June 25, 2026 Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time Gospel: Matthew 7:21–29
Today is Thursday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time. The passage from the Gospel of Saint Matthew continues to present to us the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. Today’s Gospel brings us to its conclusion.
We often offer many different kinds of prayers to God. At the beginning of our prayers, we address Him as “Lord God,” “Almighty God,” or “Merciful God.” In our eyes, these prayers seem pleasing to God and in accord with His holy will; we think that by praying in this way, we secure and strengthen our relationship with Him. Yet such prayer is not necessarily acceptable to God. Too often, our petitions seek the things of this passing world rather than the righteousness of the Kingdom that God calls us to pursue.
Today, Jesus calls us to do the will of the Father. To know the Father’s will, we must ask for the light and guidance of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of truth” of whom Jesus spoke in His farewell discourse before His Passion (cf. John 16:13). We may feel familiar with Jesus Christ, but our understanding of the Holy Spirit is often less mature. Saint Paul teaches us that the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (cf. Romans 8:26). Pope Saint Paul VI, in his Apostolic Letter Credo of the People of God, instructs us: “The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church; our faith rests upon Him, for He is the life of the Mystical Body of Christ” (Pope Saint Paul VI, Credo of the People of God, 6). He dwells perpetually within the Church. In the Eucharistic Liturgy, we frequently hear the priest pray: “Lord, we implore You, send forth Your Holy Spirit to sanctify these gifts, that they may become for us the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ” (cf. The Roman Missal, Catholic Truth Society, England, 25 June 2025, approved by the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, Prot. 1021/07/L, pp. 1036–1037).
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ! If we contemplate all that happens to us with the eyes of faith, and if our hearts are attuned to the Heart of the Divine Word, we shall discern the presence of the Holy Spirit. For the Spirit ceaselessly reveals to us the hidden wisdom of God’s will and sustains our bond with Jesus Christ. When we cling faithfully to the Holy Spirit and allow His promptings to shape our prayers, then Jesus recognizes in our supplications His own voice. And the Father, who loves us, likewise recognizes in them the voice of His only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ—and through the intercession of the Spirit, grants us every grace we need. Then our faith will stand firm, like a house built upon rock—founded upon Christ Himself, the living Stone, and upon Peter, the Rock chosen by the Word of God—unshakable, even as the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church is unshakable.
Grant, O Lord, that we may always revere and love your holy name, for you never deprive of your guidance those you set firm on the foundation of your love. 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
June 24, 2026 The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist Gospel: Luke 1:57–66, 80
Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. The passage from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke proclaims to us the mystery of John’s birth. I take this opportunity to offer some reflections.
In daily life, when a neighbor or a relative welcome a newborn child, we hasten to congratulate them and share in their joy. So too, when a child was born to Zechariah’s household, his neighbors and relatives would naturally have rejoiced with them. At that time, they intended to circumcise the child according to the command God gave to Abraham (cf. Genesis 17:23–27), so that the boy might belong to Israel. They acted thus because they did not yet understand the mission John the Baptist was to fulfill.
But Elizabeth and Zechariah unanimously declared to their neighbors and relatives, “His name is John.” This name had been revealed to Zechariah by the angel Gabriel (cf. Luke 1:12–13). The name John means: “God bestows grace,” manifesting His mercy and revealing His gracious favor. Elizabeth and Zechariah acted as they did because they had already experienced the love God showed them—a love that transformed their lives. No longer did they live according to the patterns of the old covenant alone; now they dwelt in God’s own world, which is to say, in the very love of God.
Today, we rejoice at the birth of John the Baptist, for his coming signifies that the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ is near. Therefore, let us lift up our hearts in faith and offer our prayer to God:
O God, who raised up Saint John the Baptist to make ready a nation fit for Christ the Lord, give your people, we pray, the grace of spiritual joys and direct the hearts of all the faithful into the way of salvation and peace. 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.
June 23, 2026 Evening: Vigil Mass for the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist Gospel: Luke 1:5–17
Today is Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time. According to the tradition of the Church, the Vigil Mass for the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist is celebrated this evening. For pastoral reasons, we continue this year to provide reflections for both Masses. The Gospel for the Vigil Mass of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist is taken from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke.
At the opening of the Gospel, Saint Luke introduces us to John’s parents: Zechariah, a priest of God, and Elizabeth, a descendant of Aaron. In the time of Moses, Aaron was consecrated as priest (Exodus 28:1–5); yet even such holy spouses were childless. In Jewish society during Zechariah’s time, barrenness or the absence of children was commonly regarded as a punishment from the Lord. But in the eyes of God, this was part of His divine plan. Why so? Because it is precisely in the lives of women once deemed barren that God manifests His wondrous power. Consider the mother of Samson, the wife of Manoah of the tribe of Dan: through her, God raised up Samson to deliver Israel from the Philistines (cf. Judges 13–16). And consider most blessedly the Virgin Mary: though she had no relations with Joseph, through her obedient surrender to the divine will, she miraculously conceived and gave birth to the Savior of humanity, making visible the invisible God.
Today, the words spoken by the angel to Zechariah are filled with profound consolation. He said: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John” (cf. Luke 1:13). The name John is singularly significant: it does not come from Zechariah’s ancestry, but is given by the angel. This signifies that from the very moment of his conception in Elizabeth’s womb, John is destined for a unique mission. He will await the visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary, draw comfort from the words spoken by the Savior Jesus Christ through His Mother’s greeting, rejoice with exultant gladness at the presence of the Redeemer, and later, nourished by locusts and wild honey, prepare a holy people for the Messiah of God—a people ready to enter the Kingdom proclaimed by Jesus. Therefore, on this most sacred night, let us raise our prayer to God:
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that your family may walk in the way of salvation and, attentive to what Saint John the Precursor urged, may come safely to the One he foretold, our Lord Jesus Christ. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
全属于祢 
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