Let us read and listen to the Gospel of the day 2 March 2026
Monday of the Second Week of Lent
- St. Agnes of Bohemia princess, abbess (1211-1282)
- St. Ángela de La Cruz virgin and foundress (1846-1932)
- Saint of the Day
First Reading
We have sinned, we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
From the book of the prophet Daniel
Dn 9:4b-10
“Lord, great and awesome God, you who keep your merciful covenant toward those who love you and observe your commandments! We have sinned, been wicked and done evil; we have rebelled and departed from your commandments and your laws. We have not obeyed your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers, and all the people of the land.
Justice, O Lord, is on your side; we are shamefaced even to this day: we, the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel, near and far, in all the countries to which you have scattered them because of their treachery toward you. O Lord, we are shamefaced, like our kings, our princes, and our fathers, for having sinned against you. But yours, O Lord, our God, are compassion and forgiveness! Yet we rebelled against you and paid no heed to your command, O Lord, our God, to live by the law you gave us through your servants the prophets.”
Word of God.
Responsorial Psalm
From Ps 79
R. Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.
Remember not against us the iniquities of our past;
may your compassion quickly come to us,
for we are brought very low. R.
Help us, O God our savior,
because of the glory of your name;
Deliver us and pardon our sins
for your name’s sake. R.
Let the prisoners’ sighing come before you;
with your great power
free those doomed to death. R.
Then we, your people and the sheep of your pasture,
will give thanks to you forever;
through all generations we will declare your praise. R.
Gospel Acclamation
Praise and honor to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life;
you have the words of everlasting life. (Cf. Jn 6:63c, 68c)
Praise and honor to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Today’s Gospel: March 2, 2026
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
From the Gospel according to Luke
Lc 6:36-38
At that time, Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”
Word of the Lord.
The Overflowing Measure: Eugenio’s Great Heart
Today’s Gospel gives us a command that seems humanly impossible: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Jesus does not only ask us to be good, but to imitate the very measure of God. He invites us not to judge, not to condemn, to forgive, and to give generously, promising that we will receive “a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing.” What we give to others, in reality, we are preparing for ourselves before God.
This ability to “not judge” and to welcome everything with love is something I learned by observing my son Eugenio. During the time of his suffering, Eugenio never expressed harsh judgments about his condition or towards those who, perhaps, did not understand his pain. His heart was an “overflowing measure” of sweetness. Despite the illness taking away his strength, he continued to give: he gave smiles, he gave courage to us parents, and he gave a testimony of faith that went beyond any words. Eugenio understood that true wealth is not holding on for oneself, but letting oneself be emptied by love to be filled by the grace of God.
In my prayers today, I ask for the grace to have a heart like my son’s. I ask to know how to forgive daily slights and not to weigh others with the scale of my selfishness. If we can give without calculation, as Eugenio did on his earthly journey, we will discover that the Father’s mercy will not be delayed and will envelop us in an infinite embrace that erases every shadow.
THE VOICES OF THE SUCCESSORS OF PETER
Let us draw from the wisdom of the Popes to understand the depth of this invitation to mercy:
- Pope Leo XIV: “Mercy is the only language that needs no translation. It is the breath of the Christian soul. When we forgive, we are not just doing a favor for our brother, but we are opening the floodgates of heaven upon our own lives. Do not be afraid to be generous in forgiveness and in giving: the Father never lets Himself be outdone in generosity, and His measure for you will always be greater than what your heart can hope for.”
- Pope Francis: “Stop judging and you will not be judged. It is so simple and so difficult at the same time. Often we are champions at seeing the specks in others and blind to our own beams. Mercy is the path that leads us to truly be children of God, because it makes us like Him.” (Angelus)
- Benedict XVI: “Charity is the dynamism that drives us to go out of ourselves. To give is not just to give something, but to give oneself. To the extent that we make ourselves a gift for others, we encounter Christ who made Himself a total gift for us on the cross. Mercy is the highest form of charity.” (Cf. Caritas in Veritate)
- Saint John Paul II: “Man truly becomes such when he learns to forgive. Forgiveness is not weakness, but the strength of those who know that evil does not have the last word. Be witnesses of God’s mercy in a world that often knows only the law of profit and revenge.” (Cf. Mercy)
- Saint John XXIII: “Let us love one another, let us love one another! The rule of our life must be the goodness that welcomes and not the severity that pushes away. A merciful heart is a little piece of paradise that we bring to earth to comfort those who suffer.” (Cf. Journal of a Soul)
