February 26, 2026
Thursday of the First Week of Lent
Gospel: Matthew 7:7-12
Exhortation on Prayer

We often turn to others for assistance in the necessities of life. When we do so, we inevitably encounter two possible outcomes. Sometimes, those whom we hope can assist us fulfill our needs, granting us precisely what we long for. At other times, however, those in whom we placed our hopes disregard our needs, refusing to provide what we earnestly sought.

In our life of faith, we also turn to our Heavenly Father to seek His many graces. Yet when our prayers seem unanswered, we risk losing faith in God. In our estimation, the merciful God ought to grant us every grace we require, just as we desire it, thus overlooking the teaching of Jesus: “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him” (cf. Mt 6:8). Therefore, what reason have we to doubt God? What reason have we to be separated from the love of God?

Today, Jesus Himself instructs us on how to pray. He calls us to approach the Father with confidence and trust. Although at times, the merciful Father may not grant the grace we need right away, if we persist in prayer with unwavering faith, He will surely bestow it upon us.

Bestow on us, we pray, O Lord,
a spirit of always pondering on what is right
and of hastening to carry it out,
and, since without you we cannot exist,
may we be enabled to live according to your will.
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