Daily Gospel Reflection
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March 5, 2026
Jesus said to the Pharisees:
“There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen
and dined sumptuously each day.
And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores,
who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps
that fell from the rich man’s table.
Dogs even used to come and lick his sores.
When the poor man died,
he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.
The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment,
he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off
and Lazarus at his side.
And he cried out, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me.
Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue,
for I am suffering torment in these flames.’
Abraham replied, ‘My child,
remember that you received what was good during your lifetime
while Lazarus likewise received what was bad;
but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established
to prevent anyone from crossing
who might wish to go from our side to yours
or from your side to ours.’
He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, send him
to my father’s house,
for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them,
lest they too come to this place of torment.’
But Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets.
Let them listen to them.’
He said, ‘Oh no, father Abraham,
but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’
Then Abraham said,
‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded
if someone should rise from the dead.'”
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.
Today’s gospel has many powerful messages—much is often said about how the rich man treated Lazarus. There is another message, however, of equal importance, which is how we listen to God and respond. Abraham tells the rich man that he missed many opportunities to listen to what God wanted him to do. Good communication starts with good listening.
We are much like the rich man. There are many sources of communication from God: the bible, the prophets, clergy, families, and friends. In today’s world, just as in Lazarus’ world, there is a lot of noise; most of it is secular and much of it is evil. There are even more noise sources today, including phones, social media, 24-hour news, videos, and music.
To hear God, it is important to focus on listening for and to God’s word. God is constantly communicating with us. We just need to listen and respond with a generous yes. Often God speaks softly, occasionally God yells, and sometimes God speaks when we least expect it. We do not need someone to rise from the dead to tell us what to do. Jesus already did that.
A good place to listen to God is at adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which gives us the opportunity to be very quiet and to listen to what God is saying. Silence is rare. Too often, we do all the talking in our prayers and our petitions. It can be intimidating to be still and let God speak.
Then we need to respond and tell God how we will carry out God’s message. Are we going to be an example to others of God’s love? Will we be a positive link in their communication chain with God?
The decision is ours.
Prayer
Loving God, we ask the help of your Spirit to keep us from using our poor brothers and sisters to maintain our own comfort. Compel employers among us to provide living wages to all we employ. Constrain our greed and expand our awareness that we are all one in you, whether rich or poor. Give us the grace to do all we can to assure that the needs of all who are your special favorites—the ones who we most often ignore—are met. We ask for the compassion and justice of Jesus, your Son and our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Adrian was a Christian missionary who was martyred in 309 in Caesarea, in modern Israel, with a traveling companion named Eubulus.
The two were traveling to Caesarea to visit the Christian community there. The area was part of the Roman empire, which was persecuting Christians. When they reached the city gates, they were asked about the purpose of their travel. They frankly acknowledged that they had come to assist the Christian community in the city. They were immediately arrested, and the local governor had them scourged and thrown to the lions.
The relics of St. Adrian rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
St. Adrian, you left your home to support persecuted Christians, and were martyred for your faith—pray for us!