March 13, 2026 Friday of the Third Week of Lent Gospel: Mark 12:28-34
We often act like the scribe in the Gospel, believing that by following the basic principles of worldly laws, we can survive and improve our lives. We even become calculating, seeking the greatest return for the smallest cost. We also often resemble that scribe, searching among the sacred words proclaimed by the Church—the very precepts taught to us by our Lord Jesus Christ, the commandments—for those that benefit us. We reject whatever seems disadvantageous, following only the laws we deem important while neglecting those we consider secondary. This tendency stems from our Original Sin; sin makes us restless and robs us of true freedom. Today, Jesus teaches us two commandments: “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (cf. Mk 12:29-31) He does not intend to abolish the other commandments, but rather to reveal the essence of the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. For us, the Ten Commandments are not a burdensome set of rules, but a law of love. God asks us to love Him, saying, “I, the Lord, show mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (cf. Ex 20:6), and He further asks us to do good to others (cf. Ex 20:12-17). All this corresponds perfectly with what Jesus said. In this Lenten season, let us never forget to encounter God through prayer, to daily read the Word of God, and to listen to His teachings. In our lives, let us always follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, living according to the spirit of the Gospel.
Pour your grace into our hearts, we pray, O Lord, that we may be constantly drawn away from unruly desires and obey by your own gift the heavenly teaching you give us. 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
March 12, 2026 Thursday of the Third Week of Lent Gospel: Luke 11:14-23
In our lives, we often face criticism for all that we do. Especially when we spontaneously assist those who are lonely and vulnerable, those who witness our good deeds may, like the crowds who saw Jesus driving out demons (cf. Lk 11:15-16), believe that our achievements are not from good works but from satisfying our own desires to gain praise in this fleeting world.
How should we act when we endure such criticism, that we may be worthy of God’s blessing? If we debate with those who hold different views on certain matters and try to outwit them with our own reason, we would, as Jesus said (cf. Lk 11:17-19), lose the peace God originally bestowed upon us, leading us to fall into eternal perdition together in hatred for one another. But if we strive to learn from Christ, “the One lifted up from the earth [who] will draw all to Himself” (cf. Jn 12:31B-32), we will discover this: in the eyes of the world, the cross was once an instrument of extreme cruelty, sowing hatred among people; yet for those who, through Baptism in Christ, “have crucified the old self with Christ, so that the self belonging to sin might die and we might no longer be slaves to sin” (cf. Rom 6:6); who “rely on the Holy Spirit to put to death the misdeeds of the body and follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, becoming children of God” (cf. Rom 8:13-14); and who share “the one cup of blessing which we bless, and the one bread which we break, and are all united in Jesus Christ” (cf. 1 Cor 10:1-17)—for these, the cross is not an instrument of division, but a sign of reconciliation with the Father and all His creation. For the Christ lifted high on the cross once “with loud cries and tears, offered prayers and supplications to the One who could save Him from death” (cf. Heb 5:7). As He hung on the cross, He prayed to the Father: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (cf. Lk 23:34).
We implore your majesty most humbly, O Lord, that, as the feast of our salvation draws ever closer, so we may press forward all the more eagerly towards the worthy celebration of the Paschal Mystery. 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
March 11, 2026 Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent Gospel: Matthew 5:17-19 Jesus Christ: The Fulfiller of All the Law and the Prophets
We often treat our relationship with God casually, according to our own understanding of His holy will. In our view, if everything God bestows upon us is not what we hope to receive from Him in our hearts, we will turn away from Him. When such thoughts dwell in our hearts, our actions will react accordingly—that is, like the Pharisees, we will arbitrarily add to or subtract from all that God has revealed to us through His Church as His holy will, according to our own understanding of His will.
Today, Jesus tells us: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or the least stroke of a letter will pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (cf. Mt 5:17-18). He came into the world to correct the errors caused by the Pharisees, whose God was a harsh deity whom they arbitrarily altered in the Torah; He also came to correct the errors of the Sadducees, who portrayed God as one who delights in sacrifices. We know that Jesus is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had made purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (cf. Heb 1:3). St. Paul the Apostle says: “God sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh as an offering for sin, and condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (cf. Rom 8:1-4). Therefore, He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets, but to restore them to their original state, revealing to us the true God.
Grant, we pray, O Lord, that, schooled through Lenten observance and nourished by your word, through holy restraint we may be devoted to you with all our heart and be ever united in prayer. 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
全属于祢 
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