Feb 21, 2026 | DAILY BREAD
1st Sunday of Lent
Readings: Genesis 2:7-9,3:1-7; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11.
On this First Sunday of Lent, the Word of God places before us the drama of human freedom. In Genesis, God creates man in dignity and trust, granting him freedom and asking for responsible love; yet man chooses disobedience, preferring illusion to truth. Sin enters the story, but, as Saint Paul proclaims, sin does not thwart God’s plan. Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more. God’s response to human failure is not abandonment, but redemption. In the Gospel, we see this grace embodied in Christ, who faces temptation in the desert. Though filled with grace, He is not spared the struggle; temptation remains a real battleground. Yet Jesus shows us how to stand firm: rooted in the Word of God, He rejects the deceit of the tempter, “Be off, Satan!” Lent reminds us that we, too, live between freedom and grace. Temptation will come, but grace is greater. Our task is to choose responsibly, to trust in the superabundance of grace, and to speak with Christ a decisive “no” to whatever distances us from the Father. Let’s reflect: Lent is strengthening through grace, as we exercise our freedom responsibly by rejecting temptation and choosing God with a decisive heart.
Don Giorgio
Feb 21, 2026 | DAILY BREAD
Saturday after Ash Wednesday
Gospel: Luke 5:27-32
In today’s Gospel, Levi’s response to Jesus is immediate and decisive: he leaves everything, rises, and follows Him. This simple movement contains the whole dynamic of conversion. To respond to Christ’s call means to leave behind what once defined us, attachments, securities, even our past, and to rise interiorly from complacency or sin. Getting up is not merely a physical action; it is the awakening of the heart that chooses a new direction. Following Him is the path of continual conversion, a daily turning toward mercy and truth. In this Lenten season, Levi’s example reminds us that discipleship begins not with perfection, but with availability. When we dare to stand up at His call and entrust our lives to Him, we discover that conversion is not loss, but the beginning of a new communion that restores and transforms us. Let’s reflect: Lent is rising at Christ’s call, leaving behind what binds us, and walking in continual conversion as we follow Him.
Don Giorgio
Feb 19, 2026 | DAILY BREAD
Friday after Ash Wednesday
Gospel: Matthew 9:14-15
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of fasting not as an empty ritual, but as a meaningful expression of love and longing: when the bridegroom is taken away, then they will fast. Implicit in His words is a profound trust, Jesus believes in our fasting. He believes that our hearts are capable of desire, of sacrifice, of making space for Him. Fasting, therefore, is not about deprivation for its own sake, but about rediscovering the depth of our hunger for God. It is a way of saying that His presence matters more than comfort, more than habit, more than immediate satisfaction. During Lent, our voluntary renunciations become acts of relationship: we fast because we love, and because we await more fully the joy of communion with the Bridegroom. In this light, fasting is not a burden imposed, but a gift entrusted to mature hearts that seek to grow in freedom and fidelity. Let’s reflect: Lent is the season in which we freely fast out of love, creating space in our hearts for a deeper communion with Christ, the Bridegroom.
Don Giorgio
Feb 18, 2026 | DAILY BREAD
Thursday after Ash Wednesday
Gospel: Luke 9:22-25
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks with clarity and urgency: whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for His sake will save it. At the beginning of Lent, this word confronts our instinct for self-preservation. We often try to secure ourselves through control, comfort, or recognition, yet Christ reveals a paradox, true salvation is found not in protecting the ego, but in following Him on the path of self-giving love. To take up the cross daily is not a call to suffering for its own sake, but an invitation to entrust our lives to the One who alone can redeem them. Following Christ is not optional for those who desire life in its fullness; it is the necessary path to becoming our true selves. In losing what is selfish and closed, we discover a deeper freedom and a life rooted in communion with Him. Let’s reflect: Lent is the sacred journey of following Christ through self-denial and trust, so that in losing what is selfish we may rediscover our true life in Him.
Don Giorgio
Feb 17, 2026 | DAILY BREAD
Ash Wednesday
Readings: Joel 2:12-18; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-6,16-18
On this Ash Wednesday, the Church places ashes upon our heads and the Word of God within our hearts, calling us to return to the Lord with all our being. The prophet Joel urges us: “Rend your hearts, not your garments,” reminding us that Lent is above all an interior transformation. Saint Paul proclaims that now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation, Lent is a period of grace, a sacred opportunity offered to us anew. In the Gospel, Jesus teaches that prayer, fasting, and almsgiving are not performances for others, but expressions of a personal relationship with the Father who sees in secret. Lent, therefore, is not about external rigor alone, but about rediscovering the intimacy of being known and loved by God. It is a journey inward, where the heart is purified, reconciled, and reshaped by grace, so that our lives may reflect a deeper communion with Him. Let’s reflect: Am I truly prepared for an interior transformation and a deeper, more personal relationship with God, or am I remaining at the level of external practices alone during this Lent?
Don Giorgio
Feb 16, 2026 | DAILY BREAD
Tuesday of week 6 in Ordinary Time
The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order
Reading: Mark 8:14-21
In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns His disciples about the “yeast of the Pharisees,” yet they misunderstand Him, thinking only about bread. The yeast He speaks of is subtle and hidden, like ego, which silently expands within us and distorts our vision. When ego becomes the lens through which we interpret everything, it forms a bubble that prevents us from recognizing the grace of God already at work in our lives. We focus on what we lack, on our own concerns, on self-preservation, and we forget the miracles we have witnessed. On the memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order, who chose humility and service over self-assertion, we are reminded that authentic discipleship requires interior purification. The true danger is not scarcity, but blindness caused by pride. When the ego diminishes, grace becomes visible, and we begin to see how God has been faithfully providing all along. Let’s reflect: Is my ego creating a subtle “bubble” that keeps me focused on myself and blind to the grace of God already working within and around me?
Don Giorgio
