Wednesday
18 February 2026 – Ash Wednesday
Mass Readings:
Joel 2:12-18 Ps 51 2 Cor 5:20-6:2 Mt 6:1-6.16-18
Key Verse to Meditate:
"But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut
your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in
secret will repay you. (Mt 6:6).
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord,
Today we begin the holy
season of Lent with the imposition of ashes upon our heads, a sacred sign of
repentance and penance. This humble gesture reminds us of our human frailty and
calls us to return to God with sincere and contrite hearts. At the very beginning
of Lent, the Liturgy of the Word presents to us the three pillars of Christian
spiritual life—prayer, fasting, and almsgiving—repeated in a rhythmic and
emphatic manner by Jesus Himself:
“When you give alms… but
when you give alms, your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
“When you pray… but when you pray, your Father who sees in secret will
reward you.”
“When you fast… but when you fast, your Father who sees in secret will
reward you.”
Through these words, Jesus
teaches us that Lent is not merely about external practices, but about an
interior renewal—a transformation that takes place in the hidden depths of the
heart, seen and blessed by God.
Biblical Significance of
Forty Days
We are well aware of the
biblical significance of these forty days. The Latin word for this sacred
season is Quadragesima, meaning “forty days.” Throughout Sacred
Scripture, the number forty represents a period of preparation, purification,
and transformation. Whenever God prepared someone for a special mission, it
often involved forty days or forty years of testing and grace:
- Noah’s
life and the course of human history were transformed by forty days of
rain and flood.
- Moses
was transformed by forty days in the presence of God on Mount Sinai (Ex
24:18).
- The
Israelites were purified and formed as God’s people during forty years in
the wilderness (Num 32:13).
- The
spies spent forty days exploring the Promised Land (Num 13:25).
- David
faced Goliath’s challenge over forty days before his victory (1 Sam
17:16).
- Ezekiel
bore the symbolic punishment of Judah for forty days (Ezek 4:6).
- Elijah
was strengthened by God and journeyed forty days to Mount Horeb (1 Kgs
19:8).
- The
people of Nineveh were given forty days to repent and were transformed
(Jon 3:4).
- Jesus
Himself fasted for forty days in the wilderness and was prepared for His
public ministry (Mt 4:1–2).
- After
His Resurrection, Jesus remained with His disciples for forty days,
preparing them for their mission (Acts 1:3).
Thus, in the biblical
tradition, forty days signify a sacred time of grace, renewal, and preparation
for God’s saving work.
Above all, these forty days
of Lent are meant to be days of raising our hearts and minds to God. Lent is a
privileged time of grace, given to us for inner conversion and new life. To
experience this renewal, each one of us must enter into the desert experience,
just as Jesus did willingly. The New Testament uses the Greek word metanoia,
which means a profound change of heart—a turning away from sin and a turning
toward God.
For this purpose, Holy
Mother Church offers us these forty sacred days, sanctified by the three
precious gems—the three spiritual pillars—of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.
Lent is a time to stretch our hearts toward God, to become spiritually whole,
and to rediscover our true identity as His children. It is the deep longing of
the soul to return to our Heavenly Father, leaving behind the emptiness of sin
and embracing the fullness of His mercy and grace.
The First Reading
This is why, in the First
Reading from the Book of the Prophet Joel, we hear the most fitting call for
this sacred season: “Return to me…” (Joel 2:12). God speaks these words
to His people who had forgotten to live according to His ways and commandments.
Often, we too may have chosen paths different from the one the Lord has set
before us. Lent, therefore, is the time to return—to come back to the path
where we can once again encounter God, listen to His Word, and experience His
mercy and grace.
This invitation of God at
the beginning of Lent also echoes the invitation of Jesus: “Come to me, all
who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28). The
Prophet Joel also shows us the true way to return to God: “Rend your hearts
and not your garments” (Joel 2:13). In biblical times, tearing one’s
garments was an external sign of repentance and grief. However, God desires
something deeper—not merely external signs, but an interior conversion. It may
be easy to tear one’s garments, but it is far more difficult to rend one’s
heart. The heart is the sacred dwelling place reserved for God, yet too often
it becomes occupied by worldly attachments. Lent invites us to purify our
hearts and restore God to His rightful place within us.
Lent: A Season of Prayer
Lent is a privileged season
to deepen our life of prayer. A life without prayer is an empty life, and
prayer that does not transform us is incomplete. True prayer changes us—it
transforms the way we relate to God, to others, and to ourselves. If our prayer
does not shape our thoughts, attitudes, and actions, then we must learn to pray
more sincerely.
Jesus Himself is our
perfect model of prayer. The Gospel tells us: “He went out to the mountain
to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God” (Lk 6:12). Jesus sought
silence and solitude to commune with His Father. Likewise, when we pray
sincerely, our hearts are lifted in awe and gratitude before God. There is no
fixed formula for prayer; what matters most is the sincerity of the heart and the
willingness to remain in God’s presence. May this Lenten season help us become
faithful and sincere people of prayer, forgiving others from our hearts and
experiencing the healing forgiveness of Christ.
Prayer, Fasting, and
Almsgiving
Jesus clearly teaches us
how to practice prayer, fasting, and almsgiving during Lent. These spiritual
disciplines are not meant to be performed for human recognition, but as sincere
expressions of our love for God and our desire for conversion. Whatever we
do—whether prayer, fasting, penance, or almsgiving—must be done with pure
intention, not to gain praise from others, but to draw closer to God.
Our reward comes from God
alone, not from human approval. That is why Jesus tells us to practice these
acts in secret. This “secrecy” does not mean hiding out of fear, but entering
into a personal and intimate encounter with God—in silence, humility, and
sincerity. It is in this sacred solitude that we experience God’s presence most
deeply.
This is the same solitude
that Jesus embraced in the desert for forty days and forty nights. In that
silence, He was strengthened, clarified in His mission, and sustained by the
presence of the Father and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Lent: A Time of Dialogue
with God
Lent is a sacred time to
pray more, to enter into deeper dialogue with God, and to come to terms with
our own lives. Through silence, prayer, and penance, we begin to see ourselves
more clearly—the path we have taken, the choices we have made, and the direction
in which we are heading.
This season helps us
rediscover the love of God, just as the prodigal son rediscovered his father’s
love in his moment of suffering and emptiness. The Gospel tells us: “When he
came to his senses, he said, ‘I will arise and go to my father’” (Lk
15:17–18). This moment of “coming to his senses” marked the beginning of his
conversion and restoration.
Lent invites each of us to
come to our senses—to reflect honestly on our lives and to renew our commitment
to Christian discipleship. It is a time to rediscover our identity as beloved
sons and daughters of God. It reminds us that we are not alone, that God walks
with us, and that He has a purpose for each of our lives.
May this Lenten season lead
us to deeper self-knowledge, sincere repentance, and renewed faith, so that we
may truly experience the joy of being loved, forgiven, and guided by God.
Points for Personal Reflection
How will I deepen my prayer during this holy
season of Lent? Will I create time each day to encounter the Lord in silence
and sincerity? What sacrifices am I willing to embrace through fasting, so that
my heart may grow in discipline and spiritual freedom? How will I practice
almsgiving, sharing not only from my abundance, but from my heart, in love and
compassion for others?
What concrete steps will I take to make this Lent
holy and meaningful? What must I let go of in order to return more fully to
God? Like the prodigal son, am I ready to come to my senses, rise from my
spiritual complacency, and return to my Father, who waits for me with mercy and
love?
This Lent is God’s invitation to renewal. Will I
respond with generosity, courage, and a sincere desire for conversion?
Conclusion
My dear brothers and sisters, as we receive these
ashes today, let us remember that they are not merely a symbol of our
mortality, but a sign of hope, renewal, and grace. The ashes remind us that we
are dust, but they also remind us that we are loved dust—formed by God,
redeemed by Christ, and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. They call us to return
to the Lord, not with fear, but with trust in His infinite mercy.
Lent, therefore, is not a season of sadness, but
a season of grace. It is God giving us another opportunity to begin again, to
purify our hearts, to deepen our prayer, to discipline our lives, and to grow
in love. Through prayer, we rediscover our dependence on God. Through fasting,
we learn self-mastery and spiritual freedom. Through almsgiving, we open our
hearts in love and compassion toward others.
Let us not allow this holy season to pass us by
without transformation. Let these forty days be a sacred journey from ashes to
glory, from sin to grace, and from death to new life. As we begin this Lenten
journey, may our hearts be filled with true repentance, firm resolve, and
living hope, so that when we arrive at Easter, we may rise with Christ as
renewed and transformed people.
“Return to me with all your heart”
(Joel 2:12) -Amen.
Happy
Lent!!!!
