Daily Gospel Reflection

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March 18, 2026

Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Listen to the Audio Version

Jesus answered the Jews:
“My Father is at work until now, so I am at work.”
For this reason they tried all the more to kill him,
because he not only broke the sabbath
but he also called God his own father, making himself equal to God.

Jesus answered and said to them,
“Amen, amen, I say to you, the Son cannot do anything on his own,
but only what he sees the Father doing;
for what he does, the Son will do also.
For the Father loves the Son
and shows him everything that he himself does,
and he will show him greater works than these,
so that you may be amazed.
For just as the Father raises the dead and gives life,
so also does the Son give life to whomever he wishes.
Nor does the Father judge anyone,
but he has given all judgment to the Son,
so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father.
Whoever does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent him.
Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever hears my word
and believes in the one who sent me
has eternal life and will not come to condemnation,
but has passed from death to life.
Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming and is now here
when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God,
and those who hear will live.
For just as the Father has life in himself,
so also he gave to the Son the possession of life in himself.
And he gave him power to exercise judgment,
because he is the Son of Man.
Do not be amazed at this,
because the hour is coming in which all who are in the tombs
will hear his voice and will come out,
those who have done good deeds
to the resurrection of life,
but those who have done wicked deeds
to the resurrection of condemnation.

“I cannot do anything on my own;
I judge as I hear, and my judgment is just,
because I do not seek my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.”


Reflection

Bernadette Shaughnessy ’24 J.D.
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In today’s gospel, Jesus confidently speaks from his identity as the beloved Son of the Father. Jesus, who is God,“cannot do anything on his own but only what he sees the Father doing.” Why? “For the Father loves the Son.”

How often do I attempt to do things on my own? How often do I try to force my way? How often do I try to grasp for something—or for someone—that can only be received as a gift? If Jesus “cannot do anything on his own,” why do I think that I can?

As I prayed with today’s gospel, I kept returning to an image of myself as a little girl: perhaps four years old, messy pigtails, wearing a princess dress, and toting a “fancy” purse. I see myself twirling, round and round, showing off for my parents, completely confident that I am utterly beloved exactly as I am.

That little girl had no care for her future. She did not think she needed to earn the love of others, or even that she needed to earn the love of God. She had the simple trust of a child who can always fall asleep in her father’s arms. Today, may the Lord grant us that kind of childlike faith. Today, may we remember our core identities as beloved children of a loving Father.

Prayer

Rev. Andrew Fritz, C.S.C.

Father in heaven, we stand before you today and ask for the grace to do your will. We await the hour when you will call out to those in the tombs, and for the dead to hear your voice. Breathe new life into us, that we may hear your voice, and act in accordance with your will. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Saint of the Day

St. Alexander of Jerusalem
St. Alexander of Jerusalem

The Romans tried to kill St. Alexander of Jerusalem by throwing him to the lions, but it didn’t work. The beasts would not attack him!

Alexander began as a student in the famous ancient school in Alexandria. He was chosen bishop of his home city, Cappadocia. When Christians were being persecuted there, he was arrested and proclaimed his faith in Jesus, even under threat of punishment. Though he was not killed, he spent several years imprisoned and in chains.

When he was released from prison, he made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When he was there, the people of Jerusalem were moved to adopt him as their own bishop, a role he adopted in the year 212. There he developed a valuable and extensive library of theological works, which was helpful to the community and to other ancient theologians who contributed to the Church’s thinking.

During a second, later persecution, he was again arrested. This time, when he professed his faith, he was condemned to die. He was thrown to the lions, but they could not be encouraged to attack him. Instead, he was thrown back into prison, where he died in the year 251. The Church recognizes him as a martyr.

Despite his vast education and the important offices he held in the Church, Alexander was a gentle and mild man, and he was known for the sweetness of his preaching. His relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.

St. Alexander of Jerusalem, the martyr who wouldn’t be touched by lions, pray for us!


Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Alexander of Jerusalem is in the public domain. Last accessed November 1, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.