March 26, 2026
Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Gospel: John 8:51-59

Today is the Thursday of the Fifth Week of Lent. The passage from the Gospel of Saint John describes a conversation between Jesus and the Jews shortly before His Passion.

In the Jews who spoke with Jesus, we see a reflection of ourselves—for we often act like them, interpreting God’s Word according to our own thoughts. The reason the Jews thought Jesus was “possessed” (cf. John 8:52) was because He said to them: “Whoever keeps my word will never see death” (John 8:51). To them, human life is finite and can never be extended indefinitely; thus, they understood Jesus’ words as: “Whoever keeps Jesus’ words will never taste death” (John 8:52). They did not believe that Jesus was God, greater than Abraham.

Jesus wants to tell us: If we want to live, we must unite ourselves closely with Him through receiving His Baptism, the Holy Spirit He shares with the Father, the Eucharist (His Body and Blood given out of love for us), the Scriptures, prayer, and the practice of charity. For only then can we receive the full nourishment of His life from the Eucharist, which we share together. He wants to tell us even more: Whoever keeps His word, receives His Baptism, and receives the Holy Spirit He shares with the Father—though living in this changing world—has already entered the world of God. In God’s world, all are alive.

As Jesus said: “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father who glorifies me, he of whom you say, ‘He is our God,’ and you do not know him. But I know him, and if I were to say that I do not know him, I would be like you, a liar. But I do know him, and I keep his word” (John 8:54-55). If we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and desire what the Holy Spirit desires, we will be able to rely on the Holy Spirit to mortify the unruly impulses of the flesh and completely break free from the bondage brought by sin. Then, we will be satisfied by prefiguring the world of God on earth and experiencing all the good things that God’s Word gives us.

Be near, O Lord, to those who plead before you, and look kindly on those who place their hope in your mercy, that, cleansed from the stain of their sins, they may persevere in holy living and be made full heirs of your promise. 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. Amen.

©Totus Tuus 2026
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica