Category: Daily Readings

  • February 18, 2026

    Ash Wednesday

    Joel 2: 12- 18

    2:12 Now, therefore, the Lord says: “Be converted to me with your whole heart, in fasting and weeping and mourning.”
    2:13 And rend your hearts, and not your garments, and convert to the Lord your God. For he is gracious and merciful, patient and full of compassion, and steadfast despite ill will.
    2:14 Who knows if he might convert and forgive, and bequeath a blessing after him, a sacrifice and a libation to the Lord your God?
    2:15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call an assembly.
    2:16 Gather the people, sanctify the church, unite the elders, gather together the little ones and infants at the breast. Let the bridegroom depart from his bed, and the bride from her bridal chamber.
    2:17 Between the vestibule and the altar, the priests, the ministers of the Lord, will weep, and they will say: “Spare, O Lord, spare your people. And do not bequeath your inheritance into disgrace, so that the nations would rule over them. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’ ”
    2:18 The Lord has been zealous for his land, and he has spared his people.

    Second Corinthians 5: 20- 6: 2

    5:20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, so that God is exhorting through us. We beseech you for Christ: be reconciled to God.
    5:21 For God made him who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the justice of God in him.
    6:1 But, as a help to you, we exhort you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
    6:2 For he says: “In a favorable time, I heeded you; and on the day of salvation, I helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

    Matthew 6: 1- 6, 16- 18

    6:1 “Pay attention, lest you perform your justice before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you shall not have a reward with your Father, who is in heaven.
    6:2 Therefore, when you give alms, do not choose to sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the towns, so that they may be honored by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.
    6:3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,
    6:4 so that your almsgiving may be in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.
    6:5 And when you pray, you should not be like the hypocrites, who love standing in the synagogues and at the corners of the streets to pray, so that they may be seen by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.
    6:6 But you, when you pray, enter into your room, and having shut the door, pray to your Father in secret, and your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.
    6:16 And when you fast, do not choose to become gloomy, like the hypocrites. For they alter their faces, so that their fasting may be apparent to men. Amen I say to you, that they have received their reward.
    6:17 But as for you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,
    6:18 so that your fasting will not be apparent to men, but to your Father, who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will repay you.

  • February 17, 2026

    Reading

    The Letter of Saint James    1: 12-18

    1:12 Blessed is the man who suffers temptation. For when he has been proven, he shall receive the crown of life which God has promised to those who love him.
    1:13 No one should say, when he is tempted, that he was tempted by God. For God does not entice toward evils, and he himself tempts no one.
    1:14 Yet truly, each one is tempted by his own desires, having been enticed and drawn away.
    1:15 Thereafter, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin. Yet truly sin, when it has been consummated, produces death.
    1:16 And so, do not choose to go astray, my most beloved brothers.
    1:17 Every excellent gift and every perfect gift is from above, descending from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change, nor any shadow of alteration.
    1:18 For by his own will he produced us through the Word of truth, so that we might be a kind of beginning among his creatures.

    Gospel

    The Holy Gospel According to Mark   8: 14-21

    8:14 And they forgot to take bread. And they did not have any with them in the boat, except one loaf.
    8:15 And he instructed them, saying: “Consider and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of Herod.”
    8:16 And they discussed this with one another, saying, “For we have no bread.”
    8:17 And Jesus, knowing this, said to them: “Why do you consider that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet know or understand? Do you still have blindness in your heart?
    8:18 Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? Do you not remember,
    8:19 when I broke the five loves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments you took up?” They said to him, “Twelve.”
    8:20 “And when the seven loaves were among the four thousand, how many baskets of fragments did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.”
    8:21 And he said to them, “How is it that you do not yet understand?”

  • February 16, 2026

    Reading

    The Reading of Saint James   1: 1-11

    1:1 James, servant of God and of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes of the dispersion, greetings.
    1:2 My brothers, when you have fallen into various trials, consider everything a joy,
    1:3 knowing that the proving of your faith exercises patience,
    1:4 and patience brings a work to perfection, so that you may be perfect and whole, deficient in nothing.
    1:5 But if anyone among you is in need of wisdom, let him petition God, who gives abundantly to all without reproach, and it shall be given to him.
    1:6 But he should ask with faith, doubting nothing. For he who doubts is like a wave on the ocean, which is moved about by the wind and carried away;
    1:7 then a man should not consider that he would receive anything from the Lord.
    1:8 For a man who is of two minds is inconstant in all his ways.
    1:9 Now a humble brother should glory in his exaltation,
    1:10 and a rich one, in his humiliation, for he will pass away like the flower of the grass.
    1:11 For the sun has risen with a scorching heat, and has dried the grass, and its flower has fallen off, and the appearance of its beauty has perished. So also will the rich one wither away, according to his paths.

    Gospel

    The Holy Gospel According to Mark   8: 11-13

    8:11 And the Pharisees went out and began to contend with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, testing him.
    8:12 And sighing deeply in spirit, he said: “Why does this generation seek a sign? Amen, I say to you, if only a sign will be given to this generation!”
    8:13 And sending them away, he climbed into the boat again, and he went away across the sea.

  • February 15, 2026

    First Reading

    Sirach    15: 15-20

    15:15 He added his commandments and precepts.

    15:16 If you choose to keep the commandments, and if, having chosen them, you fulfill them with perpetual fidelity, they will preserve you.

    15:17 He has set water and fire before you. Extend your hand to whichever one you would choose.

    15:18 Before man is life and death, good and evil. Whichever one he chooses will be given to him.

    15:19 For the wisdom of God is manifold. And he is strong in power, seeing all things without ceasing.

    15:20 The eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, and he knows each one of the works of man.

    Second Reading

    First Letter to Corinthians    2: 6-10

    2:6 Now, we do speak wisdom among the perfect, yet truly, this is not the wisdom of this age, nor that of the leaders of this age, which shall be reduced to nothing.

    2:7 Instead, we speak of the wisdom of God in a mystery which has been hidden, which God predestined before this age for our glory,

    2:8 something that none of the leaders of this world have known. For if they had known it, they would never have crucified the Lord of glory.

    2:9 But this is just as it has been written: “The eye has not seen, and the ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love him.”

    2:10 But God has revealed these things to us through his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.

    Gospel

    Matthew   5: 17-37

    5:17 Do not think that I have come to loosen the law or the prophets. I have not come to loosen, but to fulfill.

    5:18 Amen I say to you, certainly, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota, not one dot shall pass away from the law, until all is done.

    5:19 Therefore, whoever will have loosened one of the least of these commandments, and have taught men so, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever will have done and taught these, such a one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

    5:20 For I say to you, that unless your justice has surpassed that of the scribes and the Pharisees you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

    5:21 You have heard that it was said to the ancients: ‘You shall not murder; whoever will have murdered shall be liable to judgment.’

    5:22 But I say to you, that anyone who becomes angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment. But whoever will have called his brother, ‘Idiot,’ shall be liable to the council. Then, whoever will have called him, ‘Worthless,’ shall be liable to the fires of Hell.

    5:23 Therefore, if you offer your gift at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you,

    5:24 leave your gift there, before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to your brother, and then you may approach and offer your gift.

    5:25 Be reconciled with your adversary quickly, while you are still on the way with him, lest perhaps the adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you will be thrown in prison.

    5:26 Amen I say to you, that you shall not go forth from there, until you have repaid the last quarter.

    5:27 You have heard that it was said to the ancients: ‘You shall not commit adultery.’

    5:28 But I say to you, that anyone who will have looked at a woman, so as to lust after her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

    5:29 And if your right eye causes you to sin, root it out and cast it away from you. For it is better for you that one of your members perish, than that your whole body be cast into Hell.

    5:30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it away from you. For it is better for you that one of your members perish, than that your whole body go into Hell.

    5:31 And it has been said: ‘Whoever would dismiss his wife, let him give her a bill of divorce.’

    5:32 But I say to you, that anyone who will have dismissed his wife, except in the case of fornication, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever will have married her who has been dismissed commits adultery.

    5:33 Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients: ‘You shall not swear falsely. For you shall repay your oaths to the Lord.’

    5:34 But I say to you, do not swear an oath at all, neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God,

    5:35 nor by earth, for it is his footstool, nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king.

    5:36 Neither shall you swear an oath by your own head, because you are not able to cause one hair to become white or black.

    5:37 But let your word ‘Yes’ mean ‘Yes,’ and ‘No’ mean ‘No.’ For anything beyond that is of evil.

  • February 14, 2026

    Reading

    First Book of Kings    12: 26-32; 13: 33-34

    12:26 And Jeroboam said in his heart: “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David,
    12:27 if this people ascend to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem. And the heart of this people will be converted to their lord Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and they will put me to death, and return to him.”
    12:28 And devising a plan, he made two golden calves. And he said to them: “No longer choose to ascend to Jerusalem. Behold, these are your gods, O Israel, who led you away from the land of Egypt!”
    12:29 And he stationed one in Bethel, and the other in Dan.
    12:30 And this word became an occasion of sin. For the people went to adore the calf, even to Dan.
    12:31 And he made shrines on the high places, and he made priests out of the lowest people, who were not of the sons of Levi.
    12:32 And he appointed a solemn day in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, in imitation of the solemnity that was celebrated in Judah. And ascending to the altar, he acted similarly in Bethel, so that he immolated to the calves, which he had made. And in Bethel, he appointed priests of the high places, which he had made.
    12:33 And he ascended to the altar, which he had raised up in Bethel, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the day that he had decided in his own heart. And he made a solemnity to the sons of Israel, and he ascended to the altar, so that he might burn incense.
    13:33 After these words, Jeroboam did not turn back from his very evil way. Instead, to the contrary, he made priests for the high places out of the least of the people. Whosoever was willing, he filled his hand, and he became a priest of the high places.
    13:34 And for this reason, the house of Jeroboam sinned, and was uprooted, and was wiped from the face of the earth.

    Gospel

    Mark    8: 1-10

    8:1 In those days, again, when there was a great crowd, and they did not have anything to eat, calling together his disciples, he said to them:
    8:2 “I have compassion for the multitude, because, behold, they have persevered with me now for three days, and they do not have anything to eat.
    8:3 And if I were to send them away fasting to their home, they might faint on the way.” For some of them came from far away.
    8:4 And his disciples answered him, “From where would anyone be able to obtain enough bread for them in the wilderness?”
    8:5 And he questioned them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”
    8:6 And he instructed the crowd to sit down to eat on the ground. And taking the seven loaves, giving thanks, he broke and gave it to his disciples in order to place before them. And they placed these before the crowd.
    8:7 And they had a few small fish. And he blessed them, and he ordered them to be placed before them.
    8:8 And they ate and were satisfied. And they took up what had been leftover from the fragments: seven baskets.
    8:9 And those who ate were about four thousand. And he dismissed them.
    8:10 And promptly climbing into a boat with his disciples, he went into the parts of Dalmanutha.

  • February 13, 2026

    Reading

    First Book of Kings   11: 29-32, 12: 19

    11:29 And it happened, in that time, that Jeroboam departed from Jerusalem. And the prophet Ahijah, the Shilonite, wearing with a new cloak, found him on the way. And the two were alone in the field.
    11:30 And taking his new cloak, with which he was covered, Ahijah tore it into twelve parts.
    11:31 And he said to Jeroboam: “Take ten pieces for yourself. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and I will give to you ten tribes.
    11:32 Yet one tribe shall remain with him, for the sake of my servant, David, as well as Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.
    12:19 And Israel drew away from the house of David, even to the present day.

    Gospel

    Mark  7: 31-37

    7:31 And again, departing from the borders of Tyre, he went by way of Sidon to the sea of Galilee, through the midst of the area of the Ten Cities.
    7:32 And they brought someone who was deaf and mute to him. And they begged him, so that he would lay his hand upon him.
    7:33 And taking him away from the crowd, he put his fingers into his ears; and spitting, he touched his tongue.
    7:34 And gazing up to heaven, he groaned and said to him: “Ephphatha,” which is, “Be opened.”
    7:35 And immediately his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was released, and he spoke correctly.
    7:36 And he instructed them not to tell anyone. But as much as he instructed them, so much more did they preach about it.
    7:37 And so much more did they wonder, saying: “He has done all things well. He has caused both the deaf to hear and the mute to speak.”

  • February 12, 2026

    Reading

    First Book of Kings   11: 4-13

    11:4 And when now he was old, his heart was perverted by the women, so that he followed strange gods. And his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.
    11:5 For Solomon worshipped Ashtoreth, the goddess of the Sidonians, and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites.
    11:6 And Solomon did what was not pleasing in the sight of the Lord. And he did not continue to follow the Lord, as his father David did.
    11:7 Then Solomon built a shrine for Chemosh, the idol of Moab, on the mount that is opposite Jerusalem, and for Milcom, the idol of the sons of Ammon.
    11:8 And he acted in this manner for all his foreign wives, who were burning incense and immolating to their gods.
    11:9 And so, the Lord became angry with Solomon, because his mind had been turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice,
    11:10 and who had instructed him about this matter, lest he follow strange gods. But he did not observe what the Lord commanded to him.
    11:11 And so, the Lord said to Solomon: “Because you have this with you, and because you have not kept my covenant and my precepts, which I commanded to you, I will tear apart your kingdom, and I will give it to your servant.
    11:12 Yet truly, I will not do it in your days, for the sake of your father David. From the hand of your son, I will tear it away.
    11:13 Neither will I take away the whole kingdom. Instead, I will grant one tribe to your son, for the sake of David, my servant, and Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”

    Gospel

    Mark    7: 24-30

    7:24 And rising up, he went from there to the area of Tyre and Sidon. And entering into a house, he intended no one to know about it, but he was not able to remain hidden.
    7:25 For a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit, as soon as she heard about him, entered and fell prostrate at his feet.
    7:26 For the woman was a Gentile, by birth a Syro-Phoenician. And she petitioned him, so that he would cast the demon from her daughter.
    7:27 And he said to her: “First allow the sons to have their fill. For it is not good to take away the bread of the sons and throw it to the dogs.”
    7:28 But she responded by saying to him: “Certainly, Lord. Yet the young dogs also eat, under the table, from the crumbs of the children.”
    7:29 And he said to her, “Because of this saying, go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.”
    7:30 And when she had gone to her house, she found the girl lying on the bed; and the demon had gone away.

  • February 11, 2026

    Reading

    First Book of Kings   10: 1-10

    10:1 Then, too, the queen of Sheba, having heard of the fame of Solomon in the name of the Lord, arrived to test him with enigmas.
    10:2 And entering into Jerusalem with a great retinue, and with riches, and with camels carrying aromatics, and with an exceedingly great quantity of gold and precious stones, she went to king Solomon. And she spoke to him all that she held in her heart.
    10:3 And Solomon taught her, in all the words that she had proposed to him. There was not any word which was able to be hidden from the king, or which he did not answer for her.
    10:4 Then, when the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon, and the house that he had built,
    10:5 and the food of his table, and the dwelling places of his servants, and the rows of his ministers, and their apparel, and the cupbearers, and the holocausts that he was offering in the house of the Lord, she had no longer any spirit in her.
    10:6 And she said to the king: “The word is true, which I have heard in my own land,
    10:7 about your words and your wisdom. But I did not believe those who explained it to me, until I went myself and saw it with my own eyes. And I have discovered that the half of it has not been told to me: your wisdom and works are greater than the report that I have heard.
    10:8 Blessed are your men, and blessed are your servants, who stand before you always, and who hear your wisdom.
    10:9 Blessed is the Lord your God, whom you have greatly pleased, and who has placed you upon the throne of Israel. For the Lord loves Israel forever, and he has appointed you as king, so that you may accomplish judgment and justice.”
    10:10 Then she gave the king one hundred twenty talents of gold, and an exceedingly great amount of aromatics and precious stones. No greater quantity of aromatics was ever again brought forth as these, which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon.

    Gospel

    Mark    7: 14-23

    7:14 And again, calling the crowd to him, he said to them: “Listen to me, all of you, and understand.
    7:15 There is nothing from outside a man which, by entering into him, is able to defile him. But the things which procede from a man, these are what pollute a man.
    7:16 Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
    7:17 And when he had entered into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable.
    7:18 And he said to them: “So, are you also without prudence? Do you not understand that everything entering to a man from outside is not able to pollute him?
    7:19 For it does not enter into his heart, but into the gut, and it exits into the sewer, purging all foods.”
    7:20 “But,” he said “the things which go out from a man, these pollute a man.
    7:21 For from within, from the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
    7:22 thefts, avarice, wickedness, deceitfulness, homosexuality, an evil eye, blasphemy, self-exaltation, foolishness.
    7:23 All these evils procede from within and pollute a man.”

  • February 10, 2026

    Reading

    First Book of Kings   8: 22-23, 27-30

    8:22 Then Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord, in the sight of the assembly of Israel, and he extended his hands toward heaven.
    8:23 And he said: “Lord God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above, nor on the earth below. You preserve covenant and mercy with your servants, who walk before you with all their heart.
    8:26 And now, O Lord God of Israel, establish your words, which you spoke to your servant David, my father.
    8:27 Is it, then, to be understood that truly God would dwell upon the earth? For if heaven, and the heavens of heavens, are not able to contain you, how much less this house, which I have built?
    8:28 Yet look with favor upon the prayer of your servant and upon his petitions, O Lord, my God. Listen to the hymn and the prayer, which your servant prays before you this day,
    8:29 so that your eyes may be open over this house, night and day, over the house about which you said, ‘My name shall be there,’ so that you may heed the prayer that your servant is praying in this place to you.
    8:30 So may you heed the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel, whatever they will pray for in this place, and so may you heed them in your dwelling place in heaven. And when you heed, you will be gracious.

    Gospel

    Mark    7: 1-13

    7:1 And the Pharisees and some of the scribes, arriving from Jerusalem, gathered together before him.
    7:2 And when they had seen certain ones from his disciples eating bread with common hands, that is, with unwashed hands, they disparaged them.
    7:3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat without repeatedly washing their hands, holding to the tradition of the elders.
    7:4 And when returning from the market, unless they wash, they do not eat. And there are many other things which have been handed down to them to observe: the washings of cups, and pitchers, and bronze containers, and beds.
    7:5 And so the Pharisees and the scribes questioned him: “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but they eat bread with common hands?”
    7:6 But in response, he said to them: “So well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, just as it has been written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
    7:7 And in vain do they worship me, teaching the doctrines and precepts of men.’
    7:8 For abandoning the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men, to the washing of pitchers and cups. And you do many other things similar to these.”
    7:9 And he said to them: “You effectively nullify the precept of God, so that you may observe your own tradition.
    7:10 For Moses said: ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever will have cursed father or mother, let him die a death.’
    7:11 But you say, ‘If a man will have said to his father or mother: Korban, (which is a gift) whatever is from me will be to your benefit,’
    7:12 then you do not release him to do anything for his father or mother,
    7:13 rescinding the word of God through your tradition, which you have handed down. And you do many other similar things in this way.”

  • February 9, 2026

    Reading:

    First Book of Kings     8: 1-7, 9-13

    8:1 Then all those greater by birth of Israel, with the leaders of the tribes and the rulers of the families of the sons of Israel, gathered together before king Solomon at Jerusalem, so that they might carry the ark of the covenant of the Lord, from the city of David, that is, from Zion.
    8:2 And all of Israel assembled before king Solomon, on the solemn day in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month.
    8:3 And all the elders of Israel arrived, and the priests took up the ark.
    8:4 And they carried the ark of the Lord, and the tabernacle of the covenant, and all the vessels of the Sanctuary, which were in the tabernacle; and the priests and the Levites carried these.
    8:5 Then king Solomon, and the entire multitude of Israel, who had assembled before him, advanced with him before the ark. And they immolated sheep and oxen, which could not be numbered or estimated.
    8:6 And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the oracle of the temple, in the Holy of Holies, under the wings of the cherubim.
    8:7 For indeed, the cherubim extended their wings over the place of the ark, and they protected the ark and its bars from above.
    8:9 Now inside the ark, there was nothing other than the two tablets of stone, which Moses had placed in it at Horeb, when the Lord formed a covenant with the sons of Israel, when they departed from the land of Egypt.
    8:10 Then it happened that, when the priests had exited from the Sanctuary, a cloud filled the house of the Lord.
    8:11 And the priests were unable to stand and minister, because of the cloud. For the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.
    8:12 Then Solomon said: “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a cloud.
    8:13 Building, I have built a house as your dwelling place, your most firm throne forever.”

    Gospel:

    Mark    6: 53-56

    6:53 And when they had crossed over, they arrived in the land of Genesaret, and they reached the shore.
    6:54 And when they had disembarked from the boat, the people immediately recognized him.
    6:55 And running throughout that entire region, they began to carry on beds those who had maladies, to where they heard that he would be.
    6:56 And in whichever place he entered, in towns or villages or cities, they placed the infirm in the main streets, and they pleaded with him that they might touch even the hem of his garment. And as many as touched him were made healthy.