Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 26, 2026
Jesus said to the Jews:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever keeps my word will never see death.”
So the Jews said to him,
“Now we are sure that you are possessed.
Abraham died, as did the prophets, yet you say,
‘Whoever keeps my word will never taste death.’
Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died?
Or the prophets, who died?
Who do you make yourself out to be?”
Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is worth nothing;
but it is my Father who glorifies me,
of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’
You do not know him, but I know him.
And if I should say that I do not know him,
I would be like you a liar.
But I do know him and I keep his word.
Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day;
he saw it and was glad.”
So the Jews said to him,
“You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
before Abraham came to be, I AM.”
So they picked up stones to throw at him;
but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area.
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.
As Sisters of Life, we wear a medal as a sign of our religious consecration. On the front is an image of the “Madonna of the Streets,” a reminder of our call to bear the Christ Child to, and to recognize him in, those we serve. On the back is an inscription encircling a crucifix: “and nothing would again be casual or small.” The selection, chosen by our founder, John Cardinal O’Connor, is from a poem by Fr. John Duffy, CSSR.
Yesterday, the church celebrated the Solemnity of the Annunciation: the day on which the Word was made flesh. In this poem, Fr. Duffy contemplates Our Lady today, the day after the Annunciation. She recalls the Angel’s visit and the Word of God she has received. Her whole world is made new: “and nothing would again be casual and small / but everything with light invested, overspilled.”
In today’s gospel, we too are visited by the Word of God. Jesus promises that ‘anyone who keeps [his] word will not see death.’ His interlocutors, though, cannot hear nor keep this word. They are confused, even scandalized, and ultimately, they will reject the Word of God, who hides also in the womb of Mary.
Each time I look at my medal, I am reminded of the call to ‘keep his word’ with Our Lady, to welcome the way that God transforms everything, investing it with light. When this Word surprises or confuses me, as it does those who encountered Jesus in this gospel, how will I respond?
May we pray, with Mary, “let it be done unto me according to your word.” May that Word transform our lives and fill them with God’s grace, that nothing would again be casual or small.
Prayer
Glorious God, we praise you and beg you this day to magnify your divine life in our souls. Help us to spread your fragrance everywhere we go this day. When others see us, may they see you, shining in us. May we preach to others by the evident fullness of the love and joy our hearts bear for you. And if we have been unfaithful and not kept your word, fulfill in us whatever is lacking. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
On March 25, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation. March 25, however, is also listed as the feast day of St. Dismas, who was the good thief crucified with Jesus. Today we offer a small biography of St. Dismas as we meditate upon and ask for God's mercy.
The only substantial record we have of this man comes from the Gospel of Luke (other Gospels note that Jesus was crucified between two revolutionaries, but do not elaborate). As Luke tells us, Jesus was crucified with two thieves. As they hung on the cross, one taunted Jesus along with the crowd, telling him, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.”
The other thief rebuked him, saying, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”Jesus told him, “This day you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
The Christian community took seriously Jesus’ words here that this good thief was saved, and honors him as a saint. Dismas’ response to Jesus is a good articulation of steps in conversion away from sin: he came to an honest awareness of his sin and turned away from it, seeking Jesus as the source of eternal life.
Like other personalities close to the story of Jesus, we know little about Dismas. The Christian community constructed a story to fill in this gap, including his name—in some traditions, he is known as Titus or Zoathan. The most popular name, Dismas, was adopted from the Greek word for “sunset” or “death,” and began to be used in stories dating from the fourth century. One legend says that Dismas and his fellow thief held up Joseph and Mary when they were fleeing to Egypt with the child Jesus. Dismas is said to have been moved to compassion and bribed his companion to let the Holy Family pass safely.
The relics of St. Dismas rest in the reliquary chapel, including a piece of Dismas’ cross.
The Dismas House in South Bend is named after this good thief, and is a halfway house for men recently released from jail. The house is a community partner with the Institute for Social Concerns, and Notre Dame students volunteer there to support former prisoners who are adjusting to life after incarceration. Residents of Keenan Hall have cooked dinner at Dismas House one night a week during the academic year since it opened in 1986.
St. Dismas, the good thief who received Christ's mercy at the hour of death—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Dismas is in the public domain. Last accessed February 13, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
