Mass Readings: February 25, 2026
Wednesday of the first week of Lent
Seasons: LENT
Week of Season: 1
Sunday Cycle: Year A
Weekday Cycle: Cycle II
Wednesday of the first week of Lent.

First Reading
Jonah 3:1-3:10
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 51:3-51:4, 51:12-51:13, 51:18-51:19
Gospel
Luke 11:29-11:32

Lent 2026 begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18.

This date is determined by the liturgical calendar, where Ash Wednesday always falls 46 days before Easter Sunday (April 5, 2026). The provided Mass readings for February 25, 2026—Wednesday of the first week of Lent—confirm the season is underway by then, as Jonah's call to repentance in Nineveh (Jon 3:1-10),[^5] David's plea for a contrite heart (Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19),[^6] and Jesus' reference to the "sign of Jonah" (Lk 11:29-32)[^7] align with Lenten themes of conversion following the First Sunday of Lent (February 22).

The sources do not explicitly state the 2026 start date but provide the scriptural foundation for that day's Lenten liturgy, supporting the timeline. A 1998 address by Pope John Paul II notes Lent's commencement around late February in its context, illustrating the season's typical timing.[^1]

[^1] To the Clergy of Rome (February 26, 1998) - Speech, (Pope John Paul II), 1

[^2] Extraordinary Consistory (7 January 2026), (Pope Leo XIV), page1

[^3] Weekday of the Christmas Season: Extraordinary Consistory – Holy Mass (8 January 2026), (Pope Leo XIV), page1

[^4] Message of the Holy Father for the 59th World Day of Peace 2026: “Peace be with you all: Towards an “unarmed and disarming” peace", (Pope Leo XIV), page1

[^5] The Holy Bible, (The New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (NRSV-CE)), Jonah 3:1-10

[^6] The Holy Bible, (The New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (NRSV-CE)), Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 18-19

[^7] The Holy Bible, (The New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (NRSV-CE)), Luke 11:29-32