Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection February 18, 2026
Wednesday – Ash Wednesday
18th February 2026 (Wednesday)
Psalter: Proper
Readings of the Day
First Reading: Joel 2:12-18
“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; and rend your hearts and not your garments.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster. Who knows whether he will not turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind him, a grain offering and a drink offering for the Lord your God? Blow the trumpet in Sion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Consecrate the congregation; assemble the elders; gather the children, even nursing infants. Let the bridegroom leave his room, and the bride her chamber. Between the vestibule and the altar let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, “Spare your people, O Lord, and make not your heritage a reproach, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’” Then the Lord became jealous for his land and had pity on his people.
Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17 (R. see 3a)
R/. Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2
Brethren: We are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God in vain. For he says, “In a favourable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favourable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Gospel Acclamation
V/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ
R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ
V/. O that today you would listen to his voice! Harden not your hearts.
R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ
Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Daily Gospel Reflection
Wednesday – Ash Wednesday
Main Point: Lent is not a competition of which suffering can be done the most. It is a silent journey home to the Father’s house. The ashes on our forehead do not represent a badge of holiness but a sign that we are willing to be honest with God.
1. In the first reading it says in the prophet Joel “Rend your hearts, not your garments” in very dramatic language. In the olden days people tore the clothes to indicate that they were sad or sorry. It was a large dramatic public affair.
2. But God says, “Stop the drama.” He doesn’t want the outer show. He wants the inner surgery. He is wanting us to break out our stony hearts, so His love can get back in. It is easy to be religious on the outside, it is much more difficult to have a change in attitude on the inside.
3. St. Paul in the second reading adds a sense of urgency. He says, “Behold, now is the acceptable time.” We love to procrastinate. We tell ourselves “I will forgive my brother next year” or “I will start to pray when I retire.” Paul shouts, “No! Do it now.” We do not know how much time we have.
4. In the Gospel Jesus warns us about the greatest trap of religious people: Hypocrisy. He talks about giving alms, praying and fasting. These are the 3 pillars of Lent. But He warns us not to do them “in order to be seen by men.”
5. If we were fasting for nothing but to lose weight then that is not holiness but it is certainly a diet. If there is money given to make me put on a plaque with the name, that’s business, not charity. For if we pray, but only look to appear holy, that is work and not faith.
6. Jesus directs us to go to our “inner room.” He tells us to wash our faces and not have a gloomy look. Why? Because this is the love-story between you and God. It is a secret. When you do something beautiful for God that no one else knows about it creates a special intimacy with God.
7. Those ashes we receive today are strange. They are dirty. They remind us that we are dust; that life is short. But remember, dust is what God made man from. In His hands, dust can be made alive.
8. So, don’t walk around today feeling sad because it is Lent. Walk around with quiet joy. We are cleaning the house of our soul, not because we are afraid of punishment, but because we are getting ready to welcome the Resurrection.
My Practice: Pick one “secret” sacrifice for this Lent someone else won’t know about – not your spouse, not your friends, just you and God. Stick to it.
