Gospel: February 23, 2026
February 23, 2026 (Monday)
1st Week of Lent
Psalter: Week 1 (Violet/Red/White)
St. Polycarp, bishop & martyr
Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 15
Your words, Lord, are Spirit and life.
1st Reading: Leviticus 19:1-2, 11-18
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46
When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be brought before him; and, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, so will he do with them, placing the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. The king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, blessed of my Father! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger, and you welcomed me into your home. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came to see me.’ Then the righteous will ask him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and give you food; thirsty, and give you something to drink; or a stranger, and welcome you; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and go to see you?’ The king will answer, ‘Truly I say to you: just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Go, cursed people, out of my sight, into the eternal fire, which has been prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry, and you did not give me anything to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me into your house; I was naked, and you did not clothe me; I was sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.’ They, too, will ask, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked or a stranger, sick or in prison, and did not help you?’ The king will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you: just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’ And these will go into eternal punishment; but the just, to eternal life.”
Reflection:
Jesus knows His flock intimately.
In today’s Gospel, Saint Matthew employs the metaphor of the Son of Man as a shepherd who separates the sheep from the goats to illustrate the final judgment. The sheep represent those who demonstrate love and compassion toward others, while the goats symbolize those who neglect acts of kindness toward those in need. Jesus presents Himself as the just Judge, incapable of error in distinguishing between the sheep and the goats. His justice is rooted in His living presence in every person, including the least among His people, as He identifies with each of us. As the Shepherd, Jesus knows His flock intimately, embodying perfect justice.
However, Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, neither condemns nor separates anyone arbitrarily. Through their choices, individuals distance themselves from God when they neglect the “little ones” and the forgotten. Turning a blind eye to pressing needs leads to the sin of omission. As Edmund Burke says, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing.” Let us strive to be counted among the sheep, ensuring no one is left unloved or uncared for.
