February 28, 2026  // Saturday of the First Week of Lent

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: Matthew 5:43-48

Reflect on the Word //

Throughout my faith journey, God has slowly revealed to me the traditional beauty of the Catholic faith. When I discovered a parish that offered a more reverent liturgy, it was a clear next step. I tried to stay active in my former parish because many of my friends were there. But keeping one foot in each place was exhausting, and I knew I had to choose the parish where I encountered Jesus most intimately in the Sacred Liturgy.

Slowly, however, friendships from my old parish that I thought were strong felt strained. I tried to keep in touch, but invitations stopped, and I found myself on the outside. While their lives looked full, lively—sunny even—I felt alone. Did I make the right decision?

Then Sunday came, and with it, clarity, through the beauty of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. As I imagined myself at the Foot of the Cross, the Lord brought to mind these words from today’s Gospel:

“But I say to you, love your enemies [ . . . ] for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:44-45).

Were these friends now my enemies? Of course not. Did they hurt me? Yes.

Jesus understands rejection more than anyone. He was shunned by those He grew up with in Nazareth. Many people turned away when His teachings were too hard. Even His Apostles abandoned Him when He needed them most.

Throughout life, my sister, we will encounter rejection from friends, classmates, coworkers, even family. Each time, we are invited to respond not with justice, but with supernatural charity, so “that [we] may be children of [our] heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:45).

Each day, the sun rises on the good and the bad things of life, inviting us to love no matter the cost. It may be hard and it may not ease the pain, but it is an act of trust in a God Whose mercy is deeper than our wounds.

Relate to the Lord // Share your heart with Jesus today in a few moments of honest, conversational prayer.