May 20, 2026
Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Gospel: John 17:11b-19

Today is Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter. The passage from the Gospel according to Saint John presents us with Jesus’ prayer to the Father before His Passion. In fact, yesterday we read the first part of this High Priestly Prayer; today we continue with the second part.

Who are those whom the Father has given to Jesus? They are those who are willing to listen to the Word of God, who are enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and who have received the anointing of Baptism and the Chrism of Christ. The Father chose them from the world, so that from the moment they left their mother’s womb, they might experience every good gift of His creation. Our merciful heavenly Father also grants them holy shepherds and a cloud of witnesses—those saints who stand before the throne of God—to encourage them to follow Christ courageously, to receive His Baptism, and to be filled with the oil of gladness poured out by the Holy Spirit, thus uniting themselves to Christ. Speaking of this union, Saint Paul says: “We were indeed buried with Him through Baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.”(cf. Rom 6:3-4)

Today, the Lord Christ remains truly present among us. If we come to the church and gaze upon the Crucifix with the eyes of faith, we will perceive that Jesus is truly here, present in the image of the sculpture. If we participate in Holy Mass with firm faith, we hear the Lector proclaim the Scriptures, and our Priest expounds the Gospel. If we open the ears of our faith to listen, we will find that Jesus is present among us; He is present in a perceptible manner, filling our inmost being. When we approach the altar with the eyes of faith, we see that in the Tabernacle, and in the reception of the Most Holy Eucharist, our Lord Jesus Christ is present under the appearances of bread and wine. When we receive His Body and Blood, He truly enters our hearts and fills our souls. When we close our corruptible eyes and look with the eyes of faith, we discover that Jesus is present among us, conversing with our hearts.

As we prepare to conclude the Easter Season and return to Ordinary Time, let us now offer our prayers to God:

Graciously grant to your Church, O merciful God,
that, gathered by the Holy Spirit,
she may be devoted to you with all her heart
and united in purity of intent.
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