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
February 25, 2026 Wednesday of the First Week of Lent Gospel: Luke 11:29-32 Jesus: The Sign of a New Age
The word sign refers to a mark or indication. When we speak of signs, we often think of the signs that God gives to each one of us. Very often, God grants us signs in ways we do not expect, reminding us of His presence and inviting us to respond to His call addressed personally to each of us.
For the people of Nineveh, the prophet Jonah became their sign, for they repented at his preaching (cf. Jon 3:1–10). Seeing their repentance, God relented and did not bring upon them the disaster He had threatened.
For the Queen of the South, Solomon was the one she sought. She longed for his wisdom. Who was this Queen of the South? She was the Queen of Sheba (cf. 1 Kgs 10). Bringing abundant gifts, she came from a foreign land to Solomon in order to seek wisdom from him.
Through the Baptism we have received in Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we have become the People of the New Covenant. The sacred seal marked upon our foreheads is the sign that Christ gives to this generation. In our daily lives, let us courageously live out the spirit of the Gospel, manifesting everywhere God’s love for each one of us — a love so great that He was willing to give His own life for us.
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.
全属于祢 
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