Thursday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Or Optional Memorial of Saint Paul VI, Pope
John 16:16-20
“Your Grief Will Become Joy”

Today, Jesus speaks to us with tender honesty: “You will weep and mourn… but your grief will turn into joy.” These are not abstract words. They come from the heart of someone who knows suffering, who knows what it is to carry a cross, and who promises not to abandon us in our darkest moments.

We often look at our lives through the lens of pain — what we have lost, what went wrong, the burdens we carry. But today, the Lord invites us to lift our eyes and look at the whole path we have walked. Yes, there were tears. But we are still here. How many things you have endured — and yet, grace carried you! Think of the good received: the love of a family, the friendships, even those silent victories no one saw but God. This is where Christian joy is born — not in having everything, but in knowing we are not alone.

This joy does not deny suffering. It passes through it, just as Christ passed through the Cross. The mystery of our faith — the Cross, the Resurrection, the Spirit — is lived step by step, often quietly, in each of our lives. And joy grows when we choose the good, when we sacrifice what doesn’t nourish our soul, when we live for love.

Sadness is part of life. But it must not define us. The Holy Spirit gives us the strength to move forward, to let go of what must pass, and to embrace what gives life.

Let us ask today for the grace to walk with hope, with courage, with joy because the Lord has not finished with us yet! Your grief will become joy. This is His promise.

Come, Holy Spirit. Amen.

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025