April 10, 2026 Friday of the Easter Octave Gospel: John 21:1–14
Today is Friday of the Easter Octave. The passage from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John narrates Jesus’ final appearance to His disciples by the Sea of Tiberias and their shared meal—a story that invites profound reflection on the heart of Christian faith.
Saint John wrote: “Jesus appeared again to His disciples by the Sea of Tiberias” (John 21:1). What is this sea? Originally known as Lake Tiberias, it is also called the Sea of Galilee—a place deeply woven into the disciples’ memory. The Evangelist Luke mentions it as the site where Jesus met Simon Peter and the two sons of Zebedee (James and John), teaching crowds from Peter’s boat before instructing him to “put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch” (cf. Luke 5:1–11). It is also the location where Matthew’s Gospel begins Jesus’ public ministry, calling Peter, Andrew, James, and John to follow Him (cf. Matthew 4:18–22). Clearly, the disciples knew this place well—it was where they first encountered the Lord.
Saint John tells us that “on that night, they caught nothing”(John 21:3–4). This echoes an earlier moment: when Jesus first called Peter, the fisherman had laboured all night “and have taken nothing” (Luke 5:5). But Jesus’ response was the same then as now: “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some”(John 21:6; cf. Luke 5:4). Obeying the Savior’s command, the disciples hauled in a miraculous catch—proof of His divine authority.
Today, the Church uses this Gospel to invite us to return to the origin of our faith: to revisit the place of our first encounter with the Risen Lord, imitate the disciples’ trust, and “always fulfil God’s holy will” to bear the lasting fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Almighty ever-living God, who gave us the Paschal Mystery in the covenant you established for reconciling the human race, so dispose our minds, we pray, that what we celebrate by professing the faith we may express in deeds. 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
April 9, 2026 Thursday of the Octave of Easter Gospel: Luke 24:35-48
Today is Thursday of the Octave of Easter. The Gospel according to Saint Luke gives us a narrative of the disciples who had previously gone to Emmaus returning to the community to tell the Apostles about their encounter with the Risen Lord, and of the Risen Lord’s appearance to the astonished and fearful disciples.
Perhaps we would think: the Risen Lord Jesus Christ would rebuke them for their ignorance, or rebuke Peter for denying Him three times, or praise Saint John for accompanying Jesus and receiving the Blessed Virgin Mary as his mother. But He did not do so. He only said to them, “Peace be with you.” (cf. Luke 24:36) He further invited them to touch His hands and feet, inviting them to experience the love He holds for the world. He did not rebuke the disciples in this way because He loved the world deeply, even to the end.
Today, the Risen Lord Jesus Christ also appears among us in different forms. He appears in our lives as the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the naked, and the imprisoned. There He waits for us, inviting us to meet Him and receive Him—desiring to be with us every day in this way.
As the Evangelist Luke records: the Risen Lord Jesus Christ “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” (cf. Luke 24:45) We live in this changing world and also need the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit to experience the Word of God in our lives. Like Jesus Christ, we should proclaim the Kingdom of God to everyone we meet in our daily lives, leading them, like us, to belong to the new world spoken of by Jesus.
O God, who have united the many nations in confessing your name, grant that those reborn in the font of Baptism may be one in the faith of their hearts and the homage of their deeds. 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
April 8, 2026 Wednesday of the Easter Octave Gospel: Luke 24:13-35
Today is Wednesday of the Easter Octave. The Gospel according to Saint Luke gives us the story of the Risen Lord Jesus meeting two men on their way to Emmaus.
These two disciples on their way to Emmaus—“As they talked and debated, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing Him”(cf. Lk 24:16)—what was it that hindered their eyes so that they did not recognize the Risen Lord Jesus? Some brothers and sisters in the faith would say: It was their tears, their sorrowful emotions… What I want to say is: They despaired at the death of Jesus, and despair made them unable to see the Risen Lord. They had thought: Jesus had been crucified; He could not have risen. They had hoped that Jesus would lead them in a revolt, defeat the Romans, and restore the glory of Israel. Now all this had come to nothing.
In this narrative, we see that the Risen Lord Jesus did not rebuke these disciples who failed to recognize Him. “He began with Moses and all the Prophets and interpreted for them the passages about Himself in all the Scriptures”(cf. Lk 24:27). His words made their cold hearts burn within them. Perhaps our hearts too can grow cold for various reasons, and coldness makes us no longer want to listen to God’s Word. Yet our Lord Jesus Christ still accompanies us: He chooses to walk with us, and with His Body and Blood heals our wounded hearts, fills us again with His life, heals our inner wounds, gives us courage and strength, inspires us to return to the parish, to meet our brothers and sisters, and tell them all that the Savior Jesus Christ has done for us.
O God, who gladden us year by year with the solemnity of the Lord’s Resurrection, graciously grant, that, by celebrating these present festivities, we may merit through them to reach eternal joys. 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
全属于祢 
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