Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
March 14, 2026
Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity —
greedy, dishonest, adulterous — or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
What strikes me most is that the Pharisee in today’s Scripture is not inventing virtues. He fasts. He tithes. He lives with discipline. In many ways, he is doing what a faithful person should do. The problem is not his success. It is his posture. His prayer is a comparison. He defines himself against others.
The tax collector brings nothing but honesty. No list of achievements, no excuses for his mistakes, just a plea for mercy. In that humility, he shows a clearer understanding of God: not someone to impress, but someone to trust.
I can relate to the Pharisee more than I would like to admit. In many ways, I have been blessed with success and confidence. And it is easy to drift into measuring our value by performance, status, or achievement. Comparison can quietly become the way we see our worth.
This gospel reminds me that confidence is not the enemy; pride is. Achievement is not the problem. Self-exaltation is the temptation and the downfall. The call is not to downplay the gifts God has given, but to hold them at every moment with gratitude and humility. In the end, the things that impress the world do not carry the same weight before God. What matters is a humble heart that knows its need for a Savior.
Prayer
God of mercy and compassion, you justify the humble and humble the self-exalted. Look upon us, poor sinners, with the gaze of your love. Grant us the wisdom to recognize our sins. Convict our hearts so that we may seek true contrition. Fill us with a burning zeal for conversion, and bestow on us the grace to seek your forgiveness. O God, be merciful to me a sinner! Amen.
Saint of the Day
As queen, Matilda paid special attention to the poor of the kingdom—her subjects knew her more as a loving mother than as a ruler.
She was born in 895 in Germany to a royal family. She was raised by her grandmother, who was the abbess of a convent, and ensured that Matilda was well-educated and faithful in her prayer and devotion. Matilda married Henry, who ascended to the German throne shortly after they had their first child together. She was liberal in her charity, which never bothered Henry, who had confidence in her judgment and goodness.
Henry and Matilda shared five children, one of whom, Bruno, is also known as a saint. Another, Otto, became emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Henry spent much time at war, but unified the German people into one kingdom.
After 23 years of marriage, Henry died suddenly, and Matilda was left a widow. Her son, Otto, was elected to the throne, which began a conflict with a brother. The two reconciled, but neither had Henry’s patience with Matilda’s generosity, and they accused her of squandering wealth.
She was exiled for a time, but eventually returned to the royal household and was reconciled with her son, Otto. When he was crowned emperor, he left her in charge of the kingdom, and she established three convents and a monastery. She spent her old age at the convent where she was raised.
St. Matilda’s relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on Notre Dame's campus, and she is also depicted in the stained glass windows of the Basilica. Our featured image of a larger window Matilda holds a scepter and coins as a sign of her generosity to the poor. A second window, shown above, depicts Matilda in prayer with her two sons conspiring in envy behind her. St. Matilda is the patron saint of widows and a patron saint and intercessor for parents who have conflicts with their grown children.
St. Matilda, patron saint of widows and kind queen who cared for the poor despite ridicule from your own children—pray for us!