February 18
Ash Wednesday
READ
“A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me” (Ps. 51:12).
REFLECT
Today, we recall that our life on earth will end one day. The final purpose of our life is to grow in our love for God to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth, to partake in the Church’s mission to save souls in the ordinary work and responsibilities of our life, and to one day enter into eternal life with God in Heaven.
PRAY
Jesus, you are gracious and merciful, slow to anger and rich in kindness. Help me this Lent to more closely unite all the pains and all the joys of my life to your own sufferings and your own joys. Help me to offer my sorrow and joy with your sacrifice on the Cross to the Father. Amen.
DO
This Lent, it is good to resolve to practice a particular penance and to stick to it as best we can. Lent is a time when we focus on prayer, on fasting, and on good works. Today is an official fast day, which means that we can have one full meal and two small meals, which together do not equal a full meal. Visit a food pantry as a good work or make a visit to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Smile when you do not feel like it.
February 19
Thursday After Ash Wednesday
READ
“If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23).
REFLECT
The first step in following Christ is repentance. Each of us must repent of the ways in which we do not love God as we ought to. Even if we have not committed serious sins, Jesus is always inviting us to love him more. We must die to our own wishes and desires, if we are to love more perfectly. Love is self-sacrificial.
PRAY
Holy Spirit, I ask today for the grace of the spirit of repentance, so that I may grow in love of you. Amen.
DO
Pray a morning offering or pray the ‘Hail Holy Queen’ prayer before going to bed.
February 20
Friday After Ash Wednesday
READ
“My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit; a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn” (Ps. 51:19).
REFLECT
Jesus suffered and died so that we could share in his eternal life. Jesus has gone before us into heaven, and we now await the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God when he returns. We are sustained in our waiting by Jesus’ presence with us in the Eucharist.
PRAY
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in you. Amen.
DO
As we abstain from meat today, let us also make the Stations of the Cross, which you can find online. You can visit a Church or pray the Stations of the Cross at home.
February 21
Saturday After Ash Wednesday
READ
“If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech… Then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday” (Isaiah 58:9,11).
REFLECT
Your grace, Lord, is the cause of all the good things in our lives. You desire us to know you and to love you. When we are generous in our love for you, you outdo us in your generosity to us. Jesus invites us to bear our crosses with him, so that we can share in his resurrection.
PRAY
Purify my speech, O Lord. Do not let me use your name disrespectfully, and do not let me fall into gossip. Keep me from judging too quickly. Amen.
DO
Today, only go online for work or other essential things and not for entertainment.
February 22
First Sunday of Lent
READ “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God” (Mt. 4:4b).
REFLECT Jesus fasted and prayed at the beginning of his public ministry, and he continued to pray throughout the whole of his public ministry. Jesus did this to show us how important it is for us to pray, especially when we begin new stages of our life, and before we make big decisions.
PRAY Jesus, I desire this Lent to keep you company in your suffering. Help me to love you better by living your self-sacrifice in my own relationships. Amen.
DO Pray at least a decade of the Rosary.
February 23
Monday of the First Week of Lent
READ “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Mt. 25:40).
REFLECT Jesus emphasizes how important it is to do good and charitable works for the poor and those who are in need. We can serve the homeless, we can serve the hungry, and we can serve those who are spiritually poor as well. Serving the spiritually poor would mean giving our time to teach and to provide a good example of living the truth of the Gospel.
PRAY Jesus, you provide for every one of my own needs. Help me be your instrument to provide for the needs of others. Amen.
DO Clean one of the crucifixes in your home.
February 24
Tuesday of the First Week of Lent
READ ”Look to him that you may be radiant with joy, and your faces may not blush with shame” (Ps. 34:6).
REFLECT Jesus reveals to us that God is our Father. Our most fundamental identity is that we are beloved sons and daughters of the Father. The Father looks on us with the love that He looks on Jesus, His only begotten Son.
PRAY Father, I trust in your love for me. Help me remember that I cannot earn your love. Rather, your love for me is a gift, and you will never stop loving me.
DO Pray today for people who have wounded relationships with their parents. Ask God for the grace of healing in their lives.
February 25
Wednesday of the First Week of Lent
READ “When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil ways, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out” (Jonah 3:10).
REFLECT As we journey through the first full week of Lent, how is the Father inviting us to trust in him? How have we disposed ourselves to listen to him?
PRAY Jesus, send forth your Holy Spirit into my heart, so that I may have the courage to do your will even when obeying you would expose me to other people’s judgment and ridicule.
DO Pray a Divine Mercy Chaplet for the people in the world who have no one to pray for them.
February 26
Thursday of the First Week of Lent
READ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you” (Mt. 7:7).
REFLECT Jesus invites us to trust in the loving care that the Father has for each of us. God’s silence can be challenging, but it is also an opportunity to grow in holiness because we have to grow in trust.
PRAY My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you hear me and that you see me. I adore you with profound reverence and I ask you pardon for my sins.
DO Read from one of the Gospels for 10 minutes today.
February 27
Friday of the First Week of Lent
READ “Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD; LORD, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to my voice in supplication” (Ps. 130:1-2).
REFLECT The first reading from Mass today emphasizes that when we turn from sin, God will bless us. Our responsibility to turn from sin is a serious one, exactly because our sin hurts God, who loves us. There is no sin that God cannot forgive. God’s mercy is the most powerful force in the universe.
PRAY Your grace, Lord, will always sustain me. You will never abandon me or forsake me. Help me to reject the lies of the Enemy that I have accepted into my life.
DO Visit a church to pray the Stations of the Cross. You can find the prayers for the Stations of the Cross online.
February 28
Saturday of the First Week of Lent
READ “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father” (Mt. 5:44-45).
REFLECT Jesus commands that we be perfect even as our Father in Heaven is perfect. This does not mean that we should be discourage when we are not perfect, but rather, it means that we cannot reserve any portion of ourselves away from God. Our life is on God’s terms.
PRAY Jesus, help me to follow your model of love, so that I may be able to see people and to love them with your own love.
DO Make a good confession this afternoon or another day this upcoming week.
March 1
Second Sunday of Lent
READ “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to Him.” (Mt 17:1-9)
REFLECT When we are nervous, tense, and upset, we can’t listen to the voice of the Father because we are so anxious that we don’t have space to listen. God is saying to us, “I am always with you.” We must try to listen to that voice again and again.
PRAY May Your words, Lord, sink into my heart. May I believe and trust you always.
DO Each time you find yourself worrying about something or someone today, try to make an intentional act of trust in God’s Providence.
March 2
Monday of the Second Week of Lent
READ Jesus said to his disciples: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful… For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” (Lk 6:36-38)
REFLECT Look at the world from the heart of God, and you will see the enormous love that God has for us. Looking from the heart of God, you see people with great compassion.
PRAY Father of Mercy, instill in my heart a deep realization of my own sins against others and You. Let the clear insight into how much I need forgiveness give birth in me to Christlike tolerance for the weaknesses of others and ready forgiveness.
DO Look for an opportunity to extend mercy to someone you find difficult to love.
March 3
Tuesday of the Second Week of Lent
READ “The greatest among you must be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.” (Mt. 23:12)
REFLECT Many times we are made aware of how differently God thinks from us. Things that we value highly, God seems to value as less important, or not at all! This scripture passage gives us one of those paradoxical teachings. Somehow, we need to take on the mind of Christ.
PRAY Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto yours!
DO Look for an opportunity to be of service to someone today, especially someone who will not repay you.
March 4
Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent
READ “Heed me, O LORD, and listen to what my adversaries say. Must good be repaid with evil that they should dig a pit to take my life? Remember that I stood before you to speak on their behalf, to turn away your wrath from them.” (Jer 18: 19-20)
REFLECT The prophet Jeremiah is a type of Christ our Lord. He is innocent of wrongdoing, but suffers the hatred and violence of the people he is trying to help. He tells of interceding for his people with God, as Christ stands forever before His Father’s throne making intercession for us.
PRAY Eternal Father, I offer you the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Your dearly Beloved Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world.
DO For ten minutes, join your heart to Christ’s interceding heart for the good of all. Unite your Lenten practices with Christ’s self-offering.
March 5
Thursday of the Second Week of Lent
READ “Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, who turn away from the Lord.” (Jer 17: 12)
REFLECT Sometimes wethink and act as though everything is up to us and under our control. In reality, our ability to control our life, or the lives of our loved ones, is limited. God invites us to trust in Him, with the conviction that He has our best interests at heart.
PRAY Jesus, I trust in You!
DO Try to practice patience today with life’s little frustrations when things don’t go as you had planned.
March 6
Friday of the Second Week of Lent
READ “Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’” (Mt 21:33-43)
REFLECT Both of today’s readings talk of a group of people acting violently against another out of jealousy or greed: Joseph’s brothers against him in the first reading, and the caretakers of the vineyard against the servants and son of the owner in the Gospel. Human beings can do shameful things to others, especially when they allow themselves to be led by “herd thinking.”
PRAY Holy Spirit, keep my conscience alert to the influences that seek to make me ignore your law and go along with the crowd.
DO Notice how you act in a group.
March 7
Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
READ “This brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.” (Lk 15:32)
REFLECT We are both the younger brother and the older brother at different times in our lives. The person we need to emulate is the father! He is truly prodigal in his love for both his sons!
PRAY Lord, give me a generous heart that I might show forgiveness to others as You have shown it to me.
DO Try to make a small sacrifice today in food, or entertainment, specifically in reparation for your sins.
March 8
Third Sunday of Lent
READ “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:1-2,5-8)
REFLECT Without God’s plan to become one of us and to heal us by His path through death to resurrected life, we would have no hope and no way to find meaning in this life. We could never bridge the distance between ourselves and God if He had not breached it and come to us.
PRAY O Lord, the generosity of Your plan to rescue us from Satan’s trap is astounding! You have made life immeasurably more beautiful and meaningful!
DO Try to live today in a spirit of wonder and gratitude.
March 9
Monday of the Third Week of Lent
READ “Athirst is my soul for the living God. When shall I go and behold the face of God?” (Ps 42)
REFLECT There is always a sense of longing for something more within us. St. Augustine says, “You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.”
PRAY “Lord, You come to me and unite Yourself intimately to me under the form of nourishment. Your Blood now runs in mine, Your soul compenetrates mine, giving courage and support. What miracles! Who would ever have imagined such!” –St. Maximilian Kolbe
DO Try to attend Mass or make a visit to the Blessed Sacrament today to thank Him for quenching our thirst.
March 10
Tuesday of the Third Week of Lent
READ “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?” (Mt 18:34)
REFLECT Every time we pray the Our Father, we pray to be forgiven by God as we forgive others. If we withhold forgiveness, or make a person wait for forgiveness, or lecture the other on the severity of their offense, we can expect the same when we stand before God.
PRAY Father of Mercy, knowing how much I need Your Mercy, help me to grow in tolerance and forgiveness for others.
DO Seek to give and receive forgiveness today from anyone you need to give or receive it from with a phone call or a conversation. If that is not possible, extend forgiveness in your heart.
March 11
Wednesday of the Third Week of Lent
READ “For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him?” (Dt 4:5-9)
REFLECT From the creation of human beings, God has always wanted to be with us. He walked with Adam and Eve in the garden; He went before His people to bring them out of Egypt; and He dwells with us constantly in the Eucharist.
PRAY Lord Jesus, stay with me throughout this day and help me to live in Your presence.
DO Try to recall God’s presence often today. Perhaps a crucifix or picture in a pocket or on your desk would help.
March 12
Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
READ “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Lk 11:23)
REFLECT To truly be a disciple of Christ requires making choices. Following Christ makes demands on us. God has great things in mind for us, great gifts He wants to give us, but we must find the courage to accept them.
PRAY Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.
DO Make a sacrifice today for the intention of gaining courage to follow Him more sincerely.
March 13
Friday of the Third Week of Lent
READ Jesus replied, “The first is this: Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mk 12:28)
REFLECT Unselfish love of neighbor requires a deep love of God, which can then flow over into true love of neighbor.
PRAY Heart of Jesus, burning furnace of charity, have mercy on us.
DO Look for a small kindness you can do for someone out of your love for Jesus.
March 14
Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
READ “I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Lk 18:14)
REFLECT Comparing ourselves to another almost always leads us into sin: pride, complacency, jealousy, envy…. Compare yourself to Christ. We are members of His Body.
PRAY O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
DO Forego all comparisons today!
March 15
Fourth Sunday of Lent
READ “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.” (Eph 5:6)
REFLECT Through His Incarnation and Paschal Mystery, Christ has won for us membership in the family of God and healing for our souls. It falls to us now to produce the fruits of what we have been given in a holy life.
PRAY Lord Jesus Christ, may my thoughts, words, and deeds this day reflect Your presence in my life!
DO Find an opportunity to thank someone close to you for some small thoughtfulness or be thoughtful to someone close to you.
March 16
Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent
READ “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” (Jn 4:43-54)
REFLECT Do I lose faith when God does not answer my prayer the way I want Him to or quickly enough for me? That kind of faith cannot sustain me through a lifetime. Faith and trust are so intertwined that I need to believe, even as I ask God for my needs, that He will always give me what is truly for my ultimate good.
PRAY Jesus, I trust in You.
DO Give your concerns to God and ask Him to take care of them according to His Will.
March 17
Feast of St. Patrick
READ “Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh. Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.” (Ez 47:1-9, 12)
REFLECT The water flowing from the side of the temple is a foreshadowing of the blood and water flowing from Christ’s side which feeds and heals us in His sacraments.
PRAY O Sacrament most holy, O Sacrament Divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!
DO Try to be especially prepared and aware of Who I am receiving in Holy Communion.
March 18
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Memorial of St. Cyril of Jerusalem
READ But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” (Is 49:15)
REFLECT God is love. The Trinity creates, redeems and sanctifies, while sustaining us in being—all out of love! We are never forgotten by God, never out of His awareness, even for a moment. He is in and through and all around us, loving us.
PRAY Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever! Amen
DO Try to find an opportunity to say or do something loving for a family member today.
March 19
Solemnity of St. Joseph
READ After three days they found him in the temple, …and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” (Lk 2:41-51)
REFLECT St. Joseph is honored for his humility, his obedience, and his integrity before God. He seems content to play a supportive role, yet a very necessary one in the drama of our redemption. He does not seek the limelight, but he is consistently and quietly exactly what Mary and Jesus need at every point.
PRAY St. Joseph, protector of the Holy Church, pray for us!
DO Find a picture or statue of St. Joseph and place it in a prominent place in your home today.
March 20
Friday of the Fourth Week of Lent
READ “One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Mt 4:4)
REFLECT We cannot help but know that our body needs nourishment. Hunger and thirst can drive every other thought from our minds! We also know that our minds must be fed with knowledge and information. Unfortunately, we often miss or ignore the needs of our souls for spiritual nourishment.
PRAY Holy Spirit of the Living God, intensify my appetite for the food of my soul.
DO Find time today for Stations of the Cross.
March 21
Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent
READ The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.” (Jn 7:40-53)
REFLECT What was it that made the guards from the Pharisees unable to arrest Jesus? Perhaps they recognized the Truth and utter Goodness of His whole being!
PRAY Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life, draw me ever more powerfully to You!
DO Try to read from the Bible for fifteen minutes today.
March 22
Fifth Sunday of Lent
READ “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.” (Jn 11:1-45)
REFLECT Christ, Our Lord, is the resurrection and eternal life. Our only hope to find life after death is in believing and living IN CHRIST. He promises it in today’s reading, and He always keeps His promise!
PRAY Lord, grant me steadfast faith in Your promises.
DO Spend a little time today affirming your faith in the promises of Jesus.
March 23
Monday of the Fifth Week of Lent
READ “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” (Jn 8:1-11)
REFLECT Jesus encourages us to avoid passing judgment on anyone’s soul, since all of us are sinners ourselves. When we are willing to acknowledge our own sins and weaknesses, we find it easier to be merciful toward others. Someone has expressed it as: “Hate the sin, but love the sinner.”
PRAY O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
DO In your conversations and thoughts today, be especially careful about judging the state of another’s soul.
March 24
Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
READ “The one who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, because I always do what is pleasing to him.” (Jn 8: 21-30)
REFLECT Jesus was completely given to doing the Father’s Will perfectly. The temptations in the garden the night before He died were perhaps the most difficult. He agonized in bringing His human will into submission to the Father’s Will.
PRAY “Father, not as I will, but Your Will be done.”
DO In the little frustrations and disappointments of today, try to see and accept the Father’s Will.
March 25
Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord
READ “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”(Lk 1:26-38)
REFLECT That God would choose to rescue us from the effects of original sin and our personal sins by taking human nature to Himself, restoring it, and offering us the healing grace of His Paschal Mystery is the most astounding thing that has ever happened!
PRAY Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.
DO Pray a decade of the Rosary today, meditating on the Incarnation.
March 26
Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent
READ “The Lord remembers his covenant forever.” (Psalm 105)
REFLECT All through time God has made covenants with human beings: Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham and the patriarchs, Moses and the people. He renews the covenant through the prophets. Finally, Jesus gives us the New Covenant in His Blood. A covenant, unlike a contract which is an exchange of goods, is an exchange of persons.
PRAY Help me Lord, to honor my covenant with You, by giving myself to You as You give Yourself to me.
DO Take time to think about other covenant relationships in your life and to renew them.
March 27
Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent
READ “If I do not perform my Father’s works, do not believe me; but if I perform them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may realize and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” Then they tried again to arrest him; but he escaped from their power. (Jn 10: 31-42)
REFLECT The forces of evil are escalating to destroy Jesus. The root of their hatred is His claim to be equal to God. He will be executed for blasphemy.
PRAY My Lord and my God!
DO Pray Stations of the Cross today.
March 28
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent
READ “Nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish.” (Jn 11:45-56)
REFLECT Without understanding the full meaning of his words, Caiaphas prophesied that Jesus’ death would benefit the nations. God works His plan even through those with evil intent.
PRAY We adore You, O Christ, and we bless You, because by Your Holy Cross You have redeemed the world.
DO Count your blessings!