February 18, 2026
Revised Common Lectionary
Joel 2:1-2, 12-17 or Isaiah 58:1-12
Psalm 51:1-17
2 Corinthians 5:20b-6:10
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21
Lectionary for Mass (RC)
Joel 2:12-18
Psalm 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17 (see 3a)
2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2
Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
The Christian observance of Ash Wednesday is a powerful reminder of our mortality and our need for God’s mercy. As we accept ashes on our foreheads, we most often hear the words, “you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Gen 3:19). Even when I’ve participated in “Ashes to Go” at a nearby Metro station, I’ve been struck by the power of this simple action—a commuter taking a moment out of her journey to remember that she’s going to die.
The symbolism of receiving ashes is most fully expressed, of course, when we come together as a community to reflect on the Scriptures, hear together the call to repentance, make a communal confession of our failings, and receive the assurance of God’s merciful love. Lent is no solitary observance but rather a communal journey. Every one of us receives the ashes, because we all are sinners, we are all going to die, and we all stand in need of divine mercy.
Today’s reading from the prophet Joel strongly supports this communal context for receiving God’s mercy and expressing repentance. We hear the call to conversion addressed not just to individuals but to a people: “Blow the trumpet in Zion; consecrate a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people” (Joel 2:15-16a). The prophet wants to sound the trumpet blast and summon the entire community to a public act of repentance and a communal observance of fasting.
Today’s Gospel, however, drawn from the Sermon on the Mount, seems at first glance to contradict Joel’s proclamation. Jesus warns his followers against public displays of religiosity. When we give alms, we should do so discreetly (and refrain from blowing the trumpet). When we pray, we should go to our room, close the door, and pray to God in secret. When we fast, we are to maintain a cheerful outward demeanor lest anyone know that we are fasting. In other words, Jesus says, don’t perform religious acts to be seen by others.
When we come together for worship on Ash Wednesday, we probably won’t be blowing a trumpet, but most of us will leave the church with a big smudgy cross of ashes on our foreheads. What do these Scripture readings reveal about the meaning of our gathering today and about our observance of these next forty days?
The Scripture readings for this day remind us on the one hand of the communal dimensions of human failure and divine mercy. We hear God’s word together, we express our repentance together, and we receive the assurance of God’s forgiveness and love together. We accept the ashes on our foreheads, recognizing that all have sinned and all share in the sin that pervades our life together. Likewise, we celebrate God’s mercy in community, affirming Paul’s message that “God made the one who knew no sin to be sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor 5:21). Together we acknowledge our mortality, even as we place our hope in the new life that God has promised in Christ. But what does this acknowledgment truly require of us?
Today’s Gospel sounds a cautionary note. The ashes we receive are but a sign. The sacrifice that God desires is not ashes on the forehead or any other outward observance; rather, ‘the sacrifice acceptable to God is . . . a broken and contrite heart’ (Ps 51:17). Yet inner repentance alone is not enough. The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God also calls us “to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house” and to “satisfy the needs of the afflicted” (Is 58:7, 10). The communal worship that Joel envisions finds its completion in both the authentic devotion that Jesus demands and the concrete acts of justice and mercy that Isaiah proclaims.
As we walk the journey of Lent, may our charity do justice, our prayer open us to God’s presence, and our fasting empty us of self-concern—making room for God’s transforming power.
A Hymn for Today: “Return to God”
In this liturgical song for Lent, Marty Haugen, FHS, emphasizes the abundant mercy and love of God, quoting from the biblical readings for Ash Wednesday in the both the refrain (Joel) and verses (2 Corinthians and Isaiah 58). The haunting musical setting reaches its climax in the third stanza and powerfully expresses Isaiah’s proclamation that doing the works of justice constitute the kind of sacrifice that God desires. Listen here.
Refrain
Return to God with all your heart,
the source of grace and mercy;
come seek the tender faithfulness of God.
Verses
Now the time of grace has come,
the day of salvation;
come and learn now the way of our God.
I will take your heart of stone
and place a heart within you,
a heart of compassion and love.
If you break the chains of oppression,
if you set the prisoner free;
if you share your bread with the hungry,
give protection to the lost;
give a shelter to the homeless,
clothe the naked in your midst,
then your light shall break forth like the dawn.
Text: Marty Haugen, b. 1950. © 1990, 1991, GIA Publications. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-729857
Tune: Marty Haugen
Image Credit: Ash, Mike Moyers, 2016
“Word and Song: A Lectionary Reflection” is written by the Executive Director of The Hymn Society, Rev. Dr. Mike McMahon. For his full bio, click here and scroll down to the “staff” section.
To receive these weekly reflections by email, please send a message to office@thehymnsociety.org and type “Lectionary” in the subject line.