Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent
Reading 1 Daniel 3:25, 34-43
Azariah stood up in the fire and prayed aloud:
“For your name’s sake, O Lord, do not deliver us up forever,
or make void your covenant.
Do not take away your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham, your beloved,
Isaac your servant, and Israel your holy one,
To whom you promised to multiply their offspring
like the stars of heaven,
or the sand on the shore of the sea.
For we are reduced, O Lord, beyond any other nation,
brought low everywhere in the world this day
because of our sins.
We have in our day no prince, prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, sacrifice, oblation, or incense,
no place to offer first fruits, to find favor with you.
But with contrite heart and humble spirit
let us be received;
As though it were burnt offerings of rams and bullocks,
or thousands of fat lambs,
So let our sacrifice be in your presence today
as we follow you unreservedly;
for those who trust in you cannot be put to shame.
And now we follow you with our whole heart,
we fear you and we pray to you.
Do not let us be put to shame,
but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.
Deliver us by your wonders,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.”
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 25:4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9
R. (6a) Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your kindness are from of old.
In your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
he teaches the humble his way.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Verse Before the Gospel Joel 2:12-13
Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart;
for I am gracious and merciful.
Gospel Matthew 18:21-35
Peter approached Jesus and asked him,
“Lord, if my brother sins against me,
how often must I forgive him?
As many as seven times?”
Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.
That is why the Kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who decided to settle accounts with his servants.
When he began the accounting,
a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount.
Since he had no way of paying it back,
his master ordered him to be sold,
along with his wife, his children, and all his property,
in payment of the debt.
At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’
Moved with compassion the master of that servant
let him go and forgave him the loan.
When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants
who owed him a much smaller amount.
He seized him and started to choke him, demanding,
‘Pay back what you owe.’
Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him,
‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’
But he refused.
Instead, he had him put in prison
until he paid back the debt.
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened,
they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master
and reported the whole affair.
His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant!
I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to.
Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant,
as I had pity on you?’
Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers
until he should pay back the whole debt.
So will my heavenly Father do to you,
unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”
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.
March 10, 2026 // Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35
Standing together in the church social hall, my husband and I reflected on forty years of married life with our audience of wide-eyed newlyweds, weary parents, and weathered grandparents. They laughed as we recounted stories of poor communication, and listened intently to the challenges of learning to love more deeply in our brokenness and pain. During the Q & A time, a woman inquired, “How often did you find yourselves needing to forgive each other? Was it difficult?” Smiling, I replied, “At least seventy times seven. Without God’s help, it’s not only difficult, it’s impossible!”
In today’s Gospel, Peter poses a very practical question to Jesus about the limits of extending forgiveness, particularly to family and the close community of believers, whose daily interactions are often occasions for conflict and offense. While Peter generously suggests seven times, a biblical number signifying fullness and perfection, Jesus responds with a new standard for forgiveness: “ . . . not seven times but seventy-seven times” (Matthew 18:22). The original Greek can also be translated as “seventy times seven.” This number expresses a continuous, boundless act of mercy that extends far beyond human capacity and understanding.
Jesus then tells a parable to explain forgiveness in the Kingdom of Heaven.
As a servant in this kingdom, I’m painfully aware of my utterly impossible situation. Humbled before my merciful, compassionate King, my debt of sin cancelled, I am set free to live and love as a true citizen in his Kingdom.
But do I? It is often so difficult to forgive others, to offer even a small measure of the patient forgiveness God has shown to me, and bitterness and resentment can take root. On my own, “Kingdom” forgiveness is impossible.
Today, our merciful King and Master offers us an invitation to gratefully reflect on His infinite mercy. Faced with such immense generosity, let us ask Him to give us the supernatural capacity to express Kingdom forgiveness in our daily lives.
Relate to the Lord // Did someone come to mind as you read today’s Gospel and devotion? Ask Jesus for the grace to forgive them, again and again if necessary.
Debra Herbeck is a Jewish convert to the Church who serves extensively in youth and women’s ministry. She directs Pine Hills Girls Camp (for 34 years), and is the Founder and Director of Be Love Revolution, a ministry for high school girls. Find her books here. She and her husband have four children and eight grandchildren. She is the author of Blessed Conversations: Misericordia. Find out more about her here.
Be a Woman of the Word
