Daily readings

Wednesday, February 25, 2026

Wednesday of the 1st week of Lent. Lent. A clean reading layout for church, prayer, or preparation.

CelebrationWednesday of the 1st week of Lent

TypeWeekday

SeasonLent

Year2026 archive

The Roman Catholic readings for this date are shown below on-site. Use plain reading mode if you want clearer modern wording, or switch back to the original Douay-Rheims wording at any time.

Reading mode

Plain mode helps modern readers follow the text more easily.

On-site scripture text: Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition. Plain mode is a built-in reading aid that modernizes older wording for easier understanding while keeping the same Roman Catholic reading references for the day.

1

First Reading

Jonah 3:1-10

How to approach it

Read this as the first big movement of the day. Notice what God is doing, who is speaking, and what part of the story or teaching should stay with you.

1And the word of the Lord came to Jonas the second time, saying:

2Arise, and go to Ninive the great city: and preach in it the preaching that I bid you.

3And Jonas arose, and went to Ninive, according to the word of the Lord: now Ninive was a great city of three days' journey.

4And Jonas began to enter into the city one day's journey: and he cried, and said: Yet forty days, and Ninive shall be destroyed.

5And the men of Ninive believed in God: and they announced a fast, and put on sackcloth from the greatest to the least.

6And the word came to the king of Ninive; and he rose up out of his throne, and cast away his robe from him, and was clothed with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.

7And he caused it to be announced and published in Ninive from the mouth of the king and of his leaders, saying: Let neither men nor beasts, oxen nor sheep, taste any thing: let them not feed, nor drink water.

8And let men and beasts be covered with sackcloth, and cry to the Lord with all their strength, and let them turn every one from his evil way, and from the sin that is in their hands.

9Who can tell if God will turn, and forgive: and will turn away from his fierce anger, and we shall not perish?

10And God saw their works, that they were turned from their evil way: and God had mercy with regard to the evil which he had said that he would do to them, and he did it not.

2

Psalm

Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19

How to pray it

The psalm is meant to be prayed, not rushed. If the wording feels older, focus on the main movement of the prayer: trust, praise, sorrow, gratitude, or hope.

3Have mercy on me, OH God, according to your great mercy. And according to the crowd of your tender mercies blot out my sin.

4Wash me yet more from my sin, and cleanse me from my sin.

12Create a clean heart in me, OH God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels.

13Cast me not away from your face; and take not your holy spirit from me.

18For if you had desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings you will not be delighted.

19A sacrifice to God is an troubled spirit: a sorry and humbled heart, OH God, you will not despise.

3

Gospel

Luke 11:29-32

What to watch for

The Gospel is the center of the reading set. Pay close attention to what Jesus says, what Jesus does, and what response he is asking for.

29And the crowds running together, he began to say: This generation is a evil generation: it asketh a sign, and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

30For as Jonas was a sign to the Ninivites; so shall the Son of Man also be to this generation.

31The queen of the south shall rise in the judgment with the men of this generation, and shall condemn them: because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and look more than Solomon here.

32The men of Ninive shall rise in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it; because they did penance at the preaching of Jonas; and look more than Jonas here.

Source note

This page uses the Catholic Readings API for the day's references and liturgical celebration data, while the on-site scripture text is rendered from the public-domain Douay-Rheims Bible distributed through the Open Bibles project.