The readings for this homily: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021726.cfm

On the doorstep of Lent 2026, Fr. Mark Baron, MIC begins with something simple and familiar: the sweetness of Fat Tuesday, a favorite dessert, caramel and whipped cream enjoyed before the fast begins. But beneath the lighthearted beginning lies a serious spiritual question—what do we truly hunger for?

Saint James reminds us that temptation does not come from God. As St. Thomas Aquinas teaches, it begins in our desires. God created us with the capacity to long for happiness, fulfillment, and perfection. That hunger is not the problem; it is part of our design. The problem arises when our desires become disordered—when we turn away from the Uncreated Good, who is God Himself, and cling instead to material goods as though they could satisfy us completely.

Money, pleasure, comfort, success—these are real goods. But when they take the place of God, they distort the heart. Every sin carries the same structure: a turning away from God and a turning toward something lesser. Lent invites us to reverse that movement. This holy season is not merely about giving up sweets or enduring 40 days of inconvenience. It is about examining the direction of our desire and allowing grace to reorder it.

Through prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and Confession, we learn again to say, “Lord, I choose You.” God made us for Himself, and our restlessness only ends when our desires are rightly ordered toward Him. As Lent begins, the question is not simply what we will give up, but whether our hearts are turning back to the One for whom they were made.