Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection February 27, 2026

27th February 2026 (Friday)

Psalter: Week 1

Readings of the Day

First Reading: Ezekiel 18:21-28

Thus says the Lord God: “If a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live? But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die. “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear now, O house of Israel: Is my way not just? Is it not your ways that are not just? When a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has done he shall die. Again, when a wicked person turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he shall save his life. Because he considered and turned away from all the transgressions that he had committed, he shall surely live; he shall not die.

Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6ab, 6c-8 (R. 3)

R/. If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ

R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ

V/. Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, says the Lord, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

R/. Glory and praise to you, O Christ

Gospel: Matthew 5:20-26

At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, “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 murders 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.

Daily Gospel Reflection

Friday – First Week of Lent

Main Point: Christ’s followers must strive for the greatest in a world that constantly settles for the bare minimum. We will not be able to approach the kingdom with minimums.

1. As Christ-followers, we undoubtedly want to get to paradise. Jesus shows us how to do it. Our goal is to surpass the scribes’ and Pharisees’ level of righteousness. Their adherence to customs and rules now constituted their goodness. Legalism, or abiding by the text of the law, was the only kind of righteousness.

2. Rather, we need to look at the spirit of the legislation rather than just the language. The letter becomes bogged down in the specifics of the legislation. However, the spirit travels above and below, behind and under, to the goal and purpose of it. Their righteousness lacked both the sincerity of their adherence to the law and the proper aim. It was superficial and callous.

3. The proper purpose and deed, the heart and life, the devotion and commitment, the faith and charity are all combined in true adherence to the law. To put it another way, it means moving from the lowest to the highest.

4. The bare minimum is to worry about following the law. However, the most important thing is how to live by the law. The minimal solely considers avoiding the negative, or things that are forbidden. However, the maximum aims to achieve the good, what is necessary, commendable, and advantageous.

5. According to the gospel, avoiding murder is the very minimum; nevertheless, avoiding even the more subtly harmful types of murder, such as offense, humiliation, and rage, is the ultimate goal. The bare least is to stay away from individuals who are bad to us, avoid them, or ignore them. However, the best course of action is to make the effort to make amends with them.

6. According to the first reading from Ezekiel, repentance from evil, conversion to good, and persistence in the good are the hallmarks of real holiness. Anybody who abandons the good and does not stay true to it will face God’s wrath.

7. A person is subject to God’s wrath even if they had been virtuous for a long time before turning from good to evil. A mathematical comparison of the amount of good or evil is not the goal here. Or how much time? Or which is longer? The entire question is whether one stays committed to the good and turns away from evil.

My Practice: We must continuously transcend the practice of devotions in order to feel them, and transcend the observance of rules in order to embody their essence. The most essential thing is to follow the Lord, not a particular religion.