Reflection Date: February 28, 2026 | Saturday of the First Week of Lent
Daily Readings: Deuteronomy 26:16-19; Matthew 5:43-48
Children of God:
In 1981, the world watched in shock as Pope John Paul II was shot in St. Peter’s Square.
The gunman was a Turkish man named Mehmet Ali Ağca.
The attack left the Pope seriously wounded and fighting for his life. Many expected anger, condemnation, or at least distance.
Yet two years later, something extraordinary happened.
Pope John Paul II visited Ağca in prison.
Photos captured the two men sitting close to each other, speaking quietly.
The Pope leaned toward the man who had tried to kill him.
He offered forgiveness face to face. The images traveled across the globe and stunned believers and non-believers alike.
In the gospel story of Matthew, Jesus offered something just as radical.
He said that people had heard the command to love their neighbor and hate their enemy (Matthew 5:43). But he commanded his followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecuted them (Matthew 5:44).
What are our inspirations for today?
First, an ounce of forgiveness can break cycles of conflict.
Jesus invited his disciples to love enemies, not just tolerate them (Matthew 5:44).
This teaching challenged the natural instinct for revenge.
When the Pope forgave his attacker, he demonstrated that mercy could rewrite a painful story. Instead of allowing violence to define the relationship, he chose forgiveness.
That decision sent a powerful message: an ounce of forgiveness can break cycles of conflict.
Today, we are invited to examine how we respond to those who hurt us. Do we keep the cycle of resentment alive, or do we break it with compassion?
Second, praying for persecutors to grow into peacemakers.
Jesus did not stop at loving enemies; he instructed his followers to pray for them (Matthew 5:44).
Prayer changes the one who prays. It shifts the heart from anger to hope.
By praying for those who cause pain, we place them in God’s hands. We allow divine grace to work where human solutions seem impossible.
Today, prayer becomes a practical act of courage. It is easier to complain than to intercede.
Yet when we pray for those who oppose us, we participate in God’s transforming love.
We might as well as ourselves today:
Who in your life do you find most difficult to love right now? Have you sincerely prayed for someone who hurt you? What would change in your heart if you chose forgiveness over resentment?
Children of God:
The photos of forgiveness given by Pope John Paul II in a prison cell continue to speak even to this day.
They remind us that love is strongest when it is most tested.
Jesus did not offer an easy command but a transformative one.
Every act of mercy weakens the power of hatred. Every prayer for an enemy plants a seed of peace.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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