February 27, 2026 // Friday of the First Week of Lent
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 5:20-26
Reflect on the Word //
How can I apologize for something I haven’t done?
This question racked my brain as my upstairs neighbor continued to repeatedly stomp on my ceiling.
I had been living alone in my first apartment for a month when the stomping began. The older gentleman above me had taken it upon himself to reprimand me for the cigarettes he was convinced I was smoking and therefore harming him with. Running into him a few times, I tried to explain that it wasn’t me, that I wouldn’t do that to either his well-being or mine. But unfortunately, he didn’t believe me and demanded I stop and say sorry, and in the meantime, he would kick, curse, and yell until I “stopped.”
The Gospel today reminds us that it is human nature to choose anger and violence during conflicts; yet, Jesus desires for us to turn away from sin and turn back toward one another in peace and kindness. Describing my housing situation perfectly, Jesus warns that “whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement,” no matter what side of the argument is “right” (Matthew 5:22). Jesus doesn’t focus on what begins strife, but on whether we handle it with grace, holiness, and mercy.
Our Lord continues, “Go first and be reconciled with your brother, then come and offer your gift. Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court” (Matthew 5:24-25). When it comes to discord among one another, instead of fighting for first place, Jesus asks us to be proactive, to be humble, to be sacrificial, and to be haste-minded toward a peaceful and just resolution. It is up to us to do so.
No one wins when we turn sin into something akin to a boxing match. We also can’t expect our brothers and sisters in Christ to step away from sin if we push them straight back toward it with our own behavior. During this Lenten season, we can ask for the grace to turn opponents into neighbors and strife into an opportunity to pick up our own cross and love others with it.
Relate to the Lord // Have you been falsely accused? Share your pain with Jesus Who understands.
Liz Homick works at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. as the loudest and most talkative librarian in the building. Since backpacking Europe for six weeks after graduating with her Master’s in Library Science, Liz is a huge advocate of solo travel and attending Mass in every language imaginable. She believes in unconditional kindness and existing brightly despite life’s storms.
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