First Sunday of Lent: A: February 22, 2026

 THE SEASON OF LENT: A TIME OF REPENTANCE AND PENANCE

Introduction: We are in the first week of the holy season of Lent. During the forty days of Lent, we are invited to pray, fast and do acts of charity. We are encouraged to renew and restore three important relationships: With oneself, with God and with our neighbour. In today's liturgy, we are presented with the perils of temptations: Temptations faced by the first parents Adam and Eve and the temptations faced by Jesus before the beginning of His public life. We are given the choice of resisting temptations and overcoming them like Jesus did or fall into the temptations like our first parents and suffer the consequences. Lent is a time of renewal of life and relationships with Jesus our Lord and Master. It is time to let go of those desires and deviations which are enslaving us and to express the joy and the freedom in the Lord. 

First Reading: Genesis 2: 7 to 9 and 3: 1 to 7

Second Reading: Romans 5: 12 to 18

Gospel Reading: Matthew 4: 1 to 11

   *First reading is from the book of Genesis. The Lord God creates humankind out of love. The first parents Adam and Eve are given every facility for their well-being and growth in the garden of Eden. However, they disobey the Lord God and succumb to the temptations of the devil. As a consequence, sin and death enter the world and a rift between the Lord God and humankind begins. 

   *Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Romans. Paul explains to the Christian community at Rome how sin and death came into the world through the disobedience of one man: Adam. Jesus Christ through His obedience to God the Father frees humankind from sin and death. We receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ. 

Jesus defeats Satan's temptations                                                                                  Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. In the first part of the Gospel, Jesus' experience in the desert where He spends time in fasting and praying is narrated. In the second part, temptations faced by Jesus in the desert are described in detail. The devil tempts Jesus in three different ways. The first temptation is to turn stones into bread and satisfy His hunger as well as to feed the hungry masses. It is the temptation to be a popular Messiah among the hungry people and get instant name and fame without really doing any work. Jesus firmly says 'No' to the devil and tells the devil, "Man does not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." The second temptation is to perform a spectacular feat so that Jesus will be acclaimed by the people around Him. The devil tells Jesus to throw Himself down from the pinnacle of the Jerusalem temple because God will send the angels to protect Him. Jesus firmly says 'No' and tells the devil, "Do not put the Lord your God to test." In the third and final temptation, the devil takes a chance and asks Jesus to worship the devil and obtain all the glory and power in the world. Jesus firmly rejects it and tells the devil: "Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him." Jesus overcomes all three temptations of the devil by fasting and prayer. We too face many temptations in our day-to-day lives. Lent is the grace-filled time when all of us are invited to renew our lives through fasting and prayer. All of us need to take a break and go to the 'desert' with Jesus to overcome the powers of evil and our inclinations to sin. In this context Pope Francis said: "Lent comes providentially to reawaken us to shake us from our lethargy." Thomas Keating says, "Lent is a time to renew wherever we are, in that process that I call divine therapy." 

Conclusion: As Jesus underwent various temptations in His earthly life, we too face many temptations in our lives. Every one of us is tempted to seek sinful pleasures, easy wealth, power, authority and to use unjust and sinful ways to achieve worldly goals. If we succumb to such temptations, we will be like our first parents and many others in the past, hiding from God and hiding from one another. In order to overcome the various temptations, we need to do the following: 1. Take Jesus as our model who overcame temptations of the devil through prayer, penance and fasting. 2. Use the sacrament of reconciliation or confession so that we may recognize our sins and failures and be reconciled with God and with one another so that we will not be a target of the devil's deceit. 

May the Lord Jesus, who overcame the temptations of the devil through fasting and prayer in the desert, bless you so that you too can be victorious over the evil powers and various temptations in life. Amen. 

(Kindly note: Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph is available on YouTube. Please view, like, share and subscribe to the video version on YouTube. "YouTube/Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph, February 22, 2026)

Sixth Sunday of the year: A: February 15, 2026

 FULFILLING THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD

Introduction: Today's liturgy challenges us to choose freely and wisely and observe the laws and commandments of a loving and caring God. He reveals His laws to His chosen people through His prophet Moses and other prophets of old. Through His Son Jesus, He clarifies and reveals His laws and precepts. These are not merely a set of laws but instructions to teach us holiness and wholeness from our living and loving God. 

First Reading: Sirach 15: 15 to 20

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2: 6 to 10

Gospel Reading: Matthew 5: 17 to 37

   *First reading is from the book of Sirach. The Lord God is always good to us. He gives us the freedom to choose between good and evil. But the Lord God desires that we should always use our freedom with a sense of responsibility.

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Corinthians. Paul tells the Christian community at Corinth that salvation through the cross of Christ is God's marvelous plan for the world. He gives us a future vision too: What no eye has seen, nor ear has heard, all that God has prepared for those who love Him. 

The true meaning of the Law: The Letter of the Law and the Spirit of the Law                              Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. Jesus re-interprets the ten commandments given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. Jesus, the new Moses, gives us a new vision and a new understanding of those commandments. Jesus affirms the law in its condemnation of killing. He then goes a step further in condemning the motivation that leads to such a crime: That is anger. He instructs us that reconciliation is far more important than offering sacrifices. The duty of making peace with the offended person is more urgent than the duty of giving worship to God. Jesus affirms the law that adultery is a sin. He then goes deeper by teaching us that a person looking lustfully at another person has already sinned in his/her heart. A person's sinful intentions, thoughts and dubious attitudes are equally sinful as the sin itself. Jesus gives us a distinct teaching on divorce too. The law of Moses permitted a husband to divorce his legally wedded wife. He clarifies it by saying that divorce on any such grounds is unacceptable in the eyes of the Creator, except on the ground of unchastity. The expectations of Jesus from His followers are very demanding and challenging. We have to humbly accept that on our own, we cannot measure up to His standards. But be assured, that with the grace of God, we can certainly measure up to the standards set by Jesus. 

Conclusion: In today's liturgy we listened to the ten commandments and Jesus' re-interpretation of them. We need to understand and appreciate the laws and commandments given by God. These are based on two basic principles: The principle of giving reverence to God and the principle of respecting other humans. In the first four commandments we give reverence to God: Reverence to His holy name, reverence to His holy day and reverence to our father and mother. The next set of commandments instructs us to respect life, one's personal integrity and a person's good name, a person's property and a person's life partner. Our obedience to these laws must be prompted by our love of God and the love of our fellow humans. Finally, to be true followers of the Lord, we need to forgive and forget and move forward with reconciliation in all aspects of our lives. 

May the Lord Jesus, who leads us to have a deeper understanding of the commandments of God, bless you and strengthen you to keep His commandments in letter and spirit. Amen. 

(Kindly note: Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph is available on YouTube. Please view, like, share and subscribe to the video version on YouTube. "YouTube/Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Josepha/February 15, 2026)

Fifth Sunday of the Year: A: February 8, 2026

 THE SALT OF THE EARTH AND THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD

Introduction: In today's Gospel, Jesus challenges us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. We are called to be radically committed to the teachings of Jesus by preserving the quality of God's creation. We are asked to be light that bears witness to the eternal 'Light' and spread it in the world around us. 

First Reading: Isaiah 58: 7 to 10 

Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 2: 1 to 5

Gospel Reading: Matthew 5: 13 to 16

   *First reading is from the book of prophet Isaiah. Isaiah tells the people of Israel who want to restore the glory of Jerusalem temple, that what God wants from them is not a great temple, but doing justice to the poor and needy. He instructs them to turn their prayers into action and share their riches with the poor. Isaiah assures them that when they show concern for others, especially the poor, then their light will break forth like the sun. 

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Corinthians. Paul explains to the Christian community at Corinth that when he brought them the message of the Gospel, he did not rely on human wisdom and his own cleverness but on the power of God. He reminds them that for him, living the message of the Lord is more urgent and important than all his eloquence. 

Let your light shine                                                                            Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. Jesus instructs His disciples what they are expected to do in the world: To be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. After His discourse on beatitudes - the blessed ones in the kingdom of God - He explains to them how these blessed ones should actually live in the the world. Jesus uses two familiar metaphors to explain His teachings: 1. 'You are the salt of the earth'. Salt has to give saltiness to the earth and taste to the food. So also, disciples should show that they are genuine disciples by their day to day actions of love and compassion to the people around them. 2. Jesus tells them, 'You are the light of the world.' Light is not a private energy. It is not for hiding or hoarding. Light should be placed where it shines for everyone. So also, to be disciples of Jesus is something worth radiating and shining. As disciples of Jesus, we should give the world a taste of the teachings of Christ by preserving the world from decay and losses. So also, when we give hope and consolation to the world around us through our love and acts of charity, then we become the light of the world, no matter what the darkness around us might be. In this context,. Malcom Muggeridge, a famous writer, says the following about St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta: "She showed me love in action. She showed me how the love of one person can start a tidal wave that can spread across the world." 

Conclusion: The metaphor of salt and light challenges us to have a holistic attitude which is brought about by the love of God and love of neighbour as elaborated by Jesus. We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world . So we have to become one with the nurturing, preserving the ever-creative power of God. We have to accept, live, communicate and radically bear witness to the 'Light' that shines on us. At our baptism, we received a lit candle and were told: "Receive the light of Christ." That light is not to be hidden but should light up the word around us. Jesus tells us, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father, who is in heaven." 

May the Lord Jesus, who invites us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, bless you and strengthen you so that you can be the salt of the earth and light of the world every day of your life. Amen. 

(Kindly note: Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph is available on YouTube. Please view, like, share and subscribe to the video version on YouTube. "YouTube/Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph, February 8, 2026)