May 4, 2026
Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Gospel: John 14:21-26

Today is Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter. The passage from the Gospel of Saint John continues to present Jesus ‘farewell discourse to His disciples before His Passion.

Whenever we encounter the word “commandments” in Scripture, we often think of the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. We also recall the Five Precepts of the Church established for our pastoral benefit, as well as the Seven Capital Sins derived from the Word of God.

Dear brothers and sisters! Called to receive Baptism in Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we are united by faith with Jesus Christ, with the Father who dwells in Him, and with the Paraclete whom He and the Father send forth. By receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, we are bound more closely to the Word of God; therefore, we must keep the commandments Jesus gives us. That commandment is: “Love one another as I have loved you.” (cf. John 13:34).

Perhaps, like Judas (not the Iscariot) in the Gospel, we often ask Jesus in prayer: “Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” (cf. John 14:22). It may seem to us that since we are created in God’s image, and though we are distinguished from unbelievers by Baptism and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, those outside the faith still have the right to see Jesus, to receive His love, and to know Him. If we think this way, it shows we have not yet understood Jesus’ words. The merciful Lord Jesus Christ reveals Himself to us according to His holy will and in ways we can grasp, so that we might give witness by our actions to the intimate communion we experience with the Lord. May the world see the change in our lives and resolve to join us: discerning their vocation under the light and guidance of the Holy Spirit, following the promptings of the Paraclete, receiving Baptism and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, becoming children of God, and rejoicing deeply in the holy love of God.

May your right hand, O Lord, we pray,
encompass your family with perpetual help,
so that, defended from all wickedness
by the Resurrection of your Only Begotten Son,
we may make our way by means of your heavenly gifts.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica