22 February 2026 - prayers of the faithful for the first Sunday of Lent

Introduction: Each year on this first Sunday of Lent, we hear how Jesus was tempted in the desert. Jesus resisted his temptations, finding strength in God. As we embark on these 40 days of Lent, may the Lord give us the strength and courage to resist temptation and to repent for the times we fail to do so. 

Penitential Rite: Priest: 

Lord Jesus - you call us to journey through the desert during these holy days of Lent - Lord have mercy. 

Christ Jesus - you call us to resist temptation - Christ have mercy. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to follow your Father’s will - Lord have mercy. 

Prayers of the faithful - 

PRIEST: As we commemorate the first Sunday of the holy season of Lent, let us open our hearts to God in prayer:

1. For the strength to resist temptation and to follow God’s laws and commandments.   We pray to the Lord. 

2. That our prayers, reflection, fasting, and works of charity bring us renewal, reconciliation, and unity with Christ, our Savior.  We pray to the Lord. 

3. That the sacrifices we make during Lent show God our love and gratitude for the multitude of gifts and benefits that he bestows upon us in daily life. We pray to the Lord. 

4. For the sick and the afflicted. For healing in body, mind, and spirit. We pray to the Lord. 

5. For those preparing for the sacraments of initiation this Easter season. For the children in our first communion class. For our youth preparing for confirmation. That they we strengthened in faith, hope, and love. We pray to the Lord. 

6. That we may turn to God and each other when we face temptations both big and small. We pray to the Lord. 

7. For first responders, medical professionals, veterans, and men and women serving in the military. We pray to the Lord. 

8. We remember in silence our own personal intentions and the intentions of those who have asked for our prayers. We pray to the Lord. 

PRIEST: Grant, Lord, that we may grow in understanding and in charity during this season of Lent. We make these prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. Amen. 

22 February 2026 - Homily for the 1st Sunday of Lent Cycle A - Romans 5:12-19 - Matthew 4:1-11

Today brings us the first Sunday of Lent as we are still in the beginning days of accompanying Jesus on his journey to the cross during this holy season. While we hear the story of the fall of man as Adam and Eve choose to sin in disobedience to God in our first reading from Genesis, St Paul writes to the Christian community in Rome that in spite of our sins, we are assured of the saving power of salvation in the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. St Paul states that through the disobedience of one man, Adam, all humanity was tainted by original sin, and through the obedience of one man, our Lord Jesus Christ, humanity is made righteous. 

The obedience that St Paul addresses is Christ’s acceptance of death on the cross on our behalf is reflected in the triumph of Jesus over the temptations he receives from the Devil in Matthew’s Gospel. Christ had just been baptized by the Jordan River by John the Baptist. The Holy Spirit descended upon him in the image of a dove to reveal Christ’s identity to the world. Both Jesus and the Devil cite Scripture to one another, showing that they both acknowledge and understand the power that God has in the world. But they use Scripture in different ways. The words that the Devil speaks are focused on the self, while Jesus’ words emphasizes God and his love. 

This Lent, I was often use image of pilgrimage as we journey with Jesus during this holy season. The documents of the Second Vatican Council, emphasize that we Catholics are pilgrims on a journey through life, that the Church itself is a pilgrimage church. As a Church and as individuals, we are going to have moments of renewal and transformation on our journey of faith. We are going to have moments of suffering and struggle as well. 

On Ash Wednesday, I emphasized how we who are on this pilgrimage journey must keep our spiritual destination in focus during Lent. We must be intentional about our Lenten pilgrimage of accompanying Jesus on his journey to the cross. 

But even with our Lenten destination in focus, as we journey with Jesus through his passion, his death on the cross, and his resurrection, we still must ask ourselves on our pilgrimage journey: how do we get there? What disposition must we have? The journey of a pilgrim involves prayer, sacrifice, and charity. This is how one travels as a pilgrim. The prime goal of a pilgrimage is not comfort or convenience, but rather to have an open mind and a generous heart in whatever encounters God has in store for us. 

As Lenten pilgrims, we cannot foresee all the roadblocks we will encounter on our journey. However, we can control how we travel along this journey. We all place certain expectations on our Lenten practices. Do I journey with an open mind? With a generous heart? What happens if my journey is interrupted or taken for a detour or a roadblock? The Lenten journey is a pilgrimage to the Cross, but how will I get there?

We have our physical journey through life. We have our spiritual journey as well. May we make this Lenten spiritual journey truly fruitful and meaningful. May our actions, movements, feelings, and dispositions on our physical journey illuminate our Lenten journey with Jesus. 

20 February 2026 - homily for Friday after Ash Wednesday - Isaiah 58:1-9a

On this Friday after Ash Wednesday during the holy season of Lent, we celebrate the feast day of the siblings Jacinta and Francisco Marto, two of the visionaries to whom the Blessed Mother appeared in Fatima, Portugal in 1917. At the time, Europe was entrenched in the violence of the first world war. Portugal and other countries in Europe were experiencing political turmoil. One of the messages of Our Lady of Fatima to the three visionaries was to pray the rosary, to pray for sinners, to pray for the conversion of Russia, and to pray for peace in the midst of Europe being in the midst of war. The final apparition to the children took place on October 13, 1917 before a crowd of more than 90,000 people. Francisco died of influenza in 1919 at the age of 11. Jacinta died on the same ailment in 1920 at the age of 9. Their cousin to whom the apparitions also appeared, Lúcia dos Santos, became a Carmelite nun. Francisco and Jacinta were canonized in 2017 by Pope Francis on his visit to Fatima to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first apparition. Around 20 million pilgrims visit Fatima each year. 

In our reading today from Isaiah today, we hear about fasting and  about repenting for our sins. Isaiah calls the people to wear sackcloth and ashes to publicly declare the desire to repent and change their hearts. We all just received ashes on our foreheads this past Wednesday, as we were told to turn away from sin and to believe in the Gospel. That smudge of ash on our foreheads will not bear much significance if we do not practice peace and justice in our lives.  Isaiah suggests that we share our food with the hungry, help shelter the poor and the oppressed, and clothe the naked as a part of our fast, in the practice of peace and justice. Our Lenten disciplines of prayer, fasting, and good works are not to be mocked and not to be taken lightly. God calls us to these disciplines to help us in our Lenten transformation, repentance, and renewal. 

19 February 2026 - homily for Thursday after Ash Wednesday - Luke 9:22-25

On this first day after Ash Wednesday during the beginning days of the holy season of Lent, we hear about the cross, about Jesus’ journey to the cross.  But we also hear about the resurrection, as Jesus states that he will be raised on the third day. Ash Wednesday is always a popular day with the Catholic faithful. We here in Mississippi complete our Mardi Gras celebration and then come to church to receive ashes on our foreheads as a public recognition of our desire to repent and renew our lives. The Ash Wednesday Masses are full of the faithful, as the message of Ash Wednesday speaks very profoundly to us on our journey. The work of Lent now begins for us, as Jesus does not just describe his journey to his cross and his resurrection, but he tells us that we must deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow him. 

We all have our crosses to carry in life. I think of those who are trying to battle addictions to drugs and alcohol. I remember that when I worked in Canada with many street people who were trying to battle a heroin addiction. I cannot imagine a more horrible cross to carry through life. Following Christ and carrying our crosses is not just an idea or an ideal.  It is a reality. Often a harsh reality. It is something we need to confront and focus on in our journey of faith. Today, at the beginning of Lent, we might ask ourselves what it really means to carry our crosses and to follow Christ.

prayers of the faithful for Friday after Ash Wednesday - 20 February 2026

Lord Jesus - you bring healing into our lives 

Christ Jesus - you bring us the love of your heavenly Father. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to reconciliation and forgiveness. 

PRIEST: In the first days of our Lenten journey, let us remember all in need:

1. For Pope Leo XIV, Bishop and all our leaders in faith. May they provide us guidance and wisdom on our Lenten journey.  

2. For all children who are at risk, who have run away, who are in institutional settings, or who are caught up in human trafficking. May God lead them to safety. 

3. For those battling depression, anxiety, mental health issues, and addictions. For healing and wholeness. 

4. For peace. We pray for an end to family feuds, social unrest, warfare, and violence.

5. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed, for their entry into eternal life, and for the souls in purgatory.  

6. For our own needs and intentions. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. 

PRIEST: God of mercy, you have shown us love from the dawn of creation.  Let us know your ways and give us your help.  We make our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. Amen.

19 February 2026 - Thursday after Ash Wednesday - prayers of the faithful

Lord Jesus - you bring healing into our lives 

Christ Jesus - you bring us the love of God the Father. 

Lord Jesus - you call us to reconciliation and forgiveness. 

PRIEST: In the first days of our Lenten journey, let us remember all in need:

1. For Pope Leo XIV, Bishop Joseph Kopacz, and all our leaders in faith.  May they provide us guidance and wisdom on our Lenten journey.  

2. For the leaders of the nations of the world and for our governmental leaders here in the United States. May they be servant leaders to their people. 

3. For the hungry, the poor, the homeless, and the prisoner. May our charitable outreach and God's healing presence help fill their needs, especially during this holy season of Lent.

4. For all who need healing in body, mind, and spirit. For all who are battling addictions, depression, anxiety, and mental illness. For those in the hospital, hospice, and nursing home.  

5. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. For their entry into eternal life. For the souls in purgatory.  

6. For our own needs and intentions. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts this evening. 

PRIEST: God of love and mercy, you have shown us love from the dawn of creation.  Let us know your ways and give us your help.  We make our prayers through your son Jesus Christ, our Lord forever and ever. Amen.

17 February 2026 - prayers of the faithful for Tuesday of the 6th week of Ordinary Time

Lord Jesus - you proclaim the kingdom of God. 

Christ Jesus - you are the beloved son of the Father. 

Lord Jesus - you proclaim justice. 

Priest: As God’s love encourages us and brings us new life, we now present our prayers to the Lord:

1. For Pope Leo XIV and for our Church leaders and our governmental leaders. May their faith bring them wisdom and courage in their leadership roles. 

2. For the repose of the souls of the faithful departed. For those grieving over the loss of a family member, that they may be consoled.

3. That we may continue to grow in our love for and appreciation of the Eucharist. That we may grow in our love of God’s holy word.  

4. For our program of religious education. We pray that all children, youth, and adults may be active in learning more about their faith. 

5. For the sick and the afflicted. For their families and care givers.  For our medical professionals.  

6. For those caught up in a cycle of anger and violence in their lives. May God break those chains that bind them. 

7. For the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts. 

Priest: God of endless love, in the shadow of your wings we find refuge: hear the prayers we humbly make, through your son Jesus Christ our Lord forever.  AMEN.