February 24, 2026
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
Gospel: Matthew 6:7-15
The True Meaning of Prayer

When we offer prayers to our Heavenly Father, we often seek all things of this world according to our own will. And when God does not grant us every grace we seek from Him according to what our hearts desire, we complain against God and even turn away from Him. In our view, the God we believe in is always merciful, because He makes His sun rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain upon the just and the unjust (cf. Mt 5:45), yet we overlook the prayer that Jesus Himself taught us to offer to the Heavenly Father.

When we offer prayers to the Heavenly Father, we should first express our gratitude to our Creator, who formed us from nothing and gave us life, nourishing us with all the creatures of heaven and earth that He created, so that we might live in this beautiful world. Then, we should ask Him for wisdom and understanding, so that in this changing world we may discern the Holy Will of the Father, listen deeply within our hearts to His dialogue with us, and treat everyone we encounter according to God’s Holy Will.

Look upon your family, Lord,
that, through the chastening effects of bodily discipline,
our minds may be radiant in your presence
with the strength of our yearning for you.
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