May 3, 2026 Fifth Sunday of Easter Year A Gospel: John 14:1–12
Today the Church celebrates the Fifth Sunday of Easter. The passage from the Gospel of Saint John further reveals to us the path toward growth in holiness. I would like to take this opportunity to offer some reflections.
We often place our sense of security in fellow creatures who, like us, are subject to corruption and decay. In our eyes, those who live closely with us day by day, and every word that comes from their lips, become the source of our comfort. Imperceptibly, we begin to take their words as the norm for our lives. Gradually, our hearts drift away from God, because we regard all that they say as though it were the Gospel of the Kingdom revealed to us through them. When they leave us—for whatever reason—we become like the disciples when they heard that Jesus was about to leave them: deeply troubled and unsettled.
The Lord Christ, rich in mercy, did not forget to console His disciples at the moment of parting (cf. Jn 14:1–4). To keep those who had followed Him from Galilee to Jerusalem from grieving over His departure—for, like Thomas called Didymus, they were immersed in this shifting world and could not yet discern their vocation—they said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how can we know the way?” (cf. Jn 14:5). Jesus answered them, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (cf. Jn 14:6). For Jesus did not come into this world to condemn it, but so that through the sacrifice He offered on the Cross, all humanity might be reconciled with the Father and with the world itself. Thus, through all that He proclaimed and through the atoning sacrifice He offered to the Father on the Cross, humanity receives forgiveness of sins and begins a new life in Him.
As I have often emphasized, from the moment a Christian receives the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, his earthly life is perfectly united with the eternal life of Jesus Christ. Anointed with the Holy Spirit, he must courageously embrace the mission of evangelization. This mission requires a complete transformation of self, so that one’s thoughts, words, and actions fully conform to those of Jesus Christ. Then, those who live closely with us will gradually perceive in our lives the reflection of Jesus Christ. They will walk with us, through Jesus Christ, to the merciful Father; through the Church, come to know and accept the teaching of the Word of God; and through the Eucharist, receive the abundant life found in Jesus Christ. In this way, the love of God is brought to fulfilment in the hearts of all who are called to be His people.
Almighty ever-living God, constantly accomplish the Paschal Mystery within us, that those you were pleased to make new in Holy Baptism may, under your protective care, bear much fruit and come to the joys of life eternal. 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
May 2, 2026 Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Gospel: John 14:7-14
Today is Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter. The Church commemorates Saint Athanasius today. According to his biography, he was one of the Eastern Church Fathers. During his lifetime, he served as Bishop of Alexandria in Egypt. In the year 325, he combated the Arian heresy, defining that Jesus is consubstantial and perfectly equal with God the Father, thus laying a historic foundation for the theology of the Trinity. He passed away on May 2, 373.
Today’s Mass Gospel continues with the discourse from the Gospel of John, consisting of Jesus’ farewell words to His disciples before His Passion.
Sometimes, we strive mightily to change this world; we desire to make it a better place. In our eyes, only we ourselves can change this world. Likewise, we tend to project our own vision of a better life onto Jesus, just as Philip did. For Philip and the Jews of that time, they hoped Jesus would be the Messiah who would defeat the Romans for them. They regarded Jesus merely as a Rabbi from Galilee. Although they witnessed His works and heard His teachings, because they failed to view Jesus’ works and understand all He taught according to the new world belonging to God, they ended up saying to Jesus, as Philip did: “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” (cf. Jn 14:8) This is precisely what belongs to those who belong to this passing world, for since they cannot see Jesus clearly, they cannot see the Father dwelling in Jesus either.
What work was Jesus doing? During His earthly life, He constantly performed miracles and proclaimed the true doctrine. To save us, He was even willing to die on the Cross, using the water from His sacred side to wash away our offenses and atone for the sin committed by Adam and Eve in their disobedience. He also gave us the blood from His side, so that our souls would thirst no more. At the Last Supper, He gave us His own Body, providing nourishment not only for our perishable bodies but also for our souls, so that by receiving His Body and Blood, we might receive benefit. He does nothing on His own, but it is the Father dwelling in Him who does all these things.
Dear brothers and sisters: Through the reception of Baptism and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we are perfectly united to the risen Lord Jesus Christ. If we listen to the Word of God externally while our hearts are not within the sanctuary, then we have not truly accepted the Word of God. If we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ without entering into our inner room, then we are rejecting the Word of God who descends into our hearts to nourish us with His unconditional love.
May Saint Athanasius intercedes for us before the throne of God, so that our thoughts, words, and deeds may become daily more conformed to Christ and progress ever more towards holiness.
Almighty ever-living God, who raised up the Bishop Saint Athanasius as an outstanding champion of your Son’s divinity, mercifully grant, that, rejoicing in his teaching and his protection, we may never cease to grow in knowledge and love of you. 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.
May 1, 2026 Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter / Saint Joseph the Worker Gospel: John 14:1–6
Today is Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter. The Church commemorates Saint Joseph the Worker today. The text from the Gospel of Saint John uses the dialogue between Jesus and His disciples to depict the ultimate end of each one of us.
In our daily lives, we often feel sorrow. For example, when we embark on an unknown journey, we often feel anxious. What makes us anxious is: where will we live, what will we eat, and how will we get there? Another example: we get into college, but the college is not local, it is in another province. We also feel sorrow. What makes us sorrowful is: will I be unable to adapt to the life in this college? Is this college really suitable for me?
In our life of faith, we also feel anxious and restless. The reason we feel anxious and restless is that we do not believe in God. In our view, God seems to be somewhat real and somewhat unreal. If we offer prayers to God and, under certain circumstances, obtain the grace we asked for, we will think: “The reason we succeeded is because we worked hard and we paid the price, not because God bestowed all these graces upon us.” If we ask God for a grace that exceeds our ability, while waiting for God to bestow this grace upon us, we will feel anxious and restless because we cannot be sure whether God will actually give it to us.
Jesus says: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.” (cf. Jn 14:1) The meaning is: I am almighty. Only I can stop your hearts from being troubled. Only by being in communion with Me will your inner hearts return to peace. Therefore, you must believe in God and also believe in Me. Thomas replied, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” (cf. Jn 14:5) This is actually the voice of each one of us, because, like Thomas, we cannot face the path Jesus points out to us directly, and we dare not summon the courage to follow in Christ’s footsteps.
Here, we must look back at the journey of faith of Saint Joseph, the Patron of Workers. Pope Francis teaches us: When Saint Joseph faced the fact that the Virgin Mary was with child by the power of God, he also felt uneasy. However, he did not respond with conflict or punishment, but sought a way that both respected Mary, whom he cherished, and fully preserved her dignity… After the angel of the Lord intervened, he believed in God completely, obeyed the angel’s words, and took the Virgin Mary into his home. It is precisely this unshakeable trust in God that enabled him to accept a situation that is unbearable for humans and, in a certain sense, difficult to understand. (cf. Pope Francis: Angelus, December 22, 2019) Saint Joseph was faithful to God. In the Bible, no words of his are found. He silently accompanied Jesus and the Virgin Mary, thus setting an example for us.
Dear brothers and sisters! God has called us from the dust of the earth. Our choice to receive the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit is precisely a choice of the path Jesus points out to us. This is destined to be a rugged and bumpy road; it is destined to be a path where few people tread. Because this is completely different from the choice of the world. However, when we use the eyes of faith to look at the choice made by Jesus and adopt a contemplative attitude to watch all that Jesus does in our lives, we will see the truth of God hidden within all these things. If we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, abide by His teachings, and walk on the path He points out for us to take, we will be able to go to eternal life through Jesus. At that time, our inner selves will become clean, and just as Jesus said: “Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.” (cf. Mt 5:8) To see God means to be with God, and the God who created the world will surely give us eternal life.
On this Memorial of Saint Joseph the Worker, let us offer our prayers to God together:
O God, Creator of all things, who laid down for the human race the law of work, graciously grant that by the example of Saint Joseph and under his patronage we may complete the works you set us to do and attain the rewards you promise. Amen.
全属于祢 
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