Today, Friday, February 27, 2026, we observe the First Friday of Lent. This is a significant day for those devoted to the Sacred Heart, calling us to a “supreme act of the will” to align our hearts with the Divine. The liturgy today presents a profound choice: to cling to our own “fallen thoughts” or to submerge ourselves in the “ocean of divinity”.
The Liturgical Call: Renunciation and Reconciliation
The readings for this Friday challenge us to move beyond superficial observance toward a deep, internal transformation.
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First Reading (Ezekiel 18:21-28): The Lord declares His preference for life over death. He asks us to “renounce all the sins” committed and live by integrity. It is a reminder that “God is not mocked” and that we truly reap what we sow.
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Psalm 130: We cry from “the depths,” acknowledging that if God “laid bare our guilt,” none could survive. Yet, the psalmist and the Saints remind us that with the Lord, there is “fullness of redemption” and “immeasurable treasure” for the soul.
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Gospel (Matthew 9:14-15): Jesus warns that our virtue must go “deeper than that of the scribes.” He equates anger with judgment and commands us to be “reconciled with your brother” before approaching the altar.
Echoes from the Diary of St. Faustina
The message of Ezekiel, that a sinner who renounces sin “deserves to live”, is the very heartbeat of the Divine Mercy message. St. Faustina’s Diary reveals that “as long as a breath of life remains,” one may “buy back eternal life” through one second of deep contrition.
In her visions, Saint Faustina saw two roads:
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The Broad Road: Full of joy and music, but ending in a “horrible precipice”.
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The Narrow Path: Strewn with thorns and rocks, where travelers walk with “tears in their eyes” but arrive at a “magnificent garden”.
Jesus’ command in the Gospel to reconcile “while you are still on the way” mirrors His words to Saint Faustina: “Hasten to Him who awaits your return only to pardon you”. We must not “trivialise His sacrifice” by choosing the easy road of pride over the difficult road of humble reconciliation.
The Watchman of the Soul: Saint Gregory of Narek
Today we celebrate Saint Gregory of Narek, a Doctor of the Church whose “moaning soul” and “weeping with grief” echo the lamentations of the Stations of the Cross. Like Saint Faustina, Gregory understood the “unfathomable abyss” of the human heart that only God can fill. He stands as a “Watchman,” encouraging us to count on the “daybreak” of God’s mercy even in our darkest spiritual pains.
A Companion for Your Journey
To deepen your meditation this First Friday, we encourage you to download the attached booklet, “The Way of the Cross Received by the Saints.“ This guide, prepared by Father Josip Radić, features insights from St. Faustina and other Saints. It reminds us that “one hour of meditation on My sorrowful Passion” is of greater merit than a whole year of physical penance.
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For the Ill and Elderly: A “particularly suitable gift” to help turn pain into a gift of love.
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For the Sinner: A reminder that “falling into sin cannot end in defeat” if we turn back to God.
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For the Devout: A way to “anoint His body with the fragrance of your virtue”.
“Great sacrifice leads to a great harvest, if it is done out of great and pure love for God”.
Download booklet “Way of the Cross” Here
Download insert “Prepare” Here
A Prayer for the First Friday of Lent
O Most Sweet Jesus, my only God and the Love of my heart , I come before You on this First Friday of Lent to immerse my soul in the ocean of Your divinity. As I stand in the “depths,” I acknowledge that if You were to lay bare my guilt, I could not endure it; yet, I throw myself into the abyss of Your confidence, for with You is found the fullness of redemption.
Lord, give me the grace to truly renounce my wickedness and live. Grant me a new heart and a new spirit, that I may not only avoid the broad road of fleeting pleasures but joyfully embrace the narrow path of the Cross. Help me to see that there is no situation so humiliating or painful that it cannot end in the triumph of Your love.
I ask for the strength to reconcile with my brothers and sisters. Remove all anger from my heart and replace it with a purity of intention and a charity that seeks only Your greater glory. May I never trivialise Your sacrifice by choosing my own will over Yours.
Holy Mother, who stood weeping beside the Cross, obtain for me a love of God that is constant and true. Saint Faustina and Saint Gregory of Narek, intercede for me, that my meditation on the sorrowful Passion may bring joy to my Lord and merit for me the grace to resemble Him in His glory.
I offer You all the prayers, works, and sufferings of my life through the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Do with me whatever You wish, as long as You wish, for I am only Thine.
Amen.