Daily Catholic Mass Readings for February 26, 2020
First Reading: Joel 2.12-18
12"Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."13Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.14Who knows? He may turn and have pity and leave behind a blessing- grain offerings and drink offerings for the LORD your God.15Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred assembly.16Gather the people, consecrate the assembly; bring together the elders, gather the children, those nursing at the breast. Let the bridegroom leave his room and the bride her chamber.17Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the temple porch and the altar. Let them say, "Spare your people, O LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, 'Where is their God?'"18Then the LORD will be jealous for his land and take pity on his people.
Psalm 51
1Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.2Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.3For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.4Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.5Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.6Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.7Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.8Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.9Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.10Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.11Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.12Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.13Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you.14Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.15O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.16You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.18In your good pleasure make Zion prosper; build up the walls of Jerusalem.19Then there will be righteous sacrifices, whole burnt offerings to delight you; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5.20 – 6.2
Gospel: Matthew 6.1-6, 16-18
1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.16"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face,18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the nature of true conversion, the urgency of reconciliation, and the importance of living our faith with sincerity and humility. In the first reading, Joel calls the people to return to the Lord with their whole heart, warning against superficial acts of repentance. He emphasizes that true conversion is not about outward displays but about an inner transformation, a rending of the heart rather than the garments. This call to authenticity is echoed in the Gospel, where Jesus warns against performing acts of piety—such as almsgiving, prayer, and fasting—for the sake of appearances. He teaches that true devotion must be done in secret, directed toward God alone, who sees what is hidden.
The second reading from 2 Corinthians serves as a bridge between Joel’s call to conversion and Jesus’ teachings on humility. Paul reminds us that we are ambassadors for Christ, entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation. He urges us not to waste the grace of God, emphasizing that now is the time for salvation. This urgency aligns with Joel’s plea for the people to gather, fast, and weep, and with Jesus’ call to sincerity in our spiritual practices. Together, the readings remind us that our relationship with God is not a performance for others but a deeply personal and intimate encounter.
In our daily lives, these readings challenge us to examine our motives and the depth of our faith. Are we seeking to impress others with our piety, or are we truly seeking to please God? Do we approach prayer, fasting, and acts of charity with authenticity, or are we caught up in outward appearances? The moral lesson is clear: true conversion happens in the heart, and genuine faith is lived in humility and sincerity. Let us heed the call to rend our hearts, to pray in secret, and to live our faith in a way that honors God alone. In doing so, we will experience the transformative power of grace and the joy of living as children of God.