Matthew 23:1-12

Matthew 23:1-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,

“The scribes and the Pharisees

have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.

Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,

but do not follow their example.

For they preach but they do not practice.

They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry

and lay them on people’s shoulders,

but they will not lift a finger to move them.

All their works are performed to be seen.

They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.

They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,

greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’

As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’

You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.

Call no one on earth your father;

you have but one Father in heaven.

Do not be called ‘Master;’

you have but one master, the Christ.

The greatest among you must be your servant.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;

but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I am your creature, and you are my Father. Teach me the ways of humility so that I may truly know who I am and what my place is in this passing world. Lead me by the hand along this path to heavenly exaltation and a share in your glory.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Sitting on the Chair of Moses: In the Gospel, Jesus draws attention to the teaching authority of the Scribes and Pharisees. On the one hand, they have assumed and taken upon themselves the task of transmitting and interpreting the Law of Moses for the people. On the other hand, they have fallen into hypocrisy: They preach and teach, but they do not practice what they preach and teach. “Although not Israel’s official teachers or leaders, the Pharisees were popular and held great sway with the masses. They were deeply concerned with the cultural and religious crisis of the day: How does one live as a faithful Jew in a land that is ruled and occupied by pagans (Romans)? The Pharisees’ answer: Israel must separate itself from all Gentile impurity and defilement, since only in this way will God rescue his people from the clutches of Rome. Even their name – which means the ‘separated ones’ (Heb. perushim) – underscores this national agenda” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1792). The time of the “chair of Moses” was provisional and soon came to an end. The time of the chair of Peter and the Apostles, and their successors, would start after Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection.

2. Humble Servants: In contrast to the hypocritical and self-serving leadership of the scribes and Pharisees, the disciples of Jesus are to be humble servants. While the Pharisees loved being called “Rabbi,” which means “my great one,” Jesus’ disciples are to see those they teach as their brothers and sisters. God is our true teacher, and we can only teach the faith and the way to God if we are docile to the Holy Spirit, who will lead us to all truth (John 16:13). God is our true Father, and we will be a father to others only to the degree we imitate the loving and kind fatherhood of God. 

3. Servant Leadership: When Jesus says to his disciples, “Do not be called ‘Masters,’” the Greek word is “kathegetai,” which can also be translated as “guide,” “leader,” or “instructor.” God the Son, Jesus Christ, is our true “guide” and “leader,” and we will guide others only to the degree we are in communion with Christ and guide them along the way of Christ. In each of the three cases – rabbi, father, leader – there is a temptation to exalt oneself above others. But Jesus says that the true path to exaltation is not through titles, but through humility and service. Prideful arrogance will only lead to a humbling downfall. Humble service, however, will lead to heavenly exaltation. Unlike the Pharisees, who perform good works to be seen and receive earthly honor, the disciples of Jesus should perform hidden works of charity to alleviate the sufferings of others without seeking ephemeral praise or earthly acknowledgement.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I enjoy contemplating the mysteries of your life. I see the humility of your birth in a stable, the hiddenness of your life in Nazareth, the poverty of your life in Galilee, the misunderstandings you faced, and your desire to save me through your passion and death. You were truly humble and were supremely exalted!

Living the Word of God: Have I fallen into religious hypocrisy, going through the motions of prayer and weekly attendance at mass, while neglecting the needs of my spouse, my family, the poor, and my brothers and sisters in the Church? What can I do to correct this hypocrisy?

A Ransom for Many

March 4, 2026 Wednesday

Wednesday of the Second Week of Lent

Matthew 20:17-28

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem,

he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves,

and said to them on the way,

“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem,

and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests

and the scribes,

and they will condemn him to death,

and hand him over to the Gentiles

to be mocked and scourged and crucified,

and he will be raised on the third day.”

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons

and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something.

He said to her, “What do you wish?”

She answered him,

“Command that these two sons of mine sit,

one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom.”

Jesus said in reply,

“You do not know what you are asking.

Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?”

They said to him, “We can.”

He replied,

“My chalice you will indeed drink,

but to sit at my right and at my left,

this is not mine to give

but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”

When the ten heard this,

they became indignant at the two brothers.

But Jesus summoned them and said,

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,

and the great ones make their authority over them felt.

But it shall not be so among you.

Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;

whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.

Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve

and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you sent your Son to save us and redeem us. He took the form of a servant, humbled himself, and became obedient unto death. And because of this, you greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name. I confess today that your Son, Jesus Christ, is Lord!

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Third Passion Prediction: All three synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke – contain three passion predictions on the way to Jerusalem. These predictions occurred after Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah. By speaking frequently about his destiny in Jerusalem, Jesus made sure that his disciples did not have a false view of the Messiah. He redefines messiahship as involving suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection rather than political triumph or military victory. Jesus was not a victim of circumstances, but willingly embraced suffering and death as part of his Father’s plan. Jesus conquers not through military power, but through loving sacrifice and obedient suffering.

2. My Chalice: This understanding of the Messiah was met with some resistance. After the first passion prediction (Matthew 16:21), Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, saying that “no such thing shall ever happen to you” (Matthew 16:22). And Jesus pointed out to Peter that he was thinking in merely human terms, and not as God does. After the second passion prediction (Matthew 17:22-23), the disciples were overwhelmed with grief. After the third passion prediction (Matthew 20:17-19), two of Jesus’ disciples jockey for positions in the kingdom of God. Little do they know or truly understand what reigning in the Kingdom of God looks like. And Jesus doesn’t hold back and offers his disciples to drink from his chalice of suffering. If Jesus reigns from the Cross, then his followers will also share in his reign through the Cross. 

3. Ransom for Many: Jesus speaks about giving his life as a ransom (lutron) for many. A “ransom” was the price paid to secure the release or redemption of a slave, a captive, or someone in bondage. Jesus’ life – his death on the cross – becomes the payment that liberates people from bondage. The notion of a “ransom” is also connected to the Exodus: God ransomed Israel from slavery to Pharaoh and led them home to the Promised Land. Jesus will ransom humanity from slavery, not from slavery to Pharaoh but from slavery to sin and death. Jesus comes as the Son of Man to inaugurate a new Exodus that will lead us to the heavenly Promised Land. He will not be a tyrant king, but a servant king. He will serve his people by dying. He invites us to enjoy the greatness of eternal life by serving our brothers and sisters. In this way, we share in the redemptive work of Christ. 

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to embrace your invitation to humble service. I want to enjoy eternal life with you and will follow in your footsteps. Lead me and guide me with your Spirit this day.

Living the Word of God: How is God inviting me to embrace suffering in my life? Have I focused too much effort on a life of comfort rather than a life of service? How can I be more detached from worldly things and alleviate the sufferings of those around me this Lent?

Listening to the Risen One

March 5, 2026 Thursday

Thursday of the Second Week of Lent

Luke 16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees:

“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen

and dined sumptuously each day.

And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,

who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps

that fell from the rich man's table.

Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.

When the poor man died,

he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.

The rich man also died and was buried,

and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,

he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off

and Lazarus at his side.

And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me.

Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,

for I am suffering torment in these flames.’

Abraham replied, ‘My child,

remember that you received what was good during your lifetime

while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;

but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.

Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established

to prevent anyone from crossing

who might wish to go from our side to yours

or from your side to ours.’

He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him

to my father's house,

for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,

lest they too come to this place of torment.’

But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets.

Let them listen to them.’

He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham,

but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

Then Abraham said,

‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,

neither will they be persuaded

if someone should rise from the dead.’”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you know all things. Guide me along the path that leads to life with you. Protect me from danger and give me your grace to fight the good fight, finish the race, and receive the victorious crown of your glory.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Moses and the Prophets: As Jesus journeys to Jerusalem, he alludes through a parable to the death he will suffer in Jerusalem and to his glorious resurrection from that death. The parable was addressed in particular to the Pharisees, who were hypocritically behaving like the rich man, who was indifferent to the needs of the poor man, Lazarus, at his doorstep. Jesus refers to the hardness of heart of the Pharisees, who were not listening to Moses, to the first five books of the Bible, or to the prophets. What is worse, they were refusing to listen to Jesus, the Word and Son of God, who would be raised from the dead. The books of the Old Testament all pointed to Jesus, and the Pharisees were blind to this.

2. The Reversal of Fortunes: One of the themes that runs throughout the Gospel of Luke is the reversal of fortunes. This theme was announced early on in Mary’s Magnificat: God will humble the proud and powerful and raise up the poor, the humble, the outcast, and the lowly. In his Sermon on the Plain, Jesus pronounced a blessing on the poor and woe on the rich. Earthly blessings – wealth and pleasure – can easily lead to eternal suffering, while earthly suffering – poverty, sickness, persecution – can be a sure path to eternal happiness. This is because those who are rich are tempted to trust in themselves, while the poor tend to rely on the help of others, especially on the help of God. Had the rich man in the parable seen himself as a steward of earthly wealth and done all he could to help the less fortunate, he would have stored up heavenly treasure and likely enjoyed the gift of eternal life. Lazarus, who suffered in this life, was exalted, while the rich man, who was indifferent to others in this life, was cast down.

3. Listening to the Risen One: At the end of the parable, Jesus refers to his resurrection and the hardness of heart he will encounter. The rich man thought that his five brothers would listen to the warning of someone risen from the dead and repent from their evil ways. But Abraham responded: “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.” This alludes to the future preaching of the Apostles who will proclaim Christ crucified and risen from the dead. While some will accept their proclamation and come to faith in Jesus, others will reject it and refuse to believe. What Jesus is saying is that if a person won’t listen to the Old Testament proclamation of Moses and the prophets, they aren’t likely to listen to and embrace the New Testament proclamation of the fulfillment of Moses and the prophets. 

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, help me to see your face in the poor. Move my heart to have compassion on those who need my help. Do not let me be indifferent to you and the needs of my brothers and sisters.

Living the Word of God: One of the three practices of Lent is almsgiving. This Lent, how have I used the wealth I have on behalf of the poor? What changes do I need to make? What is God asking me to be detached from? Who could most benefit from my generosity?

The Love of God for Us

March 6, 2026 Friday

Friday of the Second Week of Lent

Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:

“Hear another parable.

There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,

put a hedge around it,

dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.

Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.

When vintage time drew near,

he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.

But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,

another they killed, and a third they stoned.

Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,

but they treated them in the same way.

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.’

They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?”

They answered him,

“He will put those wretched men to a wretched death

and lease his vineyard to other tenants

who will give him the produce at the proper times.”

Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures:

The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

by the Lord has this been done,

and it is wonderful in our eyes?

Therefore, I say to you,

the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you

and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables,

they knew that he was speaking about them.

And although they were attempting to arrest him,

they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you carefully direct the course of history. You knew how the story of Joseph would end and permitted him to suffer and be tested. You knew everything that would happen to your Son and his Apostles. You know my story and how it will unfold. Guide me each day so that I may be with you.

Encountering the Word of God

1. God Sent the Prophets: Today’s Gospel parable summarizes the history of Israel in just a few lines. The landowner planting a vineyard is a symbol of God establishing Israel as his people. The hedge refers to the walls of Jerusalem. The leasing to tenants refers to God entrusting the people of Israel to their leaders, rulers, kings, priests, and elders. The sending of servants refers to the sending of prophets to Israel and Judah. Instead of listening to the prophets and turning from idolatry, the people of Israel and Judah maltreated the prophets of God. Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Isaiah, and Jeremiah were all persecuted by the people they ministered to. The last prophet before Jesus, John the Baptist, was beheaded by King Herod Agrippa. How do I heed the words of the prophets of the Old Testament in my life?

2. God Sent his Son, the Rejected Stone: The Gospel parable, pronounced by Jesus on the way to Jerusalem, prepares us for and makes us look ahead during Lent to the celebration of Holy Week, when the Son of God will enter into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (the vineyard), be led out on Good Friday (thrown out of the vineyard), and be killed on the cross. The Lord’s vineyard (the New Jerusalem and Kingdom of God) will be taken away from the old tenants (the religious authorities – the chief priests and the Pharisees) and entrusted to the new tenants (the Apostles and disciples of Jesus). Jesus is the stone, rejected by the builders, who has become the cornerstone of the New Temple. 

3. The Love of God for Us: The parables of Jesus usually have a twist to them. It is borderline crazy that the landowner would send his son. After sending servants who were maltreated and even killed, why would the landowner send his son? Why would God the Father send his Son? John’s Gospel provides an answer: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him” (John 3:16-17). The Son was crucified, but that is how he established the New Kingdom that has been entrusted to new people to produce new fruit. And so, yes, the landowner, from a merely human point of view, seems crazy. But from a divine perspective, the parable reveals the patient, merciful, relentless love of God for his people.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I unite my life and my sufferings to yours. All that I am, I offer to your Father and my Father. I humbly ask that you present my offering to the Father today and purify it with your love.

Living the Word of God: Where is there suffering in my life right now? How am I dealing with it? How can I unite it to the offering of Jesus today?

The Parable about Welcoming Sinners

March 7, 2026 Saturday

Saturday of the Second Week of Lent

Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,

but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,

“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So to them Jesus addressed this parable.

“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,

‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’

So the father divided the property between them.

After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings

and set off to a distant country

where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.

When he had freely spent everything,

a severe famine struck that country,

and he found himself in dire need.

So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens

who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.

And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,

but nobody gave him any.

Coming to his senses he thought,

‘How many of my father's hired workers

have more than enough food to eat,

but here am I, dying from hunger.

I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,

“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

I no longer deserve to be called your son;

treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’

So he got up and went back to his father.

While he was still a long way off,

his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.

He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.

His son said to him,

‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;

I no longer deserve to be called your son.’

But his father ordered his servants,

‘Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him;

put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.

Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.

Then let us celebrate with a feast,

because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;

he was lost, and has been found.’

Then the celebration began.

Now the older son had been out in the field

and, on his way back, as he neared the house,

he heard the sound of music and dancing.

He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.

The servant said to him,

‘Your brother has returned

and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf

because he has him back safe and sound.’

He became angry,

and when he refused to enter the house,

his father came out and pleaded with him.

He said to his father in reply,

‘Look, all these years I served you

and not once did I disobey your orders;

yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.

But when your son returns

who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,

for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’

He said to him,

‘My son, you are here with me always;

everything I have is yours.

But now we must celebrate and rejoice,

because your brother was dead and has come to life again;

he was lost and has been found.’”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are my merciful Father, always ready to embrace me when I return home. Comfort me in your arms and wipe my tears away. Do not let me forget how good it is to be in your house.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Title of the Parable: The traditional title of the parable, “The Parable of the Prodigal Son,” tends to focus our attention on the sins and repentance of the younger son. And who of us this Lent doesn’t need to hear that lesson and repent and go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Unfortunately, this focus can make us miss other important lessons about the older son. In fact, Jesus addresses the parable not just to the tax collectors and public sinners drawing near to him but also and primarily to the Pharisees and scribes who complain about Jesus welcoming sinners and eating meals with them. Eating a meal in this context symbolizes entering into a covenant relationship and familial relationship with Jesus. In the parable, then, Jesus is like the father who welcomes back his wayward son. The tax collectors and sinners are like the prodigal son who returns to the father’s house and confesses his sin. The Pharisees and scribes are like the older son, who remained in the father’s house but refused to welcome back his brother.

2. How God Welcomes Back His Children: When the prodigal son returns to his father’s house, he feels that he has forever lost his status as a son: “I no longer deserve to be called your son.” He asked to be treated as a servant in the house and not as a son. But when God welcomes us back, he does not reduce us to slaves in his household. No, he restores us to divine sonship: “this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.” This restoration to sonship happens often in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. We enter the Sacrament as wayward children, humbled by our weakness and sin, and leave restored as royal children of God and heirs of the Kingdom. 

3. How the Older Brother Refuses to Welcome Back His Brother: The Pharisees mistakenly think that they are like God and can judge those around them. Instead of seeing themselves as sinners in need of forgiveness, they see themselves as the “separated ones,” the righteous and healthy ones who have no need of a physician. They are blind to their sin and also to their need for repentance. The parable doesn’t tell us about the eventual meeting between the two sons or how the older son reacted to the request of his father. This means that each one of us has to decide how we will welcome back our wayward brothers and sisters. Will we stay outside the feast prepared by the Father, or will we go inside and embrace our brother who has returned?

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, your parables continue to speak to me and reveal the mysteries of God and the Kingdom. Help me to be merciful like you and your Father. When I struggle to repent, move my heart with your grace. When I struggle to forgive, soften my heart with your grace.

Living the Word of God: What are my main sins? If I list them out, am I more like the younger son or the older son? Do I need to be forgiven today, like the sons in the parable, or do I need to forgive someone today, like the merciful father in the parable? How can I seek forgiveness or be merciful today?

Thirsting for the Water of the Spirit

March 8, 2026 Sunday

Third Sunday of Lent

Exodus 17:3-7

Psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

Romans 5:1-2, 5-8

John 4:5-42

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, 

near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

Jacob’s well was there.

Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.

It was about noon.

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.

Jesus said to her,

“Give me a drink.”

His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.

The Samaritan woman said to him,

“How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”

—For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.—

Jesus answered and said to her,

“If you knew the gift of God

and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘

you would have asked him 

and he would have given you living water.”

The woman said to him, 

“Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;

where then can you get this living water?

Are you greater than our father Jacob, 

who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself 

with his children and his flocks?”

Jesus answered and said to her, 

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again; 

but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;

the water I shall give will become in him

a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The woman said to him,

“Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty 

or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Jesus said to her,

“Go call your husband and come back.”

The woman answered and said to him,

“I do not have a husband.”

Jesus answered her,

“You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’

For you have had five husbands, 

and the one you have now is not your husband.

What you have said is true.”

The woman said to him,

“Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.

Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain; 

but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”

Jesus said to her,

“Believe me, woman, the hour is coming

when you will worship the Father

neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

You people worship what you do not understand; 

we worship what we understand, 

because salvation is from the Jews.

But the hour is coming, and is now here, 

when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth; 

and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.

God is Spirit, and those who worship him

must worship in Spirit and truth.”

The woman said to him,

“I know that the Messiah is coming, the one called the Christ; 

when he comes, he will tell us everything.”

Jesus said to her,

“I am he, the one speaking with you.”

At that moment his disciples returned, 

and were amazed that he was talking with a woman, 

but still no one said, “What are you looking for?” 

or “Why are you talking with her?”

The woman left her water jar 

and went into the town and said to the people, 

“Come see a man who told me everything I have done.

Could he possibly be the Christ?”

They went out of the town and came to him.

Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”

But he said to them,

“I have food to eat of which you do not know.”

So the disciples said to one another, 

“Could someone have brought him something to eat?”

Jesus said to them,

“My food is to do the will of the one who sent me

and to finish his work.

Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’?

I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.

The reaper is already receiving payment 

and gathering crops for eternal life, 

so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.

For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’

I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; 

others have done the work, 

and you are sharing the fruits of their work.” 

Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him

because of the