June 17, 2026
Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Gospel: Matthew 5:43–48

Today is Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time. The text from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew continues the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. In this discourse, Jesus teaches us the norm of Christian conduct in matters of faith.

We often see people praying in churches and on the streets. Among those who pray in churches and on the streets, some choose to pray in a contemplative manner, while others pray aloud. Jesus says to these people: “And when ye pray, ye shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.” He further says: “But thou, when thou shalt pray, enter into thy chamber, and having shut the door, pray to thy Father in secret: and thy Father who see in secret will repay thee.” (cf. Matt. 6:5-6) Simply put: prayer must proceed from the heart, and through prayer, one must return to one’s innermost self, thereby deepening one’s union with God.

We often see people fasting. They fast or abstain to restore their bodies to a state of equilibrium. Likewise, the Church requires us to fast and abstain. For instance, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, the Church obliges us to observe the laws of fasting and abstinence; every Friday, the Church requires us to abstain, so that through bodily austerity, we may experience the tenderness God holds for us, and through such penance, complete what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ. Some brethren in the Lord say: “If you eat the flesh of warm-blooded animals on Friday, you commit a sin.” I wish to remind these brothers and sisters: Jesus does not ask us to pursue external fasting, nor does He ask us to harm our bodies through abstinence. Rather, He asks for an interior fast, that bodily discipline may help us return to our true selves, experience the love of the Heavenly Father, feel the dialogue between the Divine Word and our soul in its depths, and sense the warm presence of the Holy Ghost, ever filled with the manifold graces bestowed upon us by God.

O God, strength of those who hope in you, graciously hear our pleas, and, since without you mortal frailty can do nothing, grant us always the help of your grace, that in following your commands we may please you by our resolve and our deeds. 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

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica