--- title: "Daily Gospel Reflection for March 22, 2026: Fifth Sunday of Lent" description: Reflect on Jesus's humanity and compassion as He weeps for Lazarus, and find Christ's presence in your family's joys and sorrows. image: https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/March%2022.png --- [![catholic-mom-logo-v2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/images/catholic-mom-logo-v2.svg "catholic-mom-logo-v2")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) [![search-icon](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/search-icon.svg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/dgr-03222026#) [DAILY GOSPEL REFLECTIONS](https://www.catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/tag/daily-gospel-reflections) # Daily Gospel Reflection for March 22, 2026: Fifth Sunday of Lent Mar 22, 2026 12:15:00 AM  |  by [Father Charlie McCoy, C.S.C.](https://www.catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/author/father-charlie-mccoy-c-s-c) Receive Daily Gospel Reflections in your inbox ![featured image](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/March%2022.png) *Reflect on Jesus's humanity and compassion as He weeps for Lazarus, and find Christ's presence in your family's joys and sorrows. * --- ***Today's Gospel: [John 11: 1-45](https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032226.cfm)*** > “And Jesus wept.” This is the shortest verse in the entire Bible, yet it says so much and contains so many layers of meaning. Most important, this verse shows us that Jesus is true Man; there’s nothing more uniquely human than tears. But what evokes Jesus’s tears? Why does He weep?   Jesus has experienced the death a beloved friend, Lazarus. The sisters Mary and Martha had first alerted Jesus with the message, “Master, the one you love is ill.” So now that Lazarus has died, part of Jesus’s grief is firsthand and personal. Jesus also must feel compassion for Lazarus’s sisters. This is a family Jesus seems to know well and probably has visited regularly. Jesus has just heard both sisters cry out to Him that, had He been present to heal their brother, he wouldn’t have died. This confession of faith in Jesus’s power must have touched Him, even as their regret at His absence would have pierced Him. Yet, everyone’s deep state of mourning and Martha’s reluctance to roll away the stone to Lazarus’s tomb also proves to Jesus that they don’t fully get who He is as the Resurrection and the Life. So Jesus weeps as He yearns for them to learn the hope that He alone can bring.   Our families are places of tears, and these tears flow for many reasons. We weep in grief and in joy. Tears stream from the tender connections we share and from the distance or frustration we can feel. We cry in gratitude for the blessings we enjoy and in yearning for the blessings we could experience if we were more open to them. And like the family of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, amidst all these tears, our families find Christ, Emmanuel, God with us.   ## Ponder: As I consider what brings me and my family to tears these days, how can I see Christ's presence with us?   ## Pray: O Jesus, God Made Man, thank You for walking with my family in life, through death, to eternal life. Help us to see You in our tears of joy, tears of sadness, and tears of faith.   ## Pray Together: Comforting those who mourn and praying for the dead are among the Spiritual Works of Mercy lifted up by our Church. Consider how you might incorporate these works as part of your family's regular practices of prayer and service.   ![March 22](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/March%2022.png?width=1920&height=1080&name=March%2022.png) --- Copyright 2026 Father Charlie McCoy, C.S.C.   ### Share this article [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Fdaily-gospel%2Fdgr-03222026%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Fdaily-gospel%2Fdgr-03222026%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Fdaily-gospel%2Fdgr-03222026%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Daily%20Gospel%20Reflection%20for%20March%2022%2C%202026%3A%20Fifth%20Sunday%20of%20Lent) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Fdaily-gospel%2Fdgr-03222026%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Fdaily-gospel%2Fdgr-03222026%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ** #### About the Author ![Father Charlie McCoy, C.S.C.](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Fr%20%20Charlie%20Bio%20PIc.png) ### [Father Charlie McCoy, C.S.C.](https://www.catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/author/father-charlie-mccoy-c-s-c) Born and raised in the greater Chicago area, Father Charlie McCoy, C.S.C., made his final vows in 2008 and was ordained in 2009. For most of his life in Holy Cross, he has served as a professor and a pastoral resident in a men's hall at the University of Portland in Oregon. Since Father Charlie comes from a lively, close-knit family, and since devotion to the Rosary stretches back generations among his relatives, he feels very blessed to be joining the team at Holy Cross Family Ministries to carry on the legacy of Venerable Patrick Peyton. ## Related Blog Articles [ Daily Gospel Reflection for May 27, 2026 Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/dgr-05272026) [ Daily Gospel Reflection for January 9, 2026 Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/dgr-01092026) [ Daily Gospel Reflection for January 25, 2026 Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/daily-gospel/dgr-01252026) ## Comments ## Donate now [![Support Catholic Mom](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545) [![CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) ##### Subscribe to Catholic Momcast on iTunes or Spotify [![itunes-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/itunes-logo-black.svg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-momcast/id1362352357)[![spotify-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/spotify-logo-black.svg)](https://open.spotify.com/show/15CoipHL7z61IDcYErV0b8?si=hqaQJSxDQgq7S1hxCwsoxQ) ##### CatholicMom on Social Networks [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) ##### About Catholic Mom [Who We Are](https://www.catholicmom.com/about-us) [Contact Us](https://www.catholicmom.com/contact) [Support CatholicMom.com](https://www.catholicmom.com/support-us)   ##### Associated Links [Holy Cross Family Ministries](https://www.hcfm.org/) [Family Rosary](https://www.familyrosary.org/) [Family Theater Productions](https://www.familytheater.org/) [Congregation of the Holy Cross](https://www.holycrossusa.org/) [Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.](https://www.fatherpeyton.org/) [The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life](https://www.peytonfamilyinstitute.org/) ### **Stay connected!** Don’t miss a thing! 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