May 18, 2026 Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter Optional Memorial of Saint John I, Pope, Martyr Gospel: John 16:29-33
Today is Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter. The Church celebrates the memorial of the martyrdom of Pope Saint John I. The passage from the Gospel of John continues the words of Jesus’ farewell discourse to His disciples before His Passion. I would like to take this opportunity to offer some reflections.
The disciples said to Jesus, “Now You are speaking plainly, without figures of speech. Now we know that You know all things and do not need anyone to question You. Because of this, we believe that You came from God” (cf. John 16:29-30). They spoke these words because they believed Jesus knew everything—and even expected Him to meet their needs by fighting for them and conquering the Romans.
We can be the same way. Many brothers and sisters living in our parishes often tell non-believers: “Believe in Jesus and you will receive eternal life; if you do not believe in Him, God will punish you severely.” Because God is all-knowing, they present the Church founded by God as one that harshly demands strict adherence to divine law. This is absolutely not the God revealed by Jesus. Rather, it is a god we have created based on our own interests—a god identical to the one imagined by the Pharisees, Sadducees, chief priests, Herodians, scribes, and elders of the people in Jesus’ time.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus says to His disciples, “Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave Me alone” (cf. John 16:32). Jesus speaks of this “hour” with two meanings. The first refers to the time of His arrest. As recorded in Matthew’s Gospel, when Judas betrayed Jesus and led the men sent by the chief priests and elders to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, all the apostles fled and deserted Him (cf. Matt 26:47-56). The second meaning points to every time we sin against Him. Whenever we sin and offend Him, we act like those disciples—turning away from Him and fleeing back to what we consider a place of safety.
Today, the Church celebrates the memorial of the martyrdom of Pope Saint John I. When he saw the people of God being persecuted by an heretical king, Pope Saint John I faithfully fulfilled his mission as the Successor of Peter, bearing witness to Christ. Even while imprisoned in a dungeon, he remained faithful to God and ultimately died there on May 18, 526. Let us imitate the example of this holy Pope: to be faithful to Christ and to fulfill our own vocation in a manner worthy of it.
May the power of the Holy Spirit come to us, we pray, O Lord, that we may keep your will faithfully in mind and express it in a devout way of life. 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
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