February 20, 2026
A reading from
the Book of the Prophet Isaiah 58:1-9a
Thus says the Lord God:/Cry out full-throated and unsparingly,/ lift up your voice like a trumpet blast;/ Tell my people their wickedness,/ and the house of Jacob their sins./ They seek me day after day,/ and desire to know my ways,/ Like a nation that has done what is just/ and not abandoned the law of their God;/ They ask me to declare what is due them,/ pleased to gain access to God./ “Why do we fast, and you do not see it?/ afflict ourselves, and you take no note of it?”
Lo, on your fast day you carry out your own pursuits,/ and drive all your laborers./ Yes, your fast ends in quarreling and fighting,/ striking with wicked claw./ Would that today you might fast/ so as to make your voice heard on high!/ Is this the manner of fasting I wish,/ of keeping a day of penance:/ That a man bow his head like a reed/ and lie in sackcloth and ashes?/ Do you call this a fast,/ a day acceptable to the Lord?/ This, rather, is the fasting that I wish:/ releasing those bound unjustly,/ untying the thongs of the yoke;/ Setting free the oppressed,/ breaking every yoke;/ Sharing your bread with the hungry,/ sheltering the oppressed and the homeless;/ Clothing the naked when you see them,/ and not turning your back on your own./ Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,/ and your wound shall quickly be healed;/ Your vindication shall go before you,/ and the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard./ Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer,/ you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am!
The word of the Lord.
February 20, 2026
Saint Who?
Saints Who Cared for the Sick
Blessed Catherine of Saint Augustine
Religious († 1668)Feast: May 8
When Catherine died in a hospital in Quebec, she was only thirty-six years old. She was also the administrator of that hospital.
Catherine was born in France and lost her mother at a young age. She was then raised by her grandparents, who ran a small hospital for the poor. In this devout environment, she learned how to care for the sick and met many priests and religious sisters, who inspired her to want to grow closer to God. Recognizing a call to become a nun and to serve others as a nurse, she was given the religious habit of a Canoness Regular of Saint Augustine when she was fourteen years old.
At the age of sixteen, she volunteered to be sent to her community’s hospital in New France. It was initially difficult for her to adjust to life in Canada due to the harsh climate, hard work, and constant threat of violence from native tribes. But she showed herself to be a tireless nurse, served as treasurer, and soon became the hospital administrator. Although only her spiritual director knew, Catherine was also a mystic and faced serious interior temptations along with spiritual ecstasies. She was frequently ill, but she never complained and obediently fulfilled her duties to prayer, her community, and the sick. She died of tuberculosis.
Jesus, Son of God, inspire us with a great
desire to draw closer to you.
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©Image : Christ on the Lake of Galilee, Jacopo Tintoretto (circle, 1518-1594), NGA, Washington D.C., USA. Photo Courtesy NGA Washington.
