February 24
Wednesday, week 2 of Lent
Feast shown for the year 2027; movable feasts can vary from year to year.
Today in the liturgical calendar is observed as a weekday of Lent, commonly referred to as a Lenten feria. During such ferial days, the Church does not celebrate the feast of a specific saint, but instead, the focus is placed upon the penitential practices and spiritual discipline characteristic of the Lenten season. The readings and prayers invite the faithful to deeper conversion, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving in preparation for Easter.
The simplicity of a Lenten feria is marked by the use of violet vestments, somber liturgical music, and a focus on repentance. The weekday Mass places special emphasis on scriptural passages that call for a sincere turning of heart toward God. These days help Christians refresh their spiritual lives, echoing Christ’s forty days in the desert, and encourage the community to reflect on their relationship with God and one another. By observing these days, Catholics are invited to slow down, examine their lives, and prepare for the joy of the Resurrection.
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Questions about Wednesday, week 2 of Lent (Novus Ordo Missae)
Liturgical texts of February 24, 2027
The liturgical day
Mass readings
ReadingJr 18, 18-20
My enemies said:
"Come, let us make a plot against Jeremiah.
The law will not disappear for lack of priests,
nor will counsel vanish for lack of wise men,
nor the word for lack of prophets.
Come, let us attack him with our tongues,
let us pay no attention to any of his words."
But you, Lord, pay attention to me,
listen to what my adversaries say.
Can good be repaid with evil?
They have dug a pit for me to fall in.
Remember that I stood before you
to speak on their behalf,
to turn your anger away from them.
– The word of the Lord.
Psalm30 (31), 5-6, 14, 15-16
You will free me from the net they set for me;
you are truly my refuge.
Into your hands I commend my spirit;
you redeem me, Lord, God of truth.
I hear the slander of the crowd:
fear on every side.
They conspire against me;
they plot to take my life.
But I trust in you, Lord,
I say: "You are my God!"
My days are in your hands: deliver me
from the power of my enemies and pursuers.
GospelMt 20, 17-28
At that time,
Jesus, going up to Jerusalem,
took the Twelve disciples aside
and on the way, he said to them:
"See, we are going up to Jerusalem.
The Son of Man will be delivered
to the chief priests and scribes,
they will condemn him to death
and hand him over to the Gentiles
to be mocked,
scourged, and crucified;
he will be raised on the third day."
Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee
approached Jesus with her sons James and John,
and she knelt down to make a request of him.
Jesus said to her:
"What do you want?"
She replied:
"Command that these two sons of mine
may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left,
in your Kingdom."
Jesus answered:
"You do not know what you are asking.
Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?"
They said to him:
"We can."
He said to them:
"You will indeed drink my cup;
but to sit at my right hand and at my left
is not mine to grant;
it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
When the ten others heard this,
they were indignant with the two brothers.
Jesus called them and said:
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
and the great ones make their authority felt.
But it shall not be so among you:
whoever wishes to become great among you
will be your servant;
and whoever wants to be first among you
will be your slave.
Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many."
– Let us acclaim the word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org