LIVE IT TODAY: Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | Ash Wednesday
Come back to Me with your whole heart—seek Me in what is hidden, and I will reward you with My own life.
LIVE IT TODAY: Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | Ash Wednesday
A GREAT WAY TO BEGIN TODAY!
SUBSCRIBE FREE: LiveITToday.us
GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
Come back to Me with your whole heart—seek Me in what is hidden, and I will reward you with My own life.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Take care not to perform righteous deeds
in order that people may see them;
otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.
When you give alms,
do not blow a trumpet before you,
as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets
to win the praise of others.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you give alms,
do not let your left hand know what your right is doing,
so that your almsgiving may be secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you pray,
do not be like the hypocrites,
who love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on street corners
so that others may see them.
Amen, I say to you,
they have received their reward.
But when you pray, go to your inner room,
close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.
And your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
“When you fast,
do not look gloomy like the hypocrites.
They neglect their appearance,
so that they may appear to others to be fasting.
Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.
But when you fast,
anoint your head and wash your face,
so that you may not appear to be fasting,
except to your Father who is hidden.
And your Father who sees what is hidden will repay you.”
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
Lent begins not with display, but with a return to the hidden heart.
Ash Wednesday exposes the great temptation of religious life: to appear holy rather than to become holy. Jesus speaks directly to motive. Giving, praying, fasting—these are not optional extras but pillars of covenant life. Yet when they are performed for applause, they wither.
The word “hypocrite” originally described an actor on a stage. Jesus is not condemning devotion; He is condemning performance. The Father is not impressed by volume or visibility. He sees in secret, and it is there that He works.
The “inner room” Jesus names refers to a storeroom or private chamber, a place unseen by the street. Lent calls us inward. Not to self-absorption, but to sincerity. The ashes we receive today are public, but the conversion they demand is profoundly interior.
Almsgiving purifies our attachment to possessions. Prayer purifies our attention. Fasting purifies our desires. Together, they reorder the heart. They expose what rules us and invite Christ to reign.
This matters deeply in the domestic church. Children quickly detect whether faith is genuine or performative. If prayer is only for show, they will learn to perform. If repentance is real, they will learn to return.
Holiness grows where no one is watching. The Father who sees what is hidden repays not with applause, but with Himself.
Build saint-forming homes by choosing hidden fidelity over visible approval, pray over your children by name that their hearts hunger for God more than praise, and act boldly in the power of the Holy Spirit, beginning this Lent with sincere conversion rather than surface change.
“The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church’s penitential practice.” (CCC 1438)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
In My Heart: Where am I tempted to seek recognition rather than true conversion?
In My Home: How can we practice prayer, fasting, and generosity with sincerity this Lent?
In My World: What hidden act of charity can I offer without seeking credit?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, share one small hidden sacrifice you want to offer to God this Lent.
Then pray together aloud. As parents, place a hand on each person and pray over them by name, asking that they know God’s love personally, be freed from the Enemy’s lies about image and approval, be strengthened to overcome temptation, and be filled with joyful desire to seek the Father in secret.
Daily Challenge: Choose one act of generosity or prayer today that no one else will know about.
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
ENTER THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME: LifeTimeRide.com
Listen to the moving song, Ride Of A Lifetime:
Spotify | Apple | Other
TODAY’S SPONSORSHIP
Sponsored by the generosity of the Rich & Connie Cronin Family, Cronin Auto Family
26875 N Dixie Hwy, Perrysburg, OH 43551 | (419) 874-4331
Would you, your business or organization like to help us spread these daily reflections? Contact us at Alive@MassImpact.us to learn more.
WE WANT TO PRAY FOR YOU!
Please share your prayer intentions in the comments at LiveITToday.us