OVERCOMING PLEASURE, POSSESSION, AND PRIDE
Genesis 2:7-9,3:1-7; Psalm 50(51):3-6,12-14,17; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11
First Sunday Of Lent, Yr A
‘The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasant to the eye, and that it was desirable for the knowledge that it could give. In these words, the scripture summarises the temptation of our first parents and their descendants. Here, the traditional idea comes to mind of the triple concupiscence to which all human temptations could be reduced: pleasure, possession and pride. The tree was tempting because it promised pleasure (good to eat), charmed the eye as fit to be acquired (possession) and pledged access to higher knowledge (pride).
LETTING GOD INTO THE DESERT WITHIN
Joel 2:12-18; Psalm 50(51): 3-6,12-14,17; 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2; Matthew 6:1-6,16-18
Ash Wednesday
‘Spare your people, Lord!’ These words of today’s first reading show clearly that something has gone wrong in our relationship with God. It is a desperate cry in the face of divine judgment; we plead to be spared because we are guilty; our conscience tells us exactly what we deserve; we deserve the wages of sin in full measure – death (cf. Rom. 6:23). Our sin has led us to dwell in a world that feels unhomely, causing us to long for the paradise we were created for. Instead of living in God’s presence, we find ourselves in a desert, filled with mourning and weeping.
ALL OR NOTHING
Sirach 15:15-20; Psalm 118(119):1-2,4-5,17-18,33-34; 1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Matthew 5:17-37
6th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
15 February 2026
Today, we are invited to look inward at the source of light: the Word of God and its completion in Jesus Christ. The Psalmist exclaims, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light for my path” (Ps 119:105). This is not merely a poetic sentiment about selective guidance for difficult choices; it is a call to a devoted life of discerning the “first movements” in the soul.
THE ONLY NECESSARY KNOWLEDGE EXPRESSED DAILY IN CHARITY
Isaiah 58:7-10; Psalm 111(112):4-9; 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Matthew 5:13-16
By Fr Clement Obiorah, OCD
5th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
8th February 2026
Last Sunday, the Beatitudes painted the portrait of the Christian heart. We looked inward at a landscape of humility and peace. Today, the liturgy shifts our gaze outward. Jesus tells us that this interior transformation has an exterior purpose. We do not light a lamp to hide it.
CONSECRATED TO THE SAME HOPE OF SEEING GOD
Malachi 3:1-4; Psalm 23; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord (Candlemas Day)
2nd February 2026
The dust of the road from Bethlehem still clung to Joseph’s sandals as he climbed the ascent to the Temple in Jerusalem. In his arms, he carried a six-week-old infant; in his pocket, the modest price of two small birds. To the passing world, he was merely another labourer fulfilling the ritual purification of his wife and the consecration of a firstborn.
HOW HEAVENLY TO YIELD TO OUR NEED FOR GOD
Zephaniah 2:3,3:12-13; Psalm 145(146):6-10; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Matthew 5:1-12a
Reflection for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
1st February 2026
A seductive illusion permeates the modern world, quietly whispering that our worth is measured by our pleasure and our independence. However, on this Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the liturgy invites us to dismantle this illusion. We are called to discover a profound paradox: the constant awareness of need is not weakness, but the deceptive belief that we are self-sufficient.