Music Notes for the First Sunday of Lent, Year A, February 22, 2026

February 20, 2026

Music Notes for the First Sunday of Lent, Year A, February 22, 2026

Dr. John Michniewicz

The Liturgical readings for the First Sunday of Lent, Year A (February 22, 2026) focus on the themes of sin, fasting, repentance, promise. In today’s Gospel, we see Christ’s victory over temptation. Fr. Stephen Lampe writes that Sunday’s readings “explore the origins of sin and death and contrast the power of sin with the mightier power of obedience to God.” The First Reading, Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7, recounts the origin of sin entering the world. The reading begins with God forming man “out of the clay of the ground,” and God’s planting of the Garden of Eden. The second part of the reading recounts how Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and through their action, introduced sin and its consequences into the world.

Psalm 51 then serves as a penitential prayer expressing contrition and sorrow. The Psalm’s responsorial refrain, “Be merciful, Lord, for we have sinned” serves as a plea for God’s cleansing and renewal. The Psalm continues “A clean heart create for me, O God; and a steadfast spirit renew within me.” The Second Reading, Romans 5:12-19, draws a stark contrast between Adam, through whom sin and death entered the world, and Christ’s obedience and faithfulness to God’s will, overcoming sin with grace, life, and righteousness. With this background, the Gospel Reading, Matthew 4:1-11, then narrates Jesus’ temptation in the desert

by the devil. After a period of fasting alone for forty days, Jesus is tempted to turn stones into bread, to throw himself from the temple parapet for angels to catch him, and to bow down to Satan in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world. In rejecting each temptation, Jesus shows faithfulness and obedience to God’s will. Sunday’s musical selections echo the themes of Jesus’ fast and his triumph over temptation, alongside the call to believers for repentance and a “clean heart.”

Sunday’s Entrance Hymn is Forty Days and Forty Nights (Worship Hymnal No. 466).

This classic Lenten hymn serves as a reflection on the 40 days of Jesus’ fast in the wilderness. The hymn text, published in 1856 by Scottish poet and clergyman Rev. George H. Smyttan, directly references Jesus’ 40 day period in the desert. Verses 2 and 3 serve as a call to “share” in Christ’s “sorrow” through fasting, prayer, and abstinence, and to find strength in Christ to resist the “flesh or spirit to assail,” mirroring Christ’s victory over the devil’s temptations. The hymn’s structure reflects the spiritual discipline of Lent itself—acknowledging Christ’s sacrifice, calling believers to share in fasting and prayer, requesting strength against temptation, and anticipating Easter and Christ’s resurrection. In addition to the Forty days Jesus fasted in the wilderness, Forty days also references the length of Lent (forty days before Easter, not counting Sundays). Forty is also a number with special significance in the Bible. There, the number forty is indicative of a time of testing, trial, penance, purification, and renewal, for example: it rained for forty days and nights, and Noah waited forty days before opening the window of the Ark. For forty years the Israelites wandered in the desert, Moses’ fast on Mount Sinai was forty days before receiving the ten commandments, Elijah took forty days in walking to encounter God on Mt. Horeb and Jesus was seen on earth following the resurrection for forty days, among other examples.

  1. Forty days and forty nights You were fasting in the wild; Forty days and forty nights Tempted, and yet undefiled.
  1. Shall not we your sorrow share And from worldly joys abstain, Fasting with unceasing prayer, Strong with you to suffer pain?
  1. Then, if Satan on us press, Flesh or spirit to assail, Victor in the wilderness,

Grant we may not faint nor fail!

  1. So shall we have peace divine: Holier gladness ours shall be. ‘Round us, too, shall angels shine, Such as served you faithfully.
  2. Keep, O keep us, Savior dear, Ever constant by your side; That with you we may appear At the eternal Eastertide.

Here is an a capella version by The Gesulado Six: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJXe6B7g5gE

Here is a version as sung at the Basilica of the National Shrine https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg7VPT64ao8

Here is another version at Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria, BC, Canada https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lI_7zHi24Y

The Presentation Hymn: Jesus Tempted in the Desert (Worship Hymnal No. 459) provides a beautifully written, poetic and detailed narrative reflecting the Gospel reading, retelling the three temptations of Christ in the desert. The hymn was written around 1993 by Lutheran pastor, hymnwriter, homiletics professor and Seminary President Herman G. Stuempfle, Jr (1923-2007). The hymn has been described as a “sung sermon” that follows Jesus through the three temptations in the desert, focusing on the dialog between the Tempter and Christ. Jesus is shown as distinctively human—hungry, vulnerable, and tempted—yet relying on the Word of God for strength. The final verse serves as a petition to Christ to “Come and be our living bread” and to protect believers from “temptation’s power.” As such, the hymn aligns with some of the main themes of Lent: fasting, temptation, and the call to repentance. It encourages believers to symbolically join Jesus in the desert, away from distractions, to refocus on faith and reliance on God.

  1. Jesus, tempted in the desert, Lonely, hungry, filled with dread:

‘Use your pow’r,’ the tempter tells him; ‘Turn these barren rocks to bread!’ ‘Not alone by bread,’ he answers, ‘Can the human heart be filled.

Only by the Word that calls us Is our deepest hunger stilled!’

  1. Jesus, tempted at the temple, High above its ancient wall: ‘Throw yourself from lofty turret; Angels wait to break your fall!’ Jesus shuns such empty marvels, Feats that fickle crowds request:

‘God, whose grace protects, preserves us, We must never vainly test.’

  1. Jesus, tempted on the mountain By the lure of vast domain:

‘Fall before me! Be my servant! Glory, fame, you’re sure to gain!’ Jesus sees the dazzling vision, Turns his eyes another way:

‘God alone deserves our homage! God alone will I obey!’

  1. When we face temptation’s power, Lonely, struggling, filled with dread, Christ, who knew the tempter’s hour, Come and be our living bread.

By your grace, protect, preserve us Lest we fall, your trust betray.

Yours, above all other voices, Be the Word we hear, obey.

Here is the Beyond the Walls Choir singing Jesus Tempted in the Desert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCtm4KGQ_KE

At the 11:30 Mass Presentation, the choir will sing the Anthem: Restore My Soul, by Robert J. Powell (1932-2025). After study at Louisiana State University and the Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music in New York City, Powell was the longtime Director of Music at Christ Church in Greenville, South Carolina, writing over 300 works for Christian worship.

This anthem directly reflects Psalm 51 and serves as a petition for renewal and healing, a heartfelt prayer for spiritual cleansing and peace. Powell has written a musical meditation on spiritual restoration that echoes the psalm’s famous verses “Create in me a clean heart, O God” and “Restore to me the joy of thy salvation.” The text speaks to the human condition of weariness, emptiness, and brokenness, seeking God’s healing touch. The phrase “O God, who sees beyond our sight, who hears our every prayer, Remake our foolish human faith, For always you are there” captures both human frailty and divine faithfulness. The text acknowledges humanity’s fallen state as stated in Genesis 3 and shows the restoration through Christ as stated in Romans 5 through the text: “O cleanse me from my weariness,” “Retrieve my broken will,” and “Accept my life, O Lord, My heart: flawed, frail, and spent.”

Restore My Soul, Robert J. Powell

Restore my soul, O Lord, And heal my heart’s distress.

O cleanse me from my weariness, And bring my spirit rest.

Restore my joy, O Lord, My heart is standing still.

O touch me, reach my emptiness, Retrieve my broken will.

O God, who sees beyond our sight, who hears our every prayer, Remake our foolish human faith, For always you are there.

Accept my life, O Lord, My heart: flawed, frail, and spent, Requires the comfort of thy love to mend life’s discontents.

Here is a recorded performance of Restore My Soul: https://sjmp.com/manage/public/storage/restorem.mp3

During the Communion Meditation at the 11:30 Mass, the Choir will sing: Create In Me A Clean Heart by Matthew Culloton. This anthem is a setting of key verses from Psalm 51, and echoes the penitential theme of the readings. Psalm 51, known as the Miserere in Latin (translation: Have Mercy) has historically been a very frequently set text in sacred music, with famous versions by Allegri, Josquin, and Palestrina among others. Culloton’s setting continues this tradition in a contemporary and tuneful setting. The anthem’s structure repeats the refrain “Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right spirit within me” three times throughout the anthem, interspersing verses that confess sin, “I know my transgressions,” acknowledge God’s mercy, “According to your steadfast love,” and plead for God’s continued presence, “Cast me not away from thy presence.” This repetitive structure in a sense reflects the Kyrie in the Penitential Rite and the Agnus Dei of the Mass, each with a three part structure. The music is meditative, with memorable and soaring melodies, the final refrain has a soprano solo as a kind of countermelody descant. Matthew Culloton, b. 1976, is a music producer, music educator, choral director and in demand composer. He is the artistic director of The Singers–Minnesota Choral Artists, and Choir Master at House of Hope Presbyterian Church in St. Paul. His compositions are much performed and are represented in the repertoire of many professional, school and church choirs across the country.

Create In Me A Clean Heart, Matthew Culloton

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, And take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free Spirit.

Have mercy on me, O God, According to your steadfast love; Wash me from my iniquity,

And cleanse me from my sins. Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, And take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free Spirit.

I know my transgressions, And my sin is ever before me. Against you, you alone,

I’ve sinned and done evil in your sight.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, And take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation; And uphold me with thy free Spirit.

Here is a performance of Create In Me A Clean Heart, Matthew Culloton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hwkdNzssQM

Sunday’s final Hymn is Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days (Worship Hymnal No. 461). This hymn, written by Claudia Frances Hernaman (1838-1898) is a traditional Lenten hymn that summarizes the themes of the readings and the season. It begins by recalling Christ’s forty-day fast and prayer: “Lord, who throughout these forty days For us did fast and pray,” echoing Sunday’s Gospel Reading. Stanza 2 references Christ’s battle with Satan: “As you with Satan did contend,” and subsequent stanzas turn to the Lenten journey, encouraging believers to learn “to die to self” and live “by your most holy word” in verse three, a direct response to Jesus’ defeat of temptation. The final verse anticipates the joy of Easter, making the Lent a purposeful journey towards resurrection. Hymnwriter Claudia Frances Hernaman was devoted to the religious education of children, and wrote or translated over 150 hymns directed towards singing by children. As such, Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days appeared first in 1873 in her Child’s Book of Praise: A Manual for Devotion in Simple Verse. Interestingly, it did not appear in any church hymnals until later, being included first in the Irish Church Hymnal in 1960 and Hymns for Church and School in 1964. By the 1970’s though, the hymn was standard in most American hymnals, about 100 years after its initial publication. Hymn editor Michael Hawn writes: “As is the case with many hymns, Christ’s life becomes a model for how his followers should confront temptation. The first two lines of the stanzas focus on a response of Christ when he faced temptation; the last two lines encourage Christians to model their behavior on Christ’s example. This is a familiar pattern for children’s hymns from the days of Isaac Watts. It obviously strikes a chord with adult believers as well.”

  1. Lord, who throughout these forty days For us did fast and pray,

Teach us to overcome our sins, And close by you to stay.

  1. As you with Satan did contend And did the vict’ry win,

O give us strength in you to fight, In you to conquer sin.

  1. As you did hunger and did thirst, So teach us, gracious Lord,

To die to self, and only live By your most holy word.

  1. And through these days of penitence, And through your Passiontide,

For evermore, in life and death, O Lord, with us abide.

  1. Abide with us that, when this life Of suffering is past,

An Easter of unending joy We may attain at last!

Here is a link to Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days as sung by the Choir at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, Ray Nagem organist, with a wonderful reharmonization of the last verse: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWjy4ZV3meE

Sources:

https://music.churchofscotland.org.uk/hymn/337-forty-days-and-forty-nights https://www.usccb.org/resources/Why%20is%20Lent%2040%20Days.pdf https://www.google.com/search?q=background+on+the+hymn+40+days https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-lord-who-throughout-these-forty Workbook for Lectors, Gospel Readers and Proclaimers of the Word, LTP Publications, Fr.

Stephen Lampe, pg. 70 https://matthewculloton.com/about/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Powell_(composer)