Thursday, February 19, 2026

 Thursday after Ash Wednesday

 (Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Luke 9:22-25)

 “Choose life.”  We have all seen bumper stickers with this anti-abortion message.  No doubt, people who feel burdened by an unexpected pregnancy find the message ironic.  To them life is being liberated from the responsibility of a child so that they may pursue their own felt needs.  Life, then, is one of those simple words with a range of meanings. 

 In the reading from Deuteronomy today, Moses exhorts the Israelites to “choose life.”  He has in mind following God’s commandments which bring prosperity to both individual and community. As always, Jesus intensifies Moses’ message.   In today’s gospel he says that life comes when people surrender themselves to God as he does.  This will often mean a renunciation of one’s personal desires.  But the life that Jesus has in mind is eternal happiness with God.

 We have already chosen Jesus’ way of life, but we have not always been faithful to it.  During Lent we make the necessary adjustments to renew our choice. It requires sacrifice for sure. To help us in the process we have the Lord himself in the Eucharist as well as one another.