Monday of the First Week of Lent
Reading 1 Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18
The LORD said to Moses,
“Speak to the whole assembly of the children of Israel and tell them:
Be holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy.
“You shall not steal.
You shall not lie or speak falsely to one another.
You shall not swear falsely by my name,
thus profaning the name of your God.
I am the LORD.
“You shall not defraud or rob your neighbor.
You shall not withhold overnight the wages of your day laborer.
You shall not curse the deaf,
or put a stumbling block in front of the blind,
but you shall fear your God.
I am the LORD.
“You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment.
Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty,
but judge your fellow men justly.
You shall not go about spreading slander among your kin;
nor shall you stand by idly when your neighbor’s life is at stake.
I am the LORD.
“You shall not bear hatred for your brother in your heart.
Though you may have to reprove him,
do not incur sin because of him.
Take no revenge and cherish no grudge against your fellow countrymen.
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
I am the LORD.”
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 19:8, 9, 10, 15
R. (John 6:63b) Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Let the words of my mouth and the thought of my heart
find favor before you,
O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
R. Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
Verse Before the Gospel 2 Corinthians 6:2b
Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation.
Gospel Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.”
- Readings for the Optional Memorial of Saint Polycarp, bishop and martyr
Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
February 23, 2026 // Monday of the First Week of Lent // Optional Memorial of Saint Polycarp, bishop and martyr
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 25:31-47
Reflect on the Word //
I can’t tell you how many times I start Lent with some elaborate system of sacrifices. Special fasts, no screen time, changing everything around all at once. Too often I find myself blindsided by what I simply cannot accomplish, and too often my family finds themselves blindsided by the Lenten sacrifices I have volunteered them for. I’m left feeling a little unmoored. Do I know why I decided to do all this to begin with? Have I even gotten to the heart of it? Activism is an easy thing to fall into—the art of “doing.” Without even realizing it, we can become task oriented, we can be obsessed with checking the box, and we can lose sight of the simplicity of what Jesus is asking of us: “Amen, whatever you did for the least of these brothers you did for Me” (Matthew 25:40).
Whatever you did.
In today's Gospel (Matthew 25:31-37), it’s so clear that Jesus is not looking so much at what we do but why we do it. Of course what we do matters, but it is the heart behind our actions that matters even more. He desires us to be motivated by love, and the deepest Love at that. We must strive to do all things for Love because of Love itself.
It’s good to get back to the drawing board, sometimes even at the very start. As we pray with the Gospel for today, we can look at this Lent and whatever we’ve decided to take on, and purify our intentions. Even if our sacrifices look smaller, less flashy, maybe even unnoticed. Perhaps this is a better way for us? Perhaps it’s the closer path to the heart of Christ? Our crosses may be small and insignificant, but it is the least of these that He is after.
Relate to the Lord // How can you inject more love into your Lenten penances today?
Blythe Fike is the wife of Kirby and mother of eleven smallish kids in small town SoCal. She firmly believes sanctity is found in the everyday and is trying hard to live that truth, despite her countless fumbles. She enjoys sunshine in heavy doses, good music, and babysitters. She is a contributing author to our children’s devotional prayer book, Rise Up. Find out more about her here.
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