In the second reading we hear how St. Paul shows Jesus as the New Adam. What does this mean? Let’s unpack this deep and rich way of viewing Christ.
    Adam is the first man, meaning the first human being. We are given our natural earthly life through him. (I am not taking away from the role Eve played. I just want to focus on Jesus as the New Adam. Yes there is a New Eve, and her name is Mary.) We are also given original sin through generation as well. All of this we are given through Adam.
  “But as in Adam all die, so in Christ all shall be made alive,” as St. Paul says in his First Letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 15:22). Through Jesus, the New Adam, we are given spiritual and supernatural life. Through Jesus we are broken free from original sin and death. We are given earthly life through Adam, but eternal life through Christ. This is how we talk about Jesus as the New Adam. We are generated through Adam, and regenerated in Christ. And this new life is given to us at our baptism.
  Jesus can be seen as the New Adam in other ways. One way in particular we see Jesus as the New Adam is every year during the First Sunday of Lent. We always read the temptation of Jesus in the desert on the First Sunday of Lent. Jesus was tempted in three ways. The first was to change stones into bread. The second was to rule all the kingdoms of the world. And the third was to perform a public miracle so that everyone could see. In other words, Jesus was tempted according to pleasure, envy, and pride.
  These three temptations that Jesus faced in the desert was the exact temptation that Adam was confronted with in the Garden. We are told in Genesis that the forbidden fruit was good for food (pleasure), a delight to the eyes (envy), and if eaten they would become like God (pride). The ancient serpent that beat Adam in the Garden was defeated by Jesus in the desert, and was finally slain by Him on the Cross. A tree led to our death, and a tree gave us life. What was done in the Garden was undone at Calvary. Seeing the victory of Jesus helps us to see Him as the New Adam as well.
  Let us give thanks to God for giving us life through Jesus Christ. With Lent coming soon, may we also be aware of our weakness through original sin, submitting more to the power of Christ the New Adam who has slain the evil one. It is only through Christ that we conquer our sinful habits and inclinations. Only through Christ do we have victory. Only through Christ can we shout, “O death where is your victory? O death where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55)
 
Reflection by Fr. Braud