March 7, 2026
Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
Or Optional Memorial of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs
Gospel: Gospel: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Today is the Second Week of Lent, Saturday, and also the Optional Memorial of the martyrs St. Felicity and St. Perpetua. The hagiography tells us they were martyrs of the 3rd century A.D. St. Perpetua, a noblewoman of good education, was martyred at age 22 while nursing an infant son. St. Felicity, who was arrested alongside her, was pregnant at the time of her arrest. The early Church historian St. Eusebius of Caesarea informs us that these two martyrs gave their lives for the Lord around A.D. 203.
Today’s Gospel from St. Luke recounts Jesus’ Parable of the Prodigal Son. This parable speaks profoundly to our present lives. We often witness in daily life children whose parents are still living requesting their share of the inheritance. Like the younger son in today’s parable (Luke 15:11-12), once they receive their portion, they squander it recklessly, heedless that all they possess will eventually be exhausted by their wastefulness. When faced with such destitution, they, like that younger son, forget their dignity and choose a degrading life to survive (cf. Luke 15:13-16). Only when they realize this cannot sustain them in the world do they understand how blessed they were to have parents who cared for them.
As I write this reflection, I often think of a scene I witnessed in my parish: brothers and sisters whose consciences trouble them, who come to participate in Mass yet refuse to receive Holy Communion. They believe the Heavenly Father is just and will severely punish them for their sins. Thus, they dare not come before the throne of God to receive Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, nor even seek reconciliation with Him through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
I wish to take this opportunity to speak to those brothers and sisters who dare not come to parish Mass, dare not receive Holy Communion, or dare not approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation: In today’s Gospel, that compassionate father is our Heavenly Father. As St. John says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16-17). He is not the harsh God described by the Pharisees, nor the God who loves sacrifices alone as the Sadducees claimed, but a Heavenly Father who actively loves us and actively forgives us.
I also wish to address those brothers and sisters who regularly go to confession, and indeed all of you: After seeking reconciliation with the Heavenly Father through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we must resolve to renounce sin, renounce the devil, renounce all his works and all the temptations he offers us, and live the spirit of the Gospel daily. Let us not be like the elder son in Jesus’ parable, who grew jealous of brothers and sisters sincerely seeking reconciliation with God and receiving His mercy (cf. Luke 15:25-30). Instead, let us sit together at the Eucharistic table, sharing the cup, so we may more abundantly share in the salvation Christ brings us.

O God, who grant us by glorious healing remedies while still on earth to be partakers of the things of heaven, guide us, we pray, through this present life and bring us to that light in which you dwell. 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