Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection February 15, 2026

15th February 2026 (Sunday)

Psalter: Week 2

Readings of the Day

First Reading: Sirach 15:15-20

If you desire, you will keep the commandments, and to act faithfully is a matter of choice. He has placed before you fire and water: stretch out your hand for whichever you wish. Life and death are in front of people, and whichever one chooses will be given to him. For great is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power and sees. everything; his eyes are on those who fear him, and he knows a person’s every deed. He has not commanded anyone to be ungodly, and he has not given anyone permission to sin.

Psalm 119:1-2, 4-5, 17-18, 33-34 (R. 1b)

R/. Blessed are those who walk in the law of the Lord!

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:6-10

Brethren: Among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart. of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”-these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Alleluia

R/. Alleluia

V/. Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have revealed to little children the mysteries of the kingdom.

R/. Alleluia

Gospel: Matthew 5:17-37

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murder will be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny. You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body. go into hell. “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce. But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of sexual immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, “You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn. But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

Daily Gospel Reflection

Sunday – Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Main Point: Being a Christian is not only about avoiding “bad things.” It is about fixing our hearts at the root of the problem. God does not just want us to be polite: He wants us to be pure.

1. The first reading from Sirach presents a very powerful image. It is saying that God has set the two before us: fire and water, life and death. And then says: “Extend your hand and take whichever you like.”

2. Just Stop and think for a second! God respects us that He refuses to control us. He is not some puppet master using our strings. He treats us like adults. He says, “I have granted you the power. The choice is yours.” That is a beautiful liberty and scary responsibility.

3. In the Gospel, Jesus illustrates to us what “life choice” looks like. He takes old laws and furthers himself much, much deeper. He’s not content with shallow religion.

4. Like, the old law said, you shall not kill. Most of us can say, “Great! I have not killed anybody today. I am a saint!” We feel good about ourselves, that we haven’t committed any crime.

5. But Jesus says, “just wait.” He says that we are guilty even if we become angry with him, insult our brother, call him an idiot. But why? Because murder begins with anger. You kill a person’s spirit before you kill with a weapon. Jesus wants us to yank the weed by the root.

6. He does the same thing with adultery. The law said, “Don’t cheat your spouse.” But Jesus says, “Don’t even look at anyone with lust.” He knows that an affair doesn’t begin in the hotel room but in the mind. It starts with a look. If we clean up the heart the actions will take care of themselves.

7. I know this is awfully difficult to do. When we read this it may overwhelm us. We might think “Lord, who can live like this?” It is impossible not to get mad or have a bad thought.

8. But here is the thing, Jesus isn’t trying to crush us with impossible rules. He is trying to heal us. He knows that anger is like a poison – inside us. Even if we never hit anybody, we rot our own soul through holding on to that anger. And he wants us free from that poison.

9. St. Paul refers to this as “God’s wisdom” in the second reading. To the world it looks ridiculous to forgive somebody who hurt you. To the world it appears weak to turn the other cheek. But Paul says this wisdom has been “prepared for those who love him.” It is a higher level of living.

10. Jesus also speaks on the subject of honesty. He says, “Let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.'” We shouldn’t need to swear on the bible and make big promises to be believed.

11. We live in a world full of spin, half-truths, and “fake news.” Imagine how powerful it is to be the kind of person that simply tells the truth. If you say that you will be there, you are there. If you say that you did it, you admit it. That is what it means to be the child of God.

12. So, today, let’s examine what choices face us. Fire or water? Anger or forgiveness? Lust or love? Lies or truth? Don’t be satisfied with “being not bad”. That is a low bar. Choose to be whole. Choose to be healed of heart not just habits by God.

My Practice: Have you ever “put up with” a “small” sin out of the sense that “at least I’m not doing something worse?” For example, do I let myself gossip, because “at least I’m not lying”? Today, I will try to stop the sin in the root.