The Real Choice: Selfishness or Generosity
First Sunday of Lent – February 22, 2026
The real CHOICE in life is: be selfish or be generous …
Science and history prove that selfishness destroys, while choosing to empower others leads us to joy and peace.
Welcome to Lent, where most of us would rather not be! 😊 Our three readings walk us through the cycles we repeat throughout life: Temptation, Sin and Redemption. Or, more practically, we fall, we suffer consequences, and, hopefully, we find peace & happiness again.
So, why do we need Lent? Could it be a way to help us avoid extinction? An exaggeration?
Well, in 2013, a study was published by scientists at Michigan State Univ. that said:
“We found evolution will punish you if you’re selfish and mean… Cooperating would do the most good for the most individuals, but it might be tempting to be selfish and freeload, letting others do the work and take the risks.”
Daily Mail: Why you SHOULD give away your last chocolate: Selfish people ‘will eventually die out’ because evolution favours cooperation
Although, for most of us, Lent is not the most popular time of the Church year, it can help us break the cycle of ‘stupid decisions, then pain, then relief or happiness’ for a time.
In simple terms, selfishness leads to a FALL: either through our greed (taking more for myself and ignoring the needs of others), or our eating the forbidden fruit (going outside the moral norms that help society live together in peace), or our grabs for power (dethroning God).
In Genesis we see how humanity, although created in God’s image, gave into temptation and became separated from God. In God’s image reminds us that we are capable of choosing good.
And, in Romans, Paul explains that Jesus Christ chose to reject temptation in order to give life to us. And the pattern of Christ’s life teaches us that, by likewise rejecting temptation and choosing good, even if difficult, we will gain a greater life.
One might wonder why Jesus had to face temptation as shown in the Gospel of Matthew? It teaches us that Jesus/ God understands our struggle with temptations and has compassion for us when we fail.
These readings create a framework to carry us through the Lenten season as we reflect on the CHOICES we have made, the choices we continue to make and, hopefully, improve the choices we make in the future.
What does our GREED look like? I suggest the following:
1. not respecting our body by regularly eating/ drinking too much & doing too little activity;
2. Deadening our brains and minds by too much mindless TV and social media use; or
3. Not respecting our hearts by isolating ourselves or not making daily time for other people.
Now, to find REDEMPTION from our greed, we simply need to share:
1. share our resources so we have less temptation to over-eat/drink & make time for exercise;
2. share our time through participation in community events/ volunteering; and
3. Share our time with individuals so they and ourselves feel loved (especially family/ friends).
What does our EATING THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT look like? I suggest the following:
1. Not respecting the integrity of our relationships by abandoning, cheating or abusing them;
2. Engaging in activities that corrupt our morals, our bodies or destroy the environment;
Now, to find REDEMPTION from eating the forbidden fruit, we need to:
1. Be faithful, gentle and helpful to each person in our relationships; and
2. Humbly accept the Church teachings to promote life and family, and reduce our pollution.
What do our GRABS for POWER look like? I suggest the following:
1. Not respecting workers by poor conditions, verbal/ physical abuse or poor wages;
2. Not respecting the company or people we work for by laziness, carelessness or cheating; or
3. Killing those who disagree with us through violence, intimidation, false words or ‘info’.
Now, to find REDEMPTION from grabs for power, we need to:
1. Speak respectfully to those who work for us and ask their advice;
2. Appreciate having work, be faithful to our duties and protect the Company we depend on; &
3. Be honest, be gentle and use our words and skills to empower other people.
This season of reflection is designed to increase our faith and hope in a greater life to come, giving us the discipline and dedication to brush aside temptation. We can think of young swimmers who sacrifice sleep and the easy life to attend training every morning: fighting the temptation to stay in bed and take it easy: they focus on a greater glory/achievement to come.
For all of us over the age of 30 years, surely the greater life to come (in an earthly context), is our experiences of joy as we empower others through knowledge, skills or opportunities.
I pray we can, in our own ways, embrace Lent’s core message to confront sin, resist temptation, and embrace the new life offered in Christ: to feel more like God as we empower others.
By Gerard Conlan, OMI
