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Today we have reached day 22 of our Lenten journey. Perhaps some of you have gathered a “spiritual bouquet” with the flowers I have been suggesting at the end of each meditation. In fact, we have already formed a fairly large bouquet, and each of its flowers will help us find the thread that guides us throughout Lent.

Let me remind you that this year I have decided to base myself on the readings of the day according to the traditional liturgical calendar. Most of you are probably accustomed to the “ordinary form of the Roman rite.” That is why we always indicate the reading and Gospel of the day so that you can read them in their entirety, while in the meditations I usually quote only certain excerpts.

A brief “floral display” will help us remember the resolutions we have made in this first half of Lent. Today we will list the flowers from the first 11 days, and tomorrow we will continue with those from the next 11.

Day 1: Begin Lent with humility, seriously embark on the path of conversion, and store up treasures in heaven.

Day 2: Offer our supplications and petitions to the Lord with humility, friendship, and great faith.

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After the short series on the transformation of the heart, we return to the readings of the day. This year, we are following the traditional lectionary in our Lenten itinerary. But before getting into the subject, I would like to share with you an intention that is close to my heart. It is a prayer I have written to ask the Lord for the true peace that comes from Him. I would be grateful if many of those who listen to my daily meditations would join us in this simple prayer:

“Beloved Father, we ask You for the peace that flows from Your Heart to touch and transform the hearts of men, so that Your Kingdom may spread throughout the Earth. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.”

From today’s biblical texts, I would like to focus on a brief but very significant passage from the Gospel (Mt 18:15–35). It reads as follows:

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This short series, which aims to show us the importance of the conversion of the heart, must also be understood in a supra‑personal dimension. This means that our efforts to attain a pure heart not only serve our personal sanctification, but are also a weapon in spiritual combat. St. Paul makes it clear that our struggle is against “the principalities, against the powers (…), against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6:12) They take advantage of our evil human inclinations and reinforce them. Once our hearts have been darkened, it becomes easier for them to involve us in their rebellion against God or, at least, to weaken or incapacitate us for the true fight against these spirits.

On the other hand, a heart that—thanks to the influence of the Holy Spirit—becomes increasingly pure and in which God’s grace flows is unbearable to them. Just think of the most pure Heart of the Virgin Mary, from whom they must flee. In addition, such a heart becomes increasingly inflamed with love for God and for human beings, and places itself completely at the service of the heavenly Father. Therefore, it will fight against anything that seeks to tarnish the glory of God and will carry the message of the Gospel to others. This, in turn, weakens the power of the Evil One, so that every pure heart becomes a threat to him—not only because it does not allow itself to be led astray by his machinations, but because it actively combats them with the power of the Lord. Thus, we can take our place in the army of the Lamb, cooperating through our prayer and our struggle for holiness so that the peace of Christ may come to humanity and the power of His love may drive away the darkness.

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In yesterday’s meditation, we began a short series on the theme of the conversion of the heart. I thought it appropriate to address this topic within the framework of our Lenten journey for two reasons. First, because, in imitation of Christ, it is always necessary to deepen our conversion so that our lives may be as fruitful as possible in the service of our beloved Father and so that we may never cease on the path of following His Son. Second, because the deepest conversion of our hearts is a spiritual weapon in the fight against discord and war. Later, I will explain this aspect in more detail, because in this way we can confront the “evil spirits in the air” (Eph 6:12), who are always ready to take advantage of humanity’s evil inclinations for their wicked plans.

In this spirit, let us continue today with the theme of the conversion of our hearts.

With the willingness to perceive one’s depths before the loving Lord, a double realism arises: one recognises both the dark side in oneself and at the same time encounters the mercy of God. One understands that God does not reject and punish because of the impurity that comes from the heart, but that His love has set out to bring light into the darkness.

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As I mentioned at the end of the last meditation, I would like to include in our Lenten itinerary a short series on the transformation of the heart. On the one hand, it is a theme that appears again and again in the biblical texts of Lent, which describe how the human heart turns away from God and clearly point out the abysses that exist within it. On the other hand, it is also fitting to delve more deeply into this theme in light of the wars taking place in the world and which, unfortunately, are once again affecting the people of the Middle East. The war that has just broken out has a very significant impact on Israel, the land where Jesus accomplished the work of Redemption.

In the context of our “Lenten retreat,” I do not consider it my task to explain in detail the political, social, and religious background of the conflict between Israel and Iran. Rather, I am moved by the question of what we, as disciples of the Lord, can do to contribute to the true peace that comes from God.

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Today’s readings confront us very concretely with the depths of the human heart and with the evil deeds that spring from it. First, we hear part of the story of Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 37:6–22). Joseph’s brothers realized that their father, Jacob, loved Joseph the most. Joseph was the one who told their father about the evil things they did while grazing the sheep and goats. Therefore, “they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him” (v. 4).

Their hearts grew darker and darker, and when Joseph innocently shared with them two prophetic dreams indicating that one day they would bow down before him, this increased their jealousy even more. When a favorable opportunity presented itself, they decided to kill him. Only one of the brothers, Reuben, wanted to save him from their hands and bring him back to their father. He persuaded them to throw him into a cistern in the wilderness and not to shed his blood (cf. v. 22).

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Today, on the sixteenth day of our “Lenten retreat,” the prophet Jeremiah reminds us unequivocally in whom we should trust and in whom we should not: “Thus says the Lord: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, whose heart turns away from the Lord.’” (Jer 17:5). This is a similar exhortation to that found in another valuable saying from the Psalms: “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help.” (Ps 148:3).

Indeed, it is foolish to seek in people the security that only God can give us. It is a sign that faith has not yet taken root deeply enough in us. That is why we continue to seek false securities that ultimately place a heavy burden on our lives and, in a way, keep us captive. The prophet Jeremiah expresses this reality in strong terms and goes so far as to say that the man who acts in this way is “cursed,” since he turns his heart away from the Lord. In fact, it can become a kind of curse, because, on the one hand, we will never obtain the security we seek in people, and on the other hand, we do not turn to the Lord and thus deprive ourselves of His help in overcoming threatening situations. It will remain so as long as we do not recognize it and set out on the path to God.

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On the fifteenth day of our Lenten journey, I find myself in Jerusalem writing this meditation under the shadow of military action between the United States, Israel, and Iran. On the morning of February 28, 2026, a bombing campaign against Iran began under the name “Operation Roaring Lion.” Iran responded with missile launches announced by sirens throughout much of Israel, including Jerusalem.

Today’s reading, taken from the Book of Esther (13:8–11, 15–17), attests to God’s omnipotence, and the Gospel (Matthew 20:17–28) speaks of Christ’s reign.

The context of the reading is that the Persian king Ahasuerus, influenced by Haman, his second‑in‑command, was about to carry out the extermination of all the Jews in his kingdom. In his great distress, Mordecai, an illustrious Jew who served in the palace, raised this plea to God:

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In today’s reading (1 Kings 17:8–16), we again meet the prophet Elijah, whom God sends to Zarephath, where He had commanded a widow to feed him (v. 9). When Elijah finds her gathering wood at the city gate, he asks her to bring him water and a morsel of bread. The poor widow replies: “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a cruse; and now, I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die” (v. 12).

Nevertheless, Elijah encourages her to do as he has told her: first bring him a small loaf of bread, and then make one for herself and her son (v. 13). He assures her: “thus says the Lord the God of Israel, ‘The jar of meal shall not be spent, and the cruse of oil shall not fail, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth” (v. 14).

The widow does as Elijah tells her, believing his words, and what he predicted comes true to the letter. To listen to a true prophet such as Elijah is to listen to the voice of God. That is what the widow did, and as a reward, God ensured that she had enough food to keep herself and her son alive. She obeyed Elijah’s request even though her situation was desperate. From a human point of view, it would have been understandable if she had refused his request in order to preserve the little she had for herself and her son.

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Our Lenten itinerary today presents us with a supplicatory prayer from the prophet Daniel, who was very clear about the reason why Jerusalem had fallen into ruin.

“Lord our God (…), who didst bring thy people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast made thee a name, as at this day, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. O Lord, according to all thy righteous acts, let thy anger and thy wrath turn away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy hill; because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people have become a byword among all who are round about us. Now therefore, O our God, hearken to the prayer of thy servant and to his supplications, and for thy own sake, O Lord, cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary, which is desolate. O my God, incline thy ear and hear; open thy eyes and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name; for we do not present our supplications before thee on the ground of our righteousness, but on the ground of thy great mercy.  O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, give heed and act; delay not, for thy own sake, O my God, because thy city and thy people are called by thy name.” (Dan 9:15–19).

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