TUESDAY OF THE 3RD WEEK IN LENT - 2026

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks –
come back to me with all your heart,
for I am all tenderness and compassion. JOEL 2:12-13

DANIEL 3:25,34-43

My Soul's Beloved, 

You are our Covenant between God and His people. We, the Church, You founded on the Rock of Peter with You as its Cornerstone, are the New Israel, the new people of God. We begin as a grain of wheat that died and gave life in abundance to all who believe in You, hope in You, adore You, and love You. We are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. You, O Lord, as willed by Your Father, have become the means by which every man, woman, and child across nations, cutting across all barriers, cultures, and languages, invite us to become members of Your Body, children of the Father, and co-heirs with You to the Kingdom of God. Every prophecy of Azariah as he sang Your praises in the midst of the fire that did not burn nor even singe them, is by the power of the Holy Spirit, and all the prophecies of Daniel and every one of the prophets in the Old Testament is realized in You, O Lord, our God.

We are Your people. We are the sheep of Your pasture. It is we whom You feed with Your Flesh and quench our thirst on Your Blood. Out of Your side pours life-giving water, and in this wonderful tide of unending grace, we are baptized, confirmed, healed, forgiven, and raised to new life. Sacramental grace accompanies us until we close our eyes on earth and are awakened in Your glorious Presence in heaven. You, O Lord, are our prize and our joy. In You alone is our peace, our hope, our reconciliation with the Father, and in You we will find our final and eternal home.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for all You have done for us who are the new people of God. Thank You for laying down Your life for us, entering into our death, and for raising us up to new life in You. 

Azariah stood in the heart of the fire, and he began to pray:
Oh! Do not abandon us for ever,
for the sake of your name;
do not repudiate your covenant,
do not withdraw your favour from us,
for the sake of Abraham, your friend,
of Isaac your servant,
and of Israel your holy one,
to whom you promised descendants as countless as the stars of heaven
and as the grains of sand on the seashore.
Lord, now we are the least of all the nations,
now we are despised throughout the world, today, because of our sins.
We have at this time no leader, no prophet, no prince,
no holocaust, no sacrifice, no oblation, no incense,
no place where we can offer you the first-fruits
and win your favour.
But may the contrite soul, the humbled spirit be as acceptable to you
as holocausts of rams and bullocks,
as thousands of fattened lambs:
such let our sacrifice be to you today,
and may it be your will that we follow you wholeheartedly,
since those who put their trust in you will not be disappointed.
And now we put our whole heart into following you,
into fearing you and seeking your face once more.
Do not disappoint us;
treat us gently, as you yourself are gentle
and very merciful.
Grant us deliverance worthy of your wonderful deeds,
let your name win glory, Lord.

PSALM 24(25):4-6,7a-9

Remember your mercy, Lord.

Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me your paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me:
for you are God my saviour.

Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
Do not remember the sins of my youth.
In your love remember me.

The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
He guides the humble in the right path,
He teaches his way to the poor.

Remember your mercy, Lord.

MATTHEW 18:21-35

My Soul's Beloved, 

Peter posed this question to You and expected You to concur with him. Your response is nothing short of flabbergasting. ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ You replied, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.’ You then went on to give us a parable about forgiveness that reveals to us the heart of our merciful God towards sinners.

The servant in the parable represents every sinner. He owed his master the astronomical sum of ten thousand talents. It was an amount that he could not pay back in his lifetime. Our sins are a grave offence against the goodness of God, and yet when we approach the throne of mercy and grace with repentant, contrite, and humble hearts, You O Lord, readily forgive our sins and throw our sins in the vast ocean of Your mercy, never to remember them again. We, in turn, ought to treat those who sin against us with the same mercy and compassion; sadly, we don't. And this is why, over and over again, You remind us, especially in the Lord's Prayer, that in the measure that we forgive, we will be forgiven. Lord, grant us this grace today, to forgive the offences caused to us, both real and imagined, then we will be confident that You will remember our sins no more. Thank You, Lord.

Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.
‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’