Let us read and listen to the Gospel of the day 28 February 2026

Saturday of the First Week of Lent

• St. Auguste Chapdelaine, missionary and martyr (1814-1856)
• Bl. Tymoteusz Trojanowski, priest O.F.M. and martyr († 1942)
• Saint of the Day

First Reading

You shall be a people sacred to the Lord, your God.

From the Book of Deuteronomy
Dt 26:16-19

Moses spoke to the people, saying:
“This day the Lord, your God, commands you to observe these statutes and decrees. Be careful, then, to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.

Today you have agreed to the Lord’s declaration that he will be your God, but only if you walk in his ways and observe his statutes, commandments and decrees, and hearken to his voice.
And today the Lord has agreed to your declaration that you will be his very own people, as he promised you, but only if you keep all his commandments.
He will then set you high in praise and renown and glory above all other nations he has made, and you will be a people sacred to the Lord, your God, as he promised.”

The Word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm

From Ps 119

R. Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!

Blessed are they whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord.
Blessed are they who observe his decrees,
who seek him with all their heart. R.
 
You have commanded that your precepts
be diligently kept.
Oh, that I might be firm in the ways
of keeping your statutes! R.
 
I will give you thanks with an upright heart,
when I have learned your just ordinances.
I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me. R.

Gospel Acclamation

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!

Behold, now is a very acceptable time;
behold, now is the day of salvation! (2Cor 6:2b)

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory!

Today’s Gospel: February 28, 2026

Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.

From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 5:43-48

At that time, Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.

For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what is there unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

Boundless Love: The Purity of Eugenio

The Gospel that closes this month of February presents us with the highest challenge: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” Jesus moves the bar beyond all human logic. He does not ask us to love those who love us — something everyone knows how to do — but to have a heart as big as God’s, who makes the sun rise on both the good and the bad. He calls us to the perfection of love, which sets no barriers and excludes no one.

My son Eugenio lived this perfection in his simplicity as a boy. During the time of his illness, his heart remained pure, devoid of any trace of resentment towards life or fate. He never raised his voice against suffering but inhabited it with a sweetness that disarmed anyone who approached him. His capacity to love made no distinctions: he loved the doctors, the nurses, his friends, and even the strangers who prayed for him. Eugenio showed us that one can be “perfect in love” even in pain, remaining open channels of the Father’s grace.

Today, in my prayers, I ask the Lord for the strength to expand the boundaries of my heart. I want to learn from my son that the true victory is not responding to evil, but overwhelming it with good. Closing this month with this commitment means promising God to look at every person with eyes of mercy, just as our great little angel did.

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THE MAGISTERIUM OF THE POPES

On this day, let us join the wisdom of the centuries with the vision of a love that knows no sunset:

• Pope Leo XIV: “Love is not a fleeting feeling, but a decision of the will enlightened by Grace. To love those who hurt us is the highest act of freedom that man can perform: it is the moment when earth touches Heaven and the soul truly becomes similar to its Creator. Do not be afraid to love too much, because love is the only currency that circulates in eternity.”
• Pope Francis: “Christian perfection is not the perfection of muscles or intelligence, but the perfection of mercy. To be perfect like the Father means knowing how to forgive, knowing how to start over, and never closing the door to anyone.” (Angelus)
• Benedict XVI: “Only if God is great, is man great. If we recognize that we are all children of the same Father, then the enemy stops being such and becomes a brother to be won back to love. This is the silent revolution of the Gospel.” (Cf. Deus Caritas Est)
• Saint John Paul II: “Do not let yourself be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. This is the synthesis of our faith. The measure of love is to love without measure, bringing the light of hope where the shadow of hatred reigns.” (Cf. Peace)
• Saint John XXIII: “In every man there is a divine spark. Seek what unites, not what divides. Goodness is the key that opens all doors and makes the world a place more like the Kingdom of God.” (Cf. Pacem in Terris)