March 4, 2026 Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent Or Optional Memorial of Saint Casimir Gospel: Matthew 20:17-28
Today is Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent and the Optional Memorial of St. Casimir. The passage from the Gospel of St. Matthew describes Jesus’ second prediction of His impending Passion in Jerusalem—His crucifixion and resurrection on the third day—and what followed. The mother of the two sons of Zebedee approached Jesus, asking that James and John might sit at His right and left in the kingdom He spoke of, sharing in His kingship. Clearly, she envisioned Jesus’ kingdom as a restored Israelite realm, viewing Him as a political Messiah rather than the Messiah of God. She even hoped Jesus would act according to her desires. In our communities too, there are often such Christians—those who believe they are masters of this world, imposing their will on others because they forget the dignity they received in the sacraments of initiation. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! Let us always remember: We have received Christian Baptism, washed clean of original sin by the water from His sacred side; we have received the Holy Spirit of Christ, sharing in His divine nature with all our brothers and sisters who have received the Holy Spirit of God, together with all creation freed from sin and death. We share in Christ’s kingly, priestly, and prophetic dignity. Therefore, like Christ, we must courageously accept all the trials of this world. For the cup Jesus drank is the suffering He was about to undergo in Jerusalem, and as His disciples, we too should drink the same cup. Though we dwell in different corners of the world, the Blood of Christ in the same chalice and the Body of Christ under the same appearance of bread—received in the same Eucharistic Sacrifice celebrated daily across the globe—unite us with Him, making us one with Him: He in me, I in Him, inseparable. Our thoughts, words, and actions must align with what we have received: imitating Christ, constantly renouncing ourselves, committing ourselves to God, drawing strength from penance and prayer, mortifying the unruly passions of the flesh, growing ever more like Him, always remaining humble, and serving the truth generously. Thus, all may come to know Christ through all that God works in us—taking up our own cross and walking toward holiness, just as He did.
Keep your family, O Lord, schooled always in good works, and so comfort them with your protection here as to lead them graciously to gifts on high. 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 3, 2026 Second Week of Lent, Tuesday Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12
We often act like the Pharisees, being overly concerned with our image before the world. In our view, our public image determines our worth. In fact, our public image does not draw us closer to God and the world He created; on the contrary, it pushes us further away from God and His creation, and closer to the devil and his minions. Similarly, we may also act like the Pharisees—imposing undue burdens and compelling others to do what they are unwilling to do. Worse still, we often call those who follow the logic of this world our master and imitate their behaviour. Today, our Savior Jesus teaches us: “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted”(cf. Mt 23:12). This means we should not pursue the wealth of this world or follow its logic, for both make us arrogant—something entirely contrary to all Jesus taught. He calls us to be humble always: to acknowledge our shortcomings before God, to rely on the help of the Holy Spirit, and to do what pleases Him.
Guard your Church, we pray, O Lord, in your unceasing mercy, and, since without you mortal humanity is sure to fall, may we be kept by your constant helps from all harm and directed to all that brings salvation. 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 2, 2026 Monday of the Second Week of Lent Gospel: Luke 6:36-38 Misericordes sicut Pater
We often lose ourselves in life. In our eyes, those who live with us day by day sometimes interact with us according to their own wills, without regard for our feelings. Thus, when we encounter those who treat us arbitrarily based on their own thoughts, we clash fiercely with them, even labelling them with judgments rooted in human reasoning. When we gather with the People of God, we also choose to associate with those who align with our preferences, guided by our own inclinations. When we engage with brothers and sisters who please us, our attitude toward them is often kind and merciful; we strive to meet their various needs. Yet, when we inevitably encounter brothers and sisters who go against our wishes, we often grow resentful, avoid contact with them, and may even reveal unfriendly attitudes. To act thus in our faith life is to base ourselves on human judgment, following the guidance of the flesh rather than that of the Holy Spirit. Today, Jesus calls us not to respond to all things by the law of this old world, but by the law of the new world He proclaims. This new world consists of the God who loves, those loved by God, and children of God who love one another. They hold fast to Jesus’ teaching: Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful (cf. Lk 6:36). Following St. Paul the Apostle’s exhortation, they constantly rely on the Holy Spirit to mortify the misdeeds of the flesh (cf. Rom 8:13cde), thereby becoming children of God (cf. Rom 8:14). Though they continue to live in this passing world, their conduct no longer conforms to its ways; instead, they resemble Jesus Christ, so that others may see in them all that they do the merciful face of the Father.
O God, who have taught us to chasten our bodies for the healing of our souls, enable us, we pray, to abstain from all sins, and strengthen our hearts to carry out your loving commands. 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
圣史玛窦想要藉此告诉我们：耶稣是天主子，是天主的默西亚。他又以此告诉我们一个更深奥的奥秘，那就是默西亚秘密。我们之前谈过默西亚秘密：包括丹尼尔·J·哈林顿（Daniel J. Harrington）在内的天主教神学家和圣经学家告诉我们：只有耶稣在显神迹的时候，才会显出祂是天主的默西亚的身份和德能，但是在祂没有显神迹的时候，祂的形状一见如人，直到祂被钉在十字架上的时候，才正式显露出祂默西亚的身份，耶稣战胜了死亡，从死者中复活以后，祂默西亚的身份，才完全展现出来。
全属于祢 
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