Friday of the Third Week of Lent • Day of Abstinence
π Today's Readings
- First Reading: Hosea 14:2–10
- Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 81:6c–8a, 8bc–9, 10–11ab, 14 and 17
- Gospel: Mark 12:28–34
π️ "Return to the Lord — and He Will Run to Meet You"
π Reflection
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Hosea's words today are among the most beautiful in all of Scripture. God speaks like a lover who has been left — and yet cannot stop loving: "I will heal their defection, I will love them freely." The people have wandered into false gods, into self-reliance, into the illusions the world offers. And God says: just return. Come back. I will do the rest.
This is the heart of Lent. Not the sacrifice for its own sake, not willpower and discipline alone — but the return. Every fast, every act of penance, is meant to be a step back toward the Father.
Then the scribe in today's Gospel asks Jesus the most important question a person can ask: "Which is the first of all the commandments?" And Jesus gives the answer the whole Law and all the prophets had been building toward: love God with everything you have, and love your neighbour as yourself.
The scribe receives this beautifully. He understands. And Jesus says to him: "You are not far from the Kingdom of God."
Not far. What a consolation. Most of us are not far, either. We just need to take the next step — back toward God, back toward love.
Hosea tells us that God does not desire empty sacrifices and rituals alone. He desires our heart. A heart that comes home.
On this Friday of abstinence, let the small sacrifice remind you: I am returning. Every little act of Lenten discipline is a whisper back to the Father — a turning of the face toward home.
π‘ One Simple Message for Today "Return to the Lord with your whole heart" — He is already waiting with arms wide open.
π A Prayer for Today
Father, I return to You today. I have trusted too much in my own strength and too little in Your love. Receive me back as Your child. Fill me with the love that loves You above all things and my neighbour as myself. Amen.
πΏ Lenten Practice for Today
Today, as you abstain from meat, make it an act of love — offer the small sacrifice for someone you know who needs to return to God. Pray for them by name today.
May the Lord bless you and keep you close to His Sacred Heart this holy season. π️
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