Reading and meditation on the Word of God on Monday of the first week of Lent, February 23rd, 2026

Delivered by Everine from the Parish of Saint Theresia in the Archdiocese of Jakarta, Indonesia. Leviticus 19: 1-2.11-18; Rs psalm 19: 8.9.10.15; Matthew 25: 31-46.LENTEN LAMBS AND GOATS Our meditation today isentitled: Lenten Lambs and Goats. There was one WhatsApp message shared throughdifferent groups and then forwarded by individuals, that  says: Every year we fast, pray fervently anddo charity during Lent, but the results have not  been good. One time we become good persons, atother times we become bad persons. Today we choose blessings, tomorrow we canturn to curses. Forgiveness and repentance occur at the time of confession, butafter that we return to sin. We seem to struggle with difficulty to becomeperfect people. We know andunderstand all the prohibitions established by God, and Moses delivered them toGod's people that they needed to heed the ten commandments of God, as stated inthe Book of Leviticus in the first reading. They must be as holy as God who isholy. They were prohibited to stealing, lie, perjury, take people's property, bejealous, hate, be angry and so on. All this is summed up to one main law whichis to love our neighbors as we for ourselves. So in this Lent, the followersof Christ are appropriately portrayed as individuals who do their best to loveothers, but are no exception being sinners for not loving others sincerely. Forexample someone does charity so diligently in collecting donations for thosewho really need helps of clothing, food, and shelter, but he is also mostlyknown as a backbiting and the one who likes to spread hoax. This is an example aboutus who do Lenten observances are not pure and holy persons. Some aspects of ourselvesare good and holy, but other aspects are not. Jesus Christ indeed comparesthose on the right side are sheeps with great charity, but if we want to behonest we have not reached yet perfection being that way. Those on the leftside are goats with a great negligence in charity, but they are also notcompletely evil in that way. It is possible thatalmost all of us in Lent are half sheeps and half goats. We are the"sheeps and goats" type in this Lent. If we are already pure and holypeople, obviously we don't need Lent. More precisely, we go directly tocelebrate the holy week in order to become one with the dead and risen Christ.But it is apparently not the case. Actually, not only Lent but also every timeon this earth, our lives are like "sheeps and goats" type, thereforewe must be faithful to God and obtain His mercy. Let's pray. In the name of the Father... O Jesus Christ, be our master and guide in our lives. May your love ruleover our hearts so that we can only serve you for the rest of our lives. HailMary, full of grace ... In the name of the Father ...