Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter
May 7, 2026
Gospel: John 15:9-11

Today is Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter, the passage from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John continues to present the Farewell Discourse of Jesus: His words to the disciples before His Passion. In this passage, Jesus mentions love repeatedly.

What is love? Saint Paul the Apostle teaches us: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not inflated with pride. It is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury. It does not rejoice in wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (cf. 1 Cor 13:4-7). Paul offers a profound summary of the love proclaimed by Jesus. Yet, we often feel that this love remains distant, abstract, or even imperceptible to us.
The reason we fail to perceive this love is that we do not live according to the teachings of Jesus Christ; instead, we continue to follow the mindset of this world. The wisdom of this age teaches not love, but hatred; it teaches people to seek revenge against one another.

Today, Jesus instructs us: “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.” (John 15:10). This means only by truly laying down the hatred in our hearts; by entrusting our resentments and every inner affliction to God, can we abide in His love. Although this is an exceedingly painful process, we must still hold fast to God, trusting that He will never forsake us.

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