Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
September 28, 2025
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.'”
I once heard an atheist ask, “If God exists, why leave room for doubt about God’s existence? Why not come down and indisputably reveal all?”
In the gospel, the rich man maintains a similar sentiment. From his torment in the netherworld, he begs Abraham to send Lazarus to his family as a definite sign of God’s existence. The implication here is that he, too, would have surely made better choices in life had he been unequivocally presented with the reality of heaven and hell.
Abraham’s response, however, is perhaps unexpected. He asserts God has already been revealed through Moses and the prophets, and thus, if anyone has failed to hear God’s message in the ways he has chosen to reveal it, he will not be persuaded even “if someone should rise from the dead.”
Has God really made himself sufficiently known to us? Upon reflection, the answer seems quite clear: undoubtedly. God has been showing the glory of the divine from the very beginning of creation. God is present implicitly through the intentional order and beauty imbued in creation, and God’s message is proclaimed explicitly through several Old Testament figures. Ultimately, though, Christ went so far as to dwell among us and take up our flesh as his own. He loved us so concretely and vividly as to be nailed to a tree—and then, yes, raised from the dead—for us. He has even given us his own flesh and blood as food and drink. How much more intimately can he possibly share himself with us?
Thus, if we still choose not to see and accept God’s love for us, even after the continuous insistence on revealing it, then perhaps—as with the rich man—there is no piece of evidence which will convince us.
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
As the popular carol goes, St. Wenceslaus was, indeed, a good king, but not an English king. Wenceslaus was a ruler in an Eastern European kingdom, site of the present-day Czech Republic, and was killed by his younger brother who usurped the throne.
Wenceslaus was born in 907 near Prague into the Bohemian royal family. His grandparents were baptized Christians, and spread Christianity throughout their kingdom. Wenceslaus was raised by his grandmother, St. Ludmilla, who educated him and formed him as a Christian.
When Wenceslaus’ father died, anti-Christian forces began to develop throughout the kingdom. Knowing him to be a faithful, devoted Christian, Wenceslaus' mother suggested he enter a monastery. She also feared that upon assuming the throne, Wenceslaus would start a civil war with the pagan factions in the country. Ludmilla protested and continued to train Wenceslaus to be a Christian ruler, but she was banished from the court as Wenceslaus ascended to the throne. Wenceslaus announced that he would rule as a Christian who would abide by the law of God and the church. As an act of mercy, Wenceslaus restored his mother's place in court to her. Soon after, Ludmilla became a victim of court politics when she was strangled by two court nobles.
When Wenceslaus married and his wife bore a son, his younger brother, Boleslaus, lost his chance at succession. The discontented Boleslaus joined a group of dissidents who plotted against Wenceslaus' government.
In September of 929, Boleslaus invited Wenceslaus to celebrate the feast of Sts. Cosmas and Damian. Wenceslaus was warned that his life was in danger, but he paid the warnings no heed. He toasted Michael the Archangel, said his prayers, went to bed and slept peacefully through the night. The next morning, Wenceslaus met Boleslaus and embraced him, thanking him for his hospitality. Suddenly, Boleslaus and his allies attacked Wenceslaus, cruelly assassinating him. Wenceslaus last words were, “Brother, may God forgive you.”
Almost instantly, the Bohemian people honored the popular king as a martyr. Boleslaus was worried about reports of miracles taking place at Wenceslaus' tomb and moved his body to Prague, where it eventually became a pilgrimage site. St. Wenceslaus is the patron of the Czech people, and some of his relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
The English Christmas carol, “Good King Wenceslaus,” was written in the 19th century and is connected by popular devotion to this saint.
St. Wenceslaus, the good king who ruled with great faith and forgiveness—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Weceslaus is in the public domain. Last accessed April 3, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
