Saturday 1st Week of Lent A 2026

Gospel 

Matthew 5:43-48

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 and sisters only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
 

 

We are called to be perfect just as our Heavenly Father is perfect.  Which means we are called to holiness. Sinners though we were born, holiness is our calling as baptized children of God.

 

I know some times we do not feel we can be holy. It is such a lofty goal. It is to be a saint. But we are also called to be saints. Each of us has the capacity with the help of Jesus Christ to be a saint and change the world around us.

 

So do not be discouraged by your sin. Repent and return to God and change your actions and life.

Do not be discouraged thinking “I can not be a saint. It is not in me. I have done terrible unsaintly things and thought unholy thoughts. But your past does not limit what Jesus can help you accomplish today and tomorrow.

 

Do not be discouraged if you are not educated like some saints or gifted with beautiful words and things to say. Many saints struggled with public speaking. Even Moses needed Aaron his brother to speak for him. And St Paul once persecuted Christians.

 

Your past does not define you but what you decide to do today matters. We all fail to be perfect. But we can all try again. Return to Jesus. Go to confession. And start again.

 

Failure is not making mistakes or missing the target we are aiming at. Failure is not getting up and trying again. If we have no confidence in ourselves, then we should have confidence in Jesus who created the world and can do anything and everything for us. He is our rock and our protector.

 

We cannot be holy alone and we cannot be saints by shear will power. Only by following the will of God and by never stopping our  pursuit of holiness.

 

Our goal is to always be perfect as our Heavenly Father is perfect.

 

Success is not getting it right every time, doing is perfect every moment. But success is continuing to try and asking Jesus to help us.