Daily Gospel Reflection
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February 26, 2026
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets.”
Reflection
I’ve always felt self-conscious about praying for things I want. I have so much! I am so fortunate, loved, blessed. Who am I to ask for more?
The other types of prayer I learned about as a kid made more sense. Contrition? Needful. Praise? Of course. Gratitude? Lots of it. But petition? There are so many others who need so much more. Why should I bother God with my wants? Petitions are prayers reserved for serious matters and for others. Praying for a friend felt right. Praying for the poor made even more sense. Praying for my infant son is intuitive. As a habit, I direct petitionary prayer away from myself. This is not to say that I am not a covetous or selfish person—I am. I want so many things! Rather, I don’t want to involve God in that.
Meanwhile, I strain with little success to become more virtuous in the ways that I struggle most. The realization that I should be asking God not for more, but to be more was long delayed. Of course, I would continue to fall short of patience, forgiveness, or loving my enemy if I refused to ask God for help, insisting on spiritual bootstrapping.
Today’s gospel says, “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” I believe that the inverse holds in prayer—help me to pray humbly for myself, as I should also pray for others. It still isn’t easy, but it also doesn’t feel greedy. I should ask for help. The asking itself does help.
I know how to “give good gifts to my children.” I know to pray that my child delights in goodness. Help me trust, God, that you will give good things to me, too, when I ask. Help us to ask for what we need to grow in Christ.
Prayer
Lord, your son taught us that those who ask, receive; that those who seek, find; and that those who knock, have the door opened for them. May we pray with such believing faith, trusting in your divine providence, so that we may receive the gifts you wish to give to us as we faithfully seek to follow your son. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Isabel was sister to the great king of France, St. Louis IX, in the 13th century. Not only was she royal and wealthy, but she also had a sharp intellect and was a highly accomplished lady. She left aside all of these advantages of life as a princess, however, and sought holiness above everything.
Even as a girl, she was known for fervent prayer and fasting. She loved learning and studied Latin so that she could pray the liturgy of the hours and read the Church Fathers.
Isabel refused to be married, even when famous men courted her. Once, the pope wrote to her directly to encourage her to marry the king of Jerusalem for the good of Christendom, but her refusal to him was so humble and wise that he acknowledged her desire to dedicate her life to God alone.
Every day, before she ate her dinner, Isabel would seat poor people at her table and serve them herself. She would spend the evening visiting others who were sick and poor.
She established a convent for Franciscan nuns, asking St. Bonaventure to write up the rule of life for the community, and named it the Monastery of the Humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Isabel never joined the community herself, but did live in the monastery in a room separate from the nun’s cells. She suffered from illnesses during her life, and these prevented her from following the rule of life for the nuns—this was one reason she refused to be named abbess of the monastery. That also allowed her to keep her wealth and resources, so she could support the community and continue to give to the poor. She kept a discipline of silence for most of her day.
Isabel understood the connection between the Eucharist and its call to service. Jesus washed the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper, which calls us to humble ourselves in love for others. Before she received communion herself, Isabel always begged forgiveness, on her knees, of the few servants that she retained.
Her life of prayer was marked by ecstasies at several points of her life, including a period of time near the end of her life when she stayed awake through several nights in rapt contemplation. She died in 1270.
St. Isabel of France, who had the known world at her fingertips and left it all to serve God and the poor—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Isabel of France is in the public domain. Last accessed December 6, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
