And as Jesus goes out into the desert for the 40 days of the sacred season, I’m in Phoenix, Arizona, closest I could get for to the desert here in front of this beautiful statue of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the lily of the Mohawks. in a sense the patron of so many Native American Indians who have come to the faith thanks to the work of the missionaries out here in the southwest. Today’s gospel we go with Jesus inspired by the Holy Spirit into the desert where the Holy Spirit drives him and there he prays and he fasts for an incredible 40 days and 40 nights. He was hungry at the end. He was weak and the devil came to tempt him and the devil tempted him with the three classic temptations. First with regard to his body. If you really are the son of God, command these stones to turn into loaves of bread. Because of the way the sand worked in the desert area, it would basically sand down stones and cover them so that the color and the shape would look like loaves of bread. Jesus refused. He said, “No, it’s only by the word of God that man lives. We live off every word that comes from God’s mouth.” Lent is a season in which we’re summoned by Jesus to follow him in living by God’s word. In order to live by the word of God, we first got to know it and then we got to live it. That’s the first thing we learn today, just like St. Tekakwitha did. Second great temptation that Jesus himself suffered was to be presumptuous with God. The devil took Jesus up to the top of the parapit of the temple and said, “Toss yourself down from here because hasn’t God promised that he won’t let you dash your foot against a stone.” And Jesus again responded by that word of God which by which he was living and by which he wants us to live and said, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” Do we tempt the Lord our God? Do we live in such a way in which we’re tempting even judgment upon ourselves by our deeds? Or do we always seek to live in a way fully in alignment with him? Saint Kateri Tekakwitha converted when she was 19 after asking the question, who can show me truly how to live in a way pleasing to the Lord? We always want to be pleasing. And then the devil in the greatest temptation showed Jesus all the powers of the world, all the cities of the world, and said,”I’ll give these all to you if only you drop down and worship me.” And Jesus responded once again with that word of God, saying, “No, the Lord your God is Lord alone. Him shall you adore.” Do we have idols that need to be crushed? If we were given that fouian bargain of having all power in the world if only we’ve got to commit one mortal sin would we choose that sin or would we choose God? Saint Kateri Tekakwitha like all the saints show us that God gives us his help in order to be able to choose him in every circumstance as we go out into the desert into the heat with Jesus as we move ourselves away from all the distractions of our day-to-day gadgets and overly occupied life. Let’s ask for the grace to live by God’s word. Not to tempt him but please him and to serve no one but him. This is the great journey. This is the pilgrimage on which Jesus leads us every Lent following St. Kateri and invoking her intercession. Let’s follow Jesus along that path to life. God bless you.
At that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert
to be tempted by the devil.
He fasted for forty days and forty nights,
and afterwards he was hungry.
The tempter approached and said to him,
“If you are the Son of God,
command that these stones become loaves of bread.”
He said in reply,
“It is written:
One does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes forth
from the mouth of God.”
Then the devil took him to the holy city,
and made him stand on the parapet of the temple,
and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.
For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you
and with their hands they will support you,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.”
Jesus answered him,
“Again it is written,
You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”
Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their magnificence,
and he said to him, “”All these I shall give to you,
if you will prostrate yourself and worship me.”
At this, Jesus said to him,
“Get away, Satan!
It is written:
The Lord, your God, shall you worship
and him alone shall you serve.”
Then the devil left him and, behold,
angels came and ministered to him.