Scripture Reflection and Prayer : Journeying together

Sunday, 22 February 2026

HOLINESS IS TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD IN MAN

20260223 HOLINESS IS TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD IN MAN

23 February 2026, Monday, 1st Week of Lent

First reading

Leviticus 19:1-2,11-18

Only pass judgement on your neighbour according to justice

The Lord spoke to Moses; he said: ‘Speak to the whole community of the sons of Israel and say to them:

‘“Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.

‘“You must not steal nor deal deceitfully or fraudulently with your neighbour. You must not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God. I am the Lord. You must not exploit or rob your neighbour. You must not keep back the labourer’s wage until next morning. You must not curse the dumb, nor put an obstacle in the blind man’s way, but you must fear your God. I am the Lord.

‘“You must not be guilty of unjust verdicts. You must neither be partial to the little man nor overawed by the great; you must pass judgement on your neighbour according to justice. You must not slander your own people, and you must not jeopardise your neighbour’s life. I am the Lord. You must not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. You must openly tell him, your neighbour, of his offence; this way you will not take a sin upon yourself. You must not exact vengeance, nor must you bear a grudge against the children of your people. You must love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord.”’

How to listen

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 18(19):8-10,15

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life.

The law of the Lord is perfect,

it revives the soul.

The rule of the Lord is to be trusted,

it gives wisdom to the simple.

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life.

The precepts of the Lord are right,

they gladden the heart.

The command of the Lord is clear,

it gives light to the eyes.

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life.

The fear of the Lord is holy,

abiding for ever.

The decrees of the Lord are truth

and all of them just.

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life.

May the spoken words of my mouth,

the thoughts of my heart,

win favour in your sight, O Lord,

my rescuer, my rock!

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life.

Gospel Acclamation

Ezk18:31

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Shake off all your sins – it is the Lord who speaks –

and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Or:

2Co6:2

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Now is the favourable time:

this is the day of salvation.

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Gospel

Matthew 25:31-46

I was naked and you clothed me; sick, and you visited me

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All the nations will be assembled before him and he will separate men one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats. He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.

‘Then the King will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?” And the King will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.”

‘Next he will say to those on his left hand, “Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you never gave me food; I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink; I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, naked and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me.” Then it will be their turn to ask, “Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or naked, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?” Then he will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me.”

‘And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the virtuous to eternal life.’

HOLINESS IS TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD IN MAN

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Lev 19:1-2,11-18; Ps 19:8-10,15; Mt 25:31-46]

On the Monday of the first week of Lent, the liturgy sets out clearly our objective for Lent, which is to grow in holiness. God told the people, “Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” It is of critical importance, right from the onset, that we do not get carried away thinking that we have attained holiness simply because we have set aside time for prayer and worship, or because we have performed penance, made sacrifices, and deprived ourselves of luxuries. Rather, holiness is attained through one’s relationship with our fellowmen. The book of Leviticus, in providing the ‘Code of Holiness’, guides our dealings with our neighbours. There are three aspects when it comes to our relationship with our brothers and sisters.

Firstly, in matters of deeds, we must act justly. God told the people what they should not do with respect to the property and rights of others. “You must not steal nor deal deceitfully or fraudulently with your neighbour. You must not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God. You must not exploit or rob your neighbour. You must not keep back the labourer’s wage until next morning. You must not be guilty of unjust verdicts. You must neither be partial to the little man nor overawed by the great; you must pass judgement on your neighbour according to justice.”

The Gospel in the Parable of the Last Judgment, reminds us that we are called to practice charity. The King will say to those who have done good: “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” A holy person, therefore, must practice justice and charity. But we cannot speak about charity when we steal from our neighbours, rob or exploit them – like not paying our workers’ salary justly and on time. Doing the right thing means to act justly and charitably.

Secondly, holiness is also expressed in our words. The Lord said, “You must not curse the dumb, nor put an obstacle in the blind man’s way, but you must fear your God. You must not slander your own people, and you must not jeopardise your neighbour’s life. I am the Lord.” Words can either build people up, or destroy them. When we are involved in slandering, gossiping and using harsh words, we destroy and humiliate people. Instead of helping, we will cause them to be hurt, angry and reactive. Our Lord taught us not to use harsh words – like calling our brothers, “fools”. He said, “if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Mt 5:22) St Paul, writing to the Ephesians, exhorted them, “Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.” (Eph 4:29-32)

Thirdly, holiness is not just an external appearance, but also what we feel in our hearts and think in our minds. This is what Leviticus reminds us, “You must not bear hatred for your brother in your heart. You must openly tell him, your neighbour, of his offence; this way your will not take a sin upon yourself. You must not exact vengeance, nor must you bear a grudge against the children of your people.” Forgiveness is the height of charity. Thinking positively of others is an act of humility and generosity. In fact, forgiveness is the crown of unconditional love and mercy.

Holiness, therefore, is having the right thoughts, the right mind, the right words, and the right deeds. In the Buddhist tradition, their founder taught his disciples the Noble Eightfold Path, of which the first five practices are similar to today’s Scripture readings: Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood. Holiness means living a wholesome life in which mind, words, and actions are coherent with one another. This is what we call integrity of life.

But what is the motivation for living a life of holiness, expressed through justice and charity? We must be careful not to reduce charity to mere humanitarian assistance. This is not the real motivation for us as Christians in living justly and charitably. Our motive is supernatural – it is rooted in God. Take note of the first reading: after each command, God emphasises, “I am the Lord.” It is as if God is saying, I am identified with my people. I am responsible for their happiness and well-being. So if you want to share my life of holiness, then you must act rightly, justly, and charitably. In the same vein, when the Lord calls the people to practice charity, He did not base it merely on humanitarian grounds. Rather, He underscored the fact that “in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.” Jesus, as man, is identified with us because He shares in our humanity. He knows what we are going through. To serve our fellowmen is ultimately to serve the Lord. So for us Christians, when we act justly and practice charity, it is ultimately directed toward Christ, because He is identified with us.

Consequently, we must be conscious when we exercise Christian charity and works of compassion. Our services are not motivated by purely humanitarian concerns. We are not just providing another social service to the community. Rather, our workers and collaborators are motivated by faith in God who is identified with our brothers and sisters. We reach out to them not just to alleviate their material and physical, or even emotional, needs. But we see Christ’s face in them and we want them to see Christ in us so that they too will come to seek Christ in their lives. Ultimately, even if we could fill the empty stomachs of everyone and heal them physically, and give them the best accommodation, it does not mean they will be happy or satisfied. Only God can satisfy them. We come to save not just bodies but souls as well; the entire person.

This explains why, in a narrower reading of today’s Gospel, what Jesus taught was directed to His fellow Jews. When the Israelites read the Word of God, “You must love your neighbour as yourself”, they were not thinking of someone outside their community – their neighbour was their fellow Jew. The Good Samaritan Story is a case in point, where Jesus showed that the meaning of ‘neighbour’ goes beyond one’s own race and even extends to the Samaritans, who were considered enemies of the Jews and despised by them. To welcome Jesus, we must also welcome everyone outside our community, because Jesus has chosen to be identified with them. We must practice charity not only toward our loved ones, but also toward those with whom we have no relationship, and even toward our enemies.

Last but not least, if we are to live such a life of justice and charity, like our Lord, we must welcome the apostles and disciples of our Lord. The examples given in the Last Judgment should help us to recall what St Paul shared about in His ministry. He said, “with far greater labours, far more imprisonments, with countless floggings, and often near death. Five times I have received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning … in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, hungry and thirsty, often without food, cold and naked.” (2 Cor 11:23-29) St Paul’s account reminds us to support our priests, ministers, and missionaries so that they can continue to proclaim the Gospel. Indeed, Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever welcomes a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive the reward of the righteous; and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple – truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” (Mt 10:40-42)

Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections

Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.

Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.

SEEKING TRUE FREEDOM IN GOD

20260222 SEEKING TRUE FREEDOM IN GOD

22 February 2026, 1st Sunday of Lent

First reading

Genesis 2:7-9,3:1-7

The Creation, and the sin of our first parents

The Lord God fashioned man of dust from the soil. Then he breathed into his nostrils a breath of life, and thus man became a living being.

The Lord God planted a garden in Eden which is in the east, and there he put the man he had fashioned. The Lord God caused to spring up from the soil every kind of tree, enticing to look at and good to eat, with the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the middle of the garden.

Now the serpent was the most subtle of all the wild beasts that the Lord God had made. It asked the woman, ‘Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?’ The woman answered the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden. But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, “You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death.”’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.’ The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was desirable for the knowledge that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She gave some also to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves together to make themselves loin-cloths.

How to listen

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 50(51):3-6,12-14,17

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.

In your compassion blot out my offence.

O wash me more and more from my guilt

and cleanse me from my sin.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

My offences truly I know them;

my sin is always before me

Against you, you alone, have I sinned;

what is evil in your sight I have done.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

A pure heart create for me, O God,

put a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from your presence,

nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Give me again the joy of your help;

with a spirit of fervour sustain me,

O Lord, open my lips

and my mouth shall declare your praise.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Second reading

Romans 5:12-19

However great the number of sins committed, grace was even greater

Sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned. Sin existed in the world long before the Law was given. There was no law and so no one could be accused of the sin of ‘law-breaking’, yet death reigned over all from Adam to Moses, even though their sin, unlike that of Adam, was not a matter of breaking a law.

Adam prefigured the One to come, but the gift itself considerably outweighed the fall. If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift. The results of the gift also outweigh the results of one man’s sin: for after one single fall came judgement with a verdict of condemnation, now after many falls comes grace with its verdict of acquittal. If it is certain that death reigned over everyone as the consequence of one man’s fall, it is even more certain that one man, Jesus Christ, will cause everyone to reign in life who receives the free gift that he does not deserve, of being made righteous. Again, as one man’s fall brought condemnation on everyone, so the good act of one man brings everyone life and makes them justified. As by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

Gospel Acclamation

Mt4:4

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Man does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Gospel

Matthew 4:1-11

The temptation in the wilderness

Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry, and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves.’ But he replied, ‘Scripture says:

Man does not live on bread alone

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

The devil then took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God’ he said ‘throw yourself down; for scripture says:

He will put you in his angels’ charge,

and they will support you on their hands

in case you hurt your foot against a stone.’

Jesus said to him, ‘Scripture also says:

You must not put the Lord your God to the test.’

Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ‘I will give you all these’ he said, ‘if you fall at my feet and worship me.’ Then Jesus replied, ‘Be off, Satan! For scripture says:

You must worship the Lord your God,

and serve him alone.’

Then the devil left him, and angels appeared and looked after him.

SEEKING TRUE FREEDOM IN GOD

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Gn 2:7-9,3:1-7; Ps 51:3-6, 12-14, 17; Rom 5:12-19 ; Mt 4:1-11]

We are living in a world today where there is a great irony. Man seeks freedom, but he ends up becoming a slave to this world, to others, to himself, and ultimately to the Devil. Why? It is because many seek freedom without depending on God. Man seeks full autonomy in the name of human rights, often at the expense of the common good. Human freedom has been elevated to a level that it is pursued at all costs, even when it leads to self-destruction and the destruction of others. The truth is that many have confused independence with freedom. But in reality, there is no freedom without limits. We are free insofar as God gives us the freedom. Our freedom is dependent on Him. In our relationship with God, He does not restrict our freedom to choose Him, even though we are dependent on Him. On the contrary, our dependence on God gives us the capacity to exercise our freedom wisely.

The story of Adam and Eve precisely tells us how God has granted us this privilege of exercising our freedom without denying our dependence on Him. But when we reject our dependence on God, labelling Him as a dictator, man chooses to be dependent on the world, to his fears, and to himself. In rejecting God, man has forgotten his origin, just like Satan and the fallen angels. We have forgotten that we are creatures of God. This has been the greatest folly of man. Because man has been given so much power by God to be stewards of creation, he has come to believe that he is all-powerful. Like Adam and Eve, they wanted to be like God without God. They were led to believe by the seduction of the Devil that they too could share in the knowledge of God. The serpent said to the woman, “No! You will not die! God knows in fact that on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.” In their pride, they acted disobediently, took things into their own hands, even though they were explicitly told not to “not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death.”

This was the same temptation that the Devil sought to distract Jesus from His mission. Right from the start of His mission, the Devil sought to confuse His true identity as the Son of God. Today’s Scripture readings draw a parallel between Adam and Jesus. Both were tempted regarding food, apart from the Father’s will. For Adam, it was the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden; for Jesus, it was changing stones to bread. In both situations, the serpent enticed them by asking a question meant to cast doubt on trusting in God. For Adam, the serpent sowed doubt about God’s word, asking, “Did God really say …?” (Gen 3:1). For Jesus, the serpent questioned His sonship in the three temptations, prefacing each challenge with, “If you are the Son of God …”

The three temptations in the Gospel sought to lure Jesus into going against the will of God and seeking independence from Him. In the first temptation, Jesus was tempted to self-gratification. The Devil is sly in tempting us, attacking us at our weakest point. In this case, he brought up the subject of changing stones into bread because he knew how hungry Jesus was after forty days of fasting. He sowed doubt by asking Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves.” In other words, if He were the Son of God, and the Father is not providing for you, then it was right that He should satisfy His need. The Devil wanted our Lord to do just as Adam and Eve did, leading us to justify fulfilling our desires apart from God’s will. These are tests by the Devil to see whether we truly believe that God is our provider and that He cares for us. The devil always works at our wants and desires, and tempts us to fulfil them against God’s will.

Then the Devil, wanting Jesus to assert His independence from God, tempted Him to seek self-protection. “The devil then took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for scripture says: He will put you in his angels’ charge, and they will support you on their hands in case you hurt your foot against a stone.'” This was an attempt to test the fidelity and power of God. It implied a lack of trust in His identity as the Son of God. If Jesus were to throw Himself down from the pinnacle, it would be forcing the Father to prove that He was God’s Son by miraculously saving Him. We, too, constantly twist God’s Word around to suit our preferences. We question His plans for us when we do not like the way things are going. We ask for signs that He is still with us. We doubt His love and wonder whether He cares or not, or whether He is with us or not.

Finally, Jesus was tempted to seek self-exaltation. He was taken to “a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ‘I will give you all these’, he said, ‘if you fall at my feet and worship me.'” This temptation sought to divert Jesus from doing the Father’s will, which was to establish the Kingdom of God through human obedience, through suffering, and even unto death. Jesus was offered the temptation to take the short cut of finding glory without going through the path of the cross. This is what the Devil wants us to do: to seek quick success through cheating, fraud, dishonesty, without working for it. Today, we know of those among us who turn to the occult for assistance. We are always tempted to assert ourselves in the world, subjugating the authority of God. Instead of walking in the path of God, obedient to His will, we want to do things our own way. Pride is at the root of all our rebellion.

We must not imagine that the Devil’s threefold temptations stopped after this event. In fact, it continued right throughout His ministry. Jesus was tempted to take the easy way, with the temptation coming even through His apostles. When Jesus told them of His imminent passion and death, Peter retorted, “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” (Mt 16:22) And when He was hanging on the cross, the crowd taunted Him saying, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” (Mt 27:40) The chief priests, the scribes and elders, also mocked him, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.'” The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.” (Mt 27:41-44)

But Jesus showed Himself to be truly the Son of God and the King by remaining steadfast in doing the Father’s will until the end. When the Devil tempted Jesus to self-gratification, the Lord said, “Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” In response to the temptation to self-protection, the Lord again cited from the Scriptures, “You must not put the Lord your God to the test.” Finally, He rejected the easy way of claiming a Kingdom, citing Scripture, “You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.” In all three instances, Jesus defended Himself and stayed grounded in His mission, accomplishing it according to the Father’s will by relying on the Word of God. As the Son of God and the Word made flesh, He could do no other; doing anything else would have made Him unfaithful to His identity. Jesus is not only the New Man but truly the true Son of God. He is the Son of the Father because He was obedient unto death, and His Sonship is perfectly reflected in doing the Father’s will.

The liturgy today, therefore, invites us to confess our faith in Jesus as the true Son – the Son of God and the Son of Man. Jesus is the New Man in St Paul’s understanding. “Adam prefigured the One to come, but the gift itself considerably outweighed the fall. If it is certain that through one man’s fall so many died, it is even more certain that divine grace, coming through the one man, Jesus Christ, came to so many as an abundant free gift.” Whereas Adam failed when tempted by the Evil One, Jesus the new Man triumphed over the Evil One. He did so not by disobeying God’s will but freely doing His will in total dependence on His Father. Let us therefore follow Jesus by deepening our faith in God through the reading and praying of Holy Scriptures. This must be the main weapon for us in defending ourselves against the temptation of the Evil One. Let us journey through Lent following Jesus our Lord, seeking to do His will.

Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections

Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.

Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.