Friday of the Third Week
Lent invites us to return to God, return to what truly matters, and return to love. In Hosea, we hear a tender call to repentance that is not rooted in shame, but in trust. God asks us to bring our words honestly, to let go of the false securities we attach ourselves to, and to rediscover that healing and renewal come from God alone. This turning back is not a single moment, but a posture of the heart.
Jesus’ proclamation in Matthew, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” echoes this same urgency. Repentance is not merely mourning our mistakes, but a redirection of love, a choice: choosing the divine over the trivial, the eternal over the daily distractions that consume us. In times of uncertainty, division, and fear, Lent reminds us that loving God above all things grounds us when everything else feels unstable.
Mark’s Gospel brings this call into straight focus: love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves. Jesus makes clear that no offering, argument, or ideology matters more than love lived out. In a world marked by polarization and distance, this command is both challenging and deeply necessary. Lent is not only about what we give up, but about what we choose to love, and how that love transforms the way we see God and one another. And in His image, we should be there to listen and love our neighbor. Now more than ever.
Prayer
Loving God, during this season of Lent, please turn our hearts back to You, help us love You above all else, and give us the grace to love our neighbors with courage and compassion in a divided world. In You I place all my trust, Amen.
Rosemary Yargici
Director of International Student and Scholar Services
First Reading: Hosea 14:2-10
Psalm 81:6c-11ab, 14, 17
Gospel: Mark 12:28-34
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