February 19, 2026
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Gospel: Lk 9:22-25

Yesterday, together with the universal Church, we began the season of Lent by receiving the ashes in the Ash Wednesday service.

Today, the Gospel taken from St. Luke tells us of Jesus’ first prediction of His suffering. This was clearly completely at odds with the expectations of the disciples who were with Him. Those disciples hoped that Jesus would restore Israel, making it strong once again and completely freeing it from the rule of the Roman Empire. However, Jesus called them to walk a different path, to renounce their present lives and ways of living and to embrace the new life and way of living that Jesus Christ offers us.

Last year, when sharing the meaning of this passage with some young people, I said: All that we possess now, that is, the achievements we have made in society and all the worldly wealth, cannot grant each of us eternal life. On the contrary, all that belongs to this world will make us move away from God more quickly and fall into the clutches of the devil. Therefore, we should regard all things that are to our advantage as loss (cf. Phil 3:7 BC). For we who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death. We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life (cf. Rom 6:3-6). Whenever we lose our worldly lives for the sake of our faith, we will surely save our lives, for Jesus taught His disciples, saying, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will save it” (cf. Lk 9:24B). This saying still holds true today.

Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord! As Christians, we should follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and rely on the Holy Spirit to put to death the sinful desires of the flesh. Only in this way can we obtain eternal life, truly discern our vocation, and truly become genuine Christians.

Prompt our actions with your inspiration, we pray, O Lord, and further them with your constant help, that all we do may always begin from you and by you be brought to completion. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica