A Word of Hope for Feb 21, 2026, by Father Tom Lynch , OP.
If we are wired to seek what is good, pleasurable, and easy, why do we so often choose sin?
Drawing from the wisdom of his seminary professor, Victor Lamotte, Father Tom explains that even our bad behaviors are often misguided attempts to find relief or hide pain. The challenge of Lent is to retrain our hearts. Just as Olympic athletes use discipline to make difficult physical feats look easy, we can use Lenten discipline to make virtue and goodness become our "new easy."
Join us to learn how sacrifice can transform what is difficult into a source of true pleasure and joy in the Lord.
**Timeline:**
0:00 Welcome from St. Pius V Parish, Chicago
0:17 Human Nature: Seeking the Good, Pleasurable, and Easy
0:30 The Paradox: Why do we choose the bad?
0:42 The Hidden Motive: Covering up pain
1:07 Redefining Pleasure: Finding joy in the good of others
1:29 Redefining Easy: The lesson of Olympic athletes
1:45 The Role of Sacrifice and Discipline
2:06 Lent as an Opportunity for Training
2:26 Becoming a New Person in God
2:43 Closing Prayer for Strength
**Hashtags:**
#AWordOfHope #Lent2026 #Virtue #CatholicFaith #SpiritualDiscipline #FrTomLynch #DominicanFriars #HumanNature #StPiusVChicago #ChristianLiving #discipline #dailyreflection