Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 23, 2026
Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’
And the king will say to them in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’
Then he will say to those on his left,
‘Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.’
Then they will answer and say,
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?’
He will answer them, ‘Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.’
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life.”
Today’s gospel includes the last of Matthew’s great parables and describes the final judgement. It immediately follows the parable of the talents, which reminds us to use the gifts that God bestows on us. We are encouraged today to become aware of the Lord’s presence in others. As our Lenten journey continues, Matthew is preparing us for the coming passion and resurrection.
I particularly struggle with serving and caring for strangers, especially those who do not have an everyday presence in my life. A homeless person on the street is more difficult and intimidating for me to show works of mercy toward than difficult coworkers or family members. Perhaps it is easier to start by serving others at home, in our workplace, and in our communities prior to branching out to the least fortunate in our lives.
Ordinary acts of kindness can be very powerful, especially for those who do not even know our name. Our faith requires more than belief; it requires love and service to others. God wants us to live a life of compassion, especially for our brothers and sisters in need.
Jesus warns that each of us will face judgment at the time of our death. The sheep and goat metaphors are spot on. Sheep are the blessed righteous among us, and goats are the wicked and cursed we encounter. Sheep stick together and follow their master, while goats are more independent and stubborn.
Be mindful of the needs of those around us. Ponder the small ways we can begin doing that today, for Christ is in each person we encounter. What we do to others, we do to Christ. Lord, help us to see you in others and help others to see you in us.
Prayer
Lord, give us the love and the generosity to reach out to serve our brothers and sisters in need, so in loving and serving them, we may love and serve you, and thus one day hear you welcome us into your eternal kingdom. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Polycarp was an important early martyr, and the story of his death is famous because he was miraculously preserved when they tried to burn him at the stake.
Polycarp was among a group of Church fathers who were in the first generation of Christians to be taught by the disciples themselves—he learned the faith from St. John, and in turn, Polycarp taught others, such as St. Irenaeus.
Polycarp lived at a time when the faith was still taking shape—the smallest deviation from the truth that he had received would have long-reaching consequences for us today, and he seemed to be aware of that. He had no patience for those who distorted the faith. The story is told that he once passed by a man in Rome who was teaching the faith with error. When it seemed that Polycarp walked by him without recognizing him, the man called out, “Do you not know me?” Polycarp replied, “I know you—you are the first-born of Satan!”
He was an active leader in the early Church, writing letters to far-flung Christian communities and engaging the pope on matters such as the date of Easter. But Polycarp is most famous for the account of his martyrdom.
He lived during a time of persecution, and while some Christians were willingly giving up their lives—going so far as to turn themselves in to be eaten by lions—he is remembered for being ready to die for his faith, but also living to spread that faith for as long as he could.
When he was to be arrested, he fled and hid for as long as he could. He was eventually betrayed and when authorities finally discovered him, he refused to escape any further. He met the officials at the door, and even fed them supper. He only asked for a few hours to pray before they took him away.
He was taken to an outdoor amphitheater where a great crowd assembled to see him face a judge. He was ordered to renounce Christ, and he flatly refused, confessing his faith plainly and forthrightly.
“I have wild beasts,” the judge said.
“Call for them,” replied Polycarp, “for we will not be moved from good to evil.”
“If you hate the beasts, I will have you consumed by fire,” the judge said.
“You threaten me with fire that burns for a season and is quenched after a while” Polycarp replied, “but you do not know of the judgment to come and of the fire of eternal punishment that is prepared for the wicked. Why do you delay? Bring against me what you please.”
They built a pyre and placed him on it, and began to prepare to nail him to the stake. He told them to leave him alone, telling them that “the one who gives me grace to endure the fire will enable me to remain on the pyre unmoved.” They tied only his hands behind his back, and Polycarp proclaimed a moving prayer that praised God and asked that his death be a Christ-like sacrifice.
Witnesses report that when the wood at his feet was ignited, it swelled like the sails of a ship to gently surround Polycarp without burning him. They said that they could smell a fragrance like incense.
Seeing this, the authorities thrust a spear into his body, which finally killed him. This is remembered as happening on February 23, but scholars disagree as to whether it was 155 or 166. The relics of St. Polycarp rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica on campus.
St. Polycarp, you were the early Church martyr who was miraculously preserved from burning at the stake—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Polycarp is available for use under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Last accessed December 6, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
