May 6, 2026
Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter
Gospel: John 15:1-8

Today is Wednesday 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. In this passage, we hear the parable of the True Vine.

We often see grapevines growing and bearing abundant fruit in due season. When the vines bear rich clusters, the vinedresser gathers them to make wine and other beverages.

The Lord, rich in mercy, created us in His own image and likeness, and entrusted all of creation to our care. Even after our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed His command and were driven from Paradise, He continued to send prophets, judges, priests, and kings to instruct His beloved Israel. He even sent His only Son to reveal His compassion among us. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, does not speak on His own authority, but on the Father’s who sent Him. He does nothing on His own, but the Father, dwelling in Him, continues His work. All that He does is so that we may bear fruit—fruit worthy of the many graces He bestows upon us.

How can we bear such fruit? By remaining always in Christ. To live in Christ means to be buried and die with Him in Baptism, crucifying our sinful old self with Him on the Cross, so that we may begin a new life with the risen Lord Jesus Christ in the world of God.

How do we begin this new life with the risen Lord? By abiding in Him. How do we abide? By frequently receiving the Eucharist. When we come regularly to church for Mass, the Holy Word of God fills us—not only our senses and faculties, but also our very being. By receiving His Holy Body and Blood, He makes His dwelling within us. Once He dwells within us, He fills us with His divine life and grace. If we do His will and follow His teachings, then we truly live with Him in the new life of God’s kingdom.

O God, restorer and lover of innocence,
direct the hearts of your servants towards yourself,
that those you have set free from the darkness of unbelief
may never stray from the light of your truth.
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