February 19, 2026 Thursday after Ash Wednesday Gospel: Lk 9:22-25
Yesterday, together with the universal Church, we began the season of Lent by receiving the ashes in the Ash Wednesday service.
Today, the Gospel taken from St. Luke tells us of Jesus’ first prediction of His suffering. This was clearly completely at odds with the expectations of the disciples who were with Him. Those disciples hoped that Jesus would restore Israel, making it strong once again and completely freeing it from the rule of the Roman Empire. However, Jesus called them to walk a different path, to renounce their present lives and ways of living and to embrace the new life and way of living that Jesus Christ offers us.
Last year, when sharing the meaning of this passage with some young people, I said: All that we possess now, that is, the achievements we have made in society and all the worldly wealth, cannot grant each of us eternal life. On the contrary, all that belongs to this world will make us move away from God more quickly and fall into the clutches of the devil. Therefore, we should regard all things that are to our advantage as loss (cf. Phil 3:7 BC). For we who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death. We have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life (cf. Rom 6:3-6). Whenever we lose our worldly lives for the sake of our faith, we will surely save our lives, for Jesus taught His disciples, saying, “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for my sake will save it” (cf. Lk 9:24B). This saying still holds true today.
Dear brothers and sisters in the Lord! As Christians, we should follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and rely on the Holy Spirit to put to death the sinful desires of the flesh. Only in this way can we obtain eternal life, truly discern our vocation, and truly become genuine Christians.
Prompt our actions with your inspiration, we pray, O Lord, and further them with your constant help, that all we do may always begin from you and by you be brought to completion. 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.
February 18, 2026 Ash Wednesday Gospel: Mt 6:1-6, 16-18 Lent: A Season for Renewal and Repentance
Today, the Universal Church solemnly celebrates the Holy Ashes liturgy, marking the beginning of Lent.
The passage taken from the Gospel of Saint Matthew reveals to us a profound truth: Our Savior Jesus Christ teaches differently from the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The Pharisees emphasized strict adherence to the law of God, while the Sadducees stressed material sacrifices while downplaying true filial piety and love for God. Jesus calls us to focus on the relationship between our hearts and God.
In fact, we, too, can fall into the trap of doing good deeds merely for our own reputation, praying only to attract attention, and fasting just to restore our perishable bodies to their usual state. However, Jesus asks us to perform good deeds quietly, offer our prayers to God from the depths of our hearts, and truly understand the significance of fasting and abstinence.
On this first day of Lent, let us offer this prayer to God together:
Grant, O Lord, that we may begin with holy fasting this campaign of Christian service, so that, as we take up battle against spiritual evils, we may be armed with weapons of self-restraint. 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.
February 17, 2026 Tuesday of the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Mk 8:14 – 21 Christians: The Leaven of the New Era
We often pay attention to what is happening around us. For example, when we are hungry, we will look for food because, in our view, food can satisfy our hunger. Another example is that when we are with others, we often follow the wishes of the majority rather than our own true inner thoughts when expressing our views on certain things.
In our spiritual lives, we often focus on external things. For instance, when we participate in the gatherings of God’s people, we often pursue splendid liturgies. We often pay attention to the priests who preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, and we often measure our zeal for God by the amount of Mass offerings. When we do so, we are no different from the disciples who were with Jesus today.
Today, Jesus asks the disciples who are with Him to be on guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of the Herodians, that is, to not become like the Pharisees and the Herodians who only pursue everything in this passing world. Instead, they should become people of the new world that He speaks of, live out the spirit of the gospel that Jesus preaches in this passing world, and bring about the early arrival of the new era that Jesus speaks of.
全属于祢 
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