Arise like Lazarus

Daily Bread | Thursday, March 5, 2026

Good Thursday morning. The world kept moving overnight. Here's what happened, and what your faith has to say about it.

✝ Thursday of the 2nd week of Lent

From the Holy Father

Pope Leo XIV

Pope Leo XIV: "Work for peace" and "seek solutions without weapons"

Pope Leo XIV made a direct personal statement calling the world to pursue peace through dialogue rather than military force, speaking to journalists amid escalating Middle East violence. His words represent the Pope's own voice responding urgently to today's most serious global crisis.

Response to World Events

Today's Gospel

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Luke 16:19-31

"Jesus said to the Pharisees: ‘There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day. And at his gate there lay a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even came and licked his sores."

Rosary Mystery of the Day

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Today's Mysteries

Thursday: Luminous Mysteries

Luminous Mysteries

1. The Baptism of Christ in the Jordan
2. The Wedding Feast at Cana
3. The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God
4. The Transfiguration
5. The Institution of the Eucharist

Defend the Faith

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Apologetics

Saints

The Objection

"Why do Catholics pray to saints? That's worship that belongs to God alone. The Bible says there's one mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ."

The Catholic Response

Catholics don't worship saints; we ask them to pray for us, the same way you'd ask a friend to pray for you. The difference is that these friends are alive in Christ (Luke 20:38: 'He is not God of the dead, but of the living'). 1 Timothy 2:5 does name Christ as the one mediator, but verses 2:1 through 2:4 in that same passage urge Christians to intercede for one another, which is exactly what saints do from heaven. Revelation 5:8 shows the elders in heaven presenting the prayers of the saints before God's throne, confirming that intercession doesn't stop at death (see also CCC 956 and 2683).

CCC 956 | CCC 2683 | 1 Timothy 2:1-5 | Revelation 5:8 | Luke 20:38

Daily Trivia

Test Your Faith IQ

Scripture

In today's Gospel parable, the rich man asks Abraham to send Lazarus back from the dead to warn his brothers. What is Abraham's famous reply about what should be sufficient to convert them?

A) 'They have the prophets; let them listen to them.'
B) 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.'
C) 'They have the Law and the Temple. Let them worship there.'
D) 'They have their conscience. Let them examine it.'

Answer at the bottom of this newsletter.

Faith & The World

What are today's mortgage and mortgage refinance interest ra

Photo: CBS News

CBS News

What are today's mortgage and mortgage refinance interest rates?

Homebuyers and homeowners are tracking daily mortgage rate fluctuations to lock in the best possible deal on their biggest financial commitment.

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FAITH & THE WORLD

Jeremiah 17:7-8

"Blessed are those who trust in the LORD; the LORD will be their trust. They are like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream."

CCC 2424 and Rerum Novarum

Today's first reading draws a stark line: trust in human systems alone and you become dry scrub; trust in God and you're a tree by the water. Catholic Social Teaching (Rerum Novarum, CCC 2424) affirms the right to private property and a home, but warns that when financial anxiety becomes our root system instead of God, we've already moved to the parched land Jeremiah describes.

Reflect → Is your financial planning rooted in prudence, or has it quietly become the thing you actually trust most?

Photo: CBS News

CBS News

What is the price of silver today?

Investors are watching silver prices closely as precious metals play a growing role in portfolio diversification strategies.

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FAITH & THE WORLD

Matthew 26:15

"He said, 'What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?' They paid him thirty pieces of silver."

CCC 2112-2113 (Idolatry)

Silver has a price. So did Judas's betrayal. The Catechism warns that idolatry isn't just golden calves; it's "whatever is revered and served instead of God, be it money, power, or any created thing" (CCC 2113). Checking the price of silver is fine, but the Gospel of Lazarus today reminds us that the rich man's sin wasn't wealth itself; it was that silver blinded him to the man bleeding at his gate.

Reflect → What's the 'price of silver' in your life: the number you check more often than you pray?

Iran continues firing missiles, drones at neighboring states

Photo: Fox News

Fox News

Iran continues firing missiles, drones at neighboring states, with multiple interceptions reported

Iran has launched a new wave of missiles and drones targeting Israel and U.S. bases across the region in continued retaliation against Operation Epic Fury.

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FAITH & THE WORLD

Psalm 120:6-7

"Too long do I live among those who hate peace. When I speak of peace, they are for war."

CCC 2307-2309 (Just War Doctrine) and Pacem in Terris

The Church is not pacifist, but it sets a brutally high bar for justified violence (CCC 2309): lasting damage must be grave, all peaceful alternatives must be exhausted, and the use of arms must not produce evils greater than the evil to be eliminated. Every missile exchanged moves civilians closer to that "greater evil" threshold, and Pacem in Terris reminds us that true peace is never just the absence of war but the presence of justice.

Reflect → When you see headlines about war, do you scroll past, or do you actually stop and pray for people whose names you'll never know?

Good In The World

[GOOD NEWS] Philly Man Uses Mobile Laundromat to Wash Homele

Photo: Good News Network

Good News Network

[GOOD NEWS] Philly Man Uses Mobile Laundromat to Wash Homeless Residents' Clothes

Joe Richardson left his career to start a mobile laundromat that washes clothes for Philadelphia's homeless population, calling the work deeply fulfilling.

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FAITH & GOOD NEWS

Luke 16:20-21

"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."

Corporal Works of Mercy (CCC 2447)

Today's Gospel shows a rich man who never saw Lazarus at his gate. Joe Richardson looked at the same kind of person and saw someone who deserved clean clothes and dignity. The Corporal Works of Mercy (CCC 2447) aren't just a checklist; they're the difference between ending up with Abraham or ending up calling out from the flames.

Reflect → Who is the Lazarus at your gate, and what small, concrete act of mercy could you offer them this week?

Saint of the Day

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Saint of the Day

March 5

St. John Joseph of the Cross

Born Carlo Gaetano Calosirto on the island of Ischia near Naples, he entered the Franciscan order at age 16 and was ordained at just 21. He was so small in stature that people joked he could be mistaken for a child, yet he became a superior who reformed entire communities. He reportedly levitated during prayer on multiple occasions, and his fellow friars got so used to it they barely commented.

His feast is March 5, and his radical Franciscan poverty mirrors today's Gospel about the chasm between the rich man who feasted and Lazarus who starved.

Trivia Answer

B . Abraham says, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them' (Luke 16:29). Jesus is making a stunning point: God has already given enough revelation. If people ignore Scripture, even a resurrection won't convince them. The early Church Fathers saw this as foreshadowing the Pharisees' rejection of Jesus's own Resurrection.

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