MEMORIAL OF SAINT DISMAS, THE GOOD THIEF, AND SAINT MARGARET CLITHEROW, MARTYR – FEAST DAY ~ MARCH 25TH 2026

WEDNESDAY OF THE FIFTH WEEK OF LENT | YEAR A

SAINTS OF THE DAY | MARCH 25, 2026 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saints-of-the-day-feast-day-march-25th/

SOLEMNITY OF THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/solemnity-of-the-annunciation-of-the-lord-2/

MEMORIAL OF SAINT DISMAS, THE GOOD THIEF AND SAINT MARGARET CLITHEROW, MARTYR

History of the Saints | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/category/saints-of-the-day

Watch “Holy Mass and Holy Rosary | EWTN | March 25, 2026 | “Holy Mass from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | Pray “Holy Rosary Novena From Lourdes” | Pray “The Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song from the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy” | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/catholic-daily-mass-march-25-2026/

LENTEN CALENDAR AND REFLECTIONS: https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/category/lenten-prayers-and-reflection-2026/

St. Michael the Archangel Prayer; Angelus Prayer; and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy Prayer | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/st-michael-the-archangel-prayer-angelus-prayer-and-the-chaplet-of-divine-mercy-prayer/

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Greetings and blessings, beloved family!

On this Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, our Lenten journey is momentarily illuminated by a glorious light as the Church pauses to celebrate the moment the Word became Flesh. Today, the purple of penance gives way to the white of celebration, marking the hinge of human history when the “High as the sky” glory of God humbled itself to dwell within the womb of a Virgin. In the village of Nazareth, the Archangel Gabriel delivers a message that shatters the limits of the possible, met not by the fearful refusal of a king, but by the radical “Fiat” of Mary. This “Yes” provides the “Body prepared” for the Son of God, establishing a new covenant of obedience that replaces the ancient sacrifices of the law. We are accompanied today by the “Good Thief” Saint Dismas, who found the gates of Paradise open through a final act of repentance, and Saint Margaret Clitherow, the “Pearl of York,” who gave her life to protect the Eucharistic presence of Christ. As we celebrate the Incarnation, let us join our voices with the Psalmist, declaring: “Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.” May we, like Mary, allow the Holy Spirit to overshadow our lives, trusting that with God, nothing—no sin, no trial, and no grave—is ever impossible. Amen. 🙏🏽

LENTEN REFLECTION

DAY 31: LENTEN PRAYERS AND REFLECTIONS 2026 | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/day-31-lenten-prayers-and-reflections-2026/

Day Thirty-One: The Freedom of Truth
(Wednesday, Fifth Week of Lent)

Scripture Passage:
“If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

We have realized that true glory is found in sacrificial love.
We have committed to seeing and serving Christ in our neighbor.
We are building a “holy consistency” that stays the course.

Today Lent invites us to experience the radical freedom that comes from living in God’s truth.

Meditative Reflection

We often mistake “freedom” for the ability to do whatever we want, whenever we want. But throughout this Lenten journey, we have discovered a different kind of liberty. By fasting, we have become free from the control of our appetites. By praying, we have become free from the noise of the world. By Almsgiving, we have become free from the grip of greed. In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to those who already believe in Him. He tells them that remaining in His word is the key to knowing the truth. Real freedom isn’t the absence of boundaries; it is the presence of Truth. When we live according to God’s will, we are no longer slaves to our past mistakes, the opinions of others, or our own insecurities. As we move closer to Holy Week, the Transformation of the Heart reaches a point of liberation. A heart transformed by Christ is a heart that is finally free to love without fear. We are no longer bound by the need to be perfect on our own, we are free to be children of God, relying entirely on His grace. Today, we ask ourselves: What is still holding me back? What chain of habit or fear is God asking me to drop so that I can walk into Holy Week with a free and light heart?

Reflection Questions

Do I feel “burdened” by my faith, or does it give me a sense of peace and freedom?
What is the one truth about God’s love for me that I still struggle to fully believe?
Is there a specific attachment or habit that still feels like a “chain” in my spiritual life?

Lenten Question

Q: Does “fasting” actually make us more free, or is it just a set of rules?
A: True freedom is the ability to say “yes” to what is good. By practicing the “no” of fasting, we break our slavery to immediate impulses. This creates a “space” in the soul where we are finally free to choose God’s truth over our own passing desires.

Lenten Action

Identify one fear or worry that has been weighing you down this week. Write it on a piece of paper, pray for the grace to let it go, and then destroy the paper as a physical sign that you are choosing the freedom of Christ over that fear.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, Your Word is life and Your Truth is freedom. Thank You for the discipline of these past thirty-one days, which has helped break the chains of my selfishness. Grant me the grace to remain in Your Word daily, so that I may live as a truly free disciple. Let my heart be light, my spirit be bold, and my life be a witness to the joy of Your Truth. Amen. 🙏🏽

BIBLE READINGS FOR TODAY’S HOLY MASS:

Fifth Week of Lent | USCCB | https://bible.usccb.org/daily-bible-reading

Today’s Bible Readings: Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord | March 25, 2026
Reading I: Isaiah 7:10–14; 8:10
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 40:7–8a, 8b–9, 10, 11
Reading II: Hebrews 10:4–10
Gospel: Luke 1:26–38

Gospel Reading ~ Luke 1:26–38

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

SCRIPTURE REFLECTIONS

In the Gospel, the dialogue between the Archangel Gabriel and Mary represents the hinge of salvation history. Gabriel’s greeting, “Full of Grace,” reveals Mary’s unique preparation for a mission that would overshadow all others. Unlike Ahas in the first reading, who refused to ask for a sign out of a false sense of piety, Mary asks “How can this be?” not out of doubt, but out of a desire to understand her role in God’s plan. When she receives the answer, that the Holy Spirit will overshadow her, she offers her Fiat. This “Yes” is the bridge between the impossible and the actual; it is the moment the Word becomes flesh to dwell among us.

Mary’s surrender is the perfect human response to a God for whom “nothing is impossible.” By calling herself the “handmaid of the Lord,” she humbles herself so that God may be exalted. This moment in Nazareth is the silent beginning of the victory we will celebrate at Easter. It reminds us that God does not impose His will but waits for our consent. In the midst of our Lenten disciplines, Mary teaches us that the greatest sacrifice we can offer is not just a “holocaust or sin offering,” but a heart that is open to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

The First Reading from Isaiah introduces the prophecy of Emmanuel, meaning “God is with us.” Ahaz’s refusal to trust God’s sign is met with a divine promise that transcends his small-mindedness: “the virgin shall be with child.” This prophecy anchors the Annunciation in the long history of God’s faithfulness to the House of David. It reminds us that even when we are weary or faithless, God is preparing a sign that is “deep as the nether world and high as the sky.”

The Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 40) captures the internal disposition of the heart that says “Yes” to God. “Sacrifice or oblation you wished not, but ears open to obedience you gave me.” It is the cry of a soul that understands that external rituals and holocausts mean little if the heart is closed. By declaring, “Behold I come; to do your will, O my God, is my delight,” the Psalmist prefigures the perfect obedience of Christ and Mary. It invites us to internalize God’s law so that our obedience becomes a joyful offering rather than a burdensome chore.

The Second Reading from Hebrews clarifies the ultimate purpose of the Incarnation. It explains that it is impossible for the “blood of bulls and goats” to truly take away sins; instead, a body was prepared for Christ in the womb of the Virgin. By coming into the world to do the Father’s will, Jesus “takes away the first” (the old system of animal sacrifice) to “establish the second” (the perfect sacrifice of Himself). Through this single “will,” we have been consecrated once for all, proving that our salvation is found in the physical reality of the Word made flesh.

As we celebrate this Solemnity, we are invited to ponder our own “es. Are we like Ahas, closing ourselves off to the signs God wants to give us, or like Mary, allowing the Power of the Most High to overshadow our limitations? Today, the “Word of God becomes flesh” in our lives every time we say, “May it be done to me according to Your word.” Reflect today: In what area of your life is God asking for your consent? Do you believe that nothing, no habit, no debt, no grief, is impossible for God to transform?

Let us pray: O God, who willed that Your Word should take on the reality of human flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, grant that we who confess our Redeemer to be God and man, may merit to become partakers even in His divine nature. Give us the grace to echo Mary’s Fiat in all our trials, trusting that You are always “Emmanuel,” the God who is with us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏🏽

SAINTS OF THE DAY | MARCH 25TH:

Link to Saints of the Day with Daily Reflections| March 25th https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com

Direct link to the detailed history of Saint Dismas, and Saint Margaret Clitherow | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/saints-of-the-day-feast-day-march-25th/

SAINT DISMAS, THE GOOD THIEF: Saint Dismas (1st c.) represents the ultimate triumph of God’s mercy over the “nether world” of sin. While the world saw only a condemned criminal, Dismas looked at the “lifted up” Christ and saw a King. In his final moments, he offered a perfect “Yes” to God’s justice, admitting his guilt and asking only to be remembered. By responding, “Today you will be with me in Paradise,” Jesus showed that no “scroll” of past sins is too long for His forgiveness. Dismas teaches us that it is never too late to say “Behold, I come” and to move from the darkness of a “just condemnation” into the light of an eternal Kingdom.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, You promised Paradise to the repentant Dismas even as You hung upon the Cross. Through his intercession, grant us the grace of true contrition and the courage to confess our sins with a humble heart. Wash us in Your Precious Blood and remember us when You come into Your Kingdom, so that we may dwell with You forever. Amen. 🙏🏽

SAINT MARGARET CLITHEROW, MARTYR: Saint Margaret (1556–1586), known as the “Pearl of York,” was a woman whose “ears were open to obedience.” In a time when the “blood of bulls and goats” (earthly power and politics) sought to weary God’s people, she turned her home into a secret “Nazareth” where the Word could be celebrated in the Mass. Like Mary, she faced a choice between earthly safety and divine will; she chose to be “pressed to death” rather than betray the priests who brought Christ to the faithful. Her sacrifice, offered on a Good Friday, mirrors the “offering of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all,” proving that for a heart where God’s law is written, no weight is too heavy to bear for the sake of the Gospel.

PRAYER: Almighty God, You gave Saint Margaret Clitherow the strength to witness to the Faith even unto a painful death. Through her intercession, inspire all businesswomen and converts to serve You with unwavering devotion. Protect all mothers and their unborn children, and grant us the “pearl” of great price, the courage to say “May it be done to me according to Your word” in every trial. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏🏽

Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Dismas, and Saint Margaret Clitherow — pray for us. 🙏🏽

PRAYER INTENTION: FOR REPENTANCE, THE PERSECUTED, AND THE STRENGTH TO DO GOD’S WILL

On this Solemnity, let us join our voices with the vast assembly, trusting in the God for whom nothing is impossible. Lord, we pray for all prisoners, funeral directors, and those seeking a way out of sin; through the intercession of Saint Dismas (Patron of prisoners, condemned criminals, and repentant thieves), grant them the gift of true repentance and the peace of Your promise of Paradise. We lift up businesswomen, converts, and all who work for the Church; through the courage of Saint Margaret Clitherow (Patroness of businesswomen, converts, and the Catholic Women’s League), give them the strength to harbor the Truth in their hearts and never to fear the “holocausts” of this world. We pray especially for persecuted Christians and for the protection of the unborn, that through Mary’s “Yes,” all life may be cherished from conception to natural end. May we all be “consecrated” this day through the offering of Your Body. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 🙏🏽

PRAYER FOR PEACE | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/a-prayer-for-peace/

THE POPE’S MONTHLY INTENTIONS FOR 2026: FOR THE MONTH OF MARCH: For disarmament and peace. Let us pray that nations move toward effective disarmament, particularly nuclear disarmament, and that world leaders choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence.

(https://popesprayerusa.net/popes-intentions/)

DEVOTION OF THE MONTH OF MARCH: MONTH OF SAINT JOSEPH: The Church dedicates the month of March to Saint Joseph, the humble and faithful guardian of the Redeemer. Though he spoke no recorded words in Scripture, his life preached obedience, courage, responsibility, and silent strength. “His was the title of father of the Son of God, because he was the Spouse of Mary, ever Virgin. He was our Lord’s father, because Jesus yielded to him the obedience of a son. He was our Lord’s father, because to him were entrusted, and by him were faithfully fulfilled, the duties of a father: protecting Him, giving Him a home, sustaining and rearing Him, and providing Him with a trade.” Saint Joseph was entrusted with the greatest treasure Heaven could give Jesus and Mary and he fulfilled that mission with quiet fidelity. He protected the Holy Family in danger, labored diligently to provide for them, and trusted God even when he did not fully understand the divine plan. In this month, we are invited to imitate his virtues: deep trust in God, purity of heart, faithful service, and steadfast responsibility in our own vocations. Like Saint Joseph, may we learn to act with courage, listen in silence, and obey God promptly. May this Month of Saint Joseph strengthen fathers, guide families, protect workers, and inspire all of us to live hidden yet holy lives before God.

Saint Joseph, pray for us. 🙏🏽

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/month.cfm?y=2026&m=2

PRAYER FOR THE DEAD
We pray for the repose of the gentle souls of our loved ones and souls of all the faithful departed. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon them. May their gentle souls through the mercy of God rest in perfect peace with our Lord Jesus Christ… Amen 🙏🏽

Thanking God for His love and the gift of this day, we offer Him a prayer of gratitude and entrust the days ahead to His loving providence. We pray for God’s grace and mercy as we continue our spiritual journey. May this Lenten journey help us to seek You in the secret places of our hearts. May the peace, hope, and steady guidance that flow from walking daily with Christ shape our steps, inform our decisions, and strengthen our resolve to live each day in love and holiness. As we journey onward into this new month, may God bless our families and loved ones, and may His light continue to shine brightly in every home. Let us draw closer to God and be renewed through prayer, fasting, penance, and generosity to the poor. May God keep us all safe and well during these challenging times. Wishing us all a reflective, spiritually enriching, most blessed, and grace-filled Lenten Season. Amen 🙏🏽

Save Us, Savior of the World. Our Blessed Mother Mary, Saint Dismas, and Saint Margaret Clitherow ~ Pray for us 🙏🏾

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place all my trust in you. Jesus, I trust in you! Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us. Amen 🙏🏽

Blessings and Love always, Philomena 💖

DEVOTIONAL RESOURCES

A Guide to Catholic Prayer & Faith Resources: Prayers, Devotions, Teachings,and the Liturgical Year | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/catholic-prayer-faith-resources/

Catholic Mission & Witness: Foundations, Media Features, Global Outreach and Podcast Interview | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/catholic-mission-witness-foundations-media-features-and-global-outreach/

Daily Reflections with Philomena | https://dailyreflectionswithphilomena.com/