May 16, 2026 Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter Gospel: John 16:23b-28
Today is Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter. The passage from the Holy Gospel according to Saint John continues Our Lord’s discourse—His Farewell Discourse—delivered to His disciples before His Passion.
At times, we become timid and may even fall into despair. This often occurs because we frequently present our petitions to God yet seem to receive nothing, or we fail to perceive His presence. In such moments, we may feel abandoned by God, or even presume that He does not exist; consequently, our faith grows tepid. This inclination is rooted in the dispositions of the flesh, which drive us away from God and gradually lead us toward perdition.
In the Gospel, Jesus often speaks to us in parables concerning the Father who sent Him into this world (cf. John 14:24). However, when we adhere to the Savior’s instructions, embrace His teachings, and present our prayers to the Father in a manner pleasing to Him (cf. Matt 6:7-13; Luke 11:1-4), following always the guidance of the Holy Spirit whom the Father sends in the name of Christ (cf. John 14:26), and relying on the Holy Ghost to mortify the deeds of the flesh—only then can we become true children of God (cf. Rom 8:13-14). Thus are we enabled to understand the Sacred Will of God and to put into practice all that Christ has commanded us in our daily lives.
In these final days of the Easter season, I invite everyone to recall: the Risen Lord Christ “came forth from the Father and came into the world” (cf. John 16:28a) to “do the will of Him who sent [Him]” (cf. John 6:38), guiding us into all life and peace. When He offered Himself on the Cross, sacrificing Himself that the world might have life, He vanquished the ruler of this world and his minions by His death, thereby destroying death for us and opening wide the gates of Heaven. When He “leaves the world and goes to the Father” (cf. John 16:28b)—”to prepare a place for us”—He promises to return and take us to Himself, that where He is, we may be also (cf. John 14:3). Thus shall we truly come to understand all that Christ teaches us and, with the aid of His grace, attain the blessedness of eternal life.
Constantly shape our minds, we pray, O Lord, by the practice of good works, that, trying always for what is better, we may strive to hold ever fast to the Paschal Mystery. 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 15, 2026 Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter Gospel: John 16:20–23
Today is Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter. The passage from the Gospel of Saint John continues our Lord Jesus Christ’s farewell discourse to His disciples before His Passion.
Before we receive the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, original sin and actual sin leave our souls numb to spiritual sorrow. Our flesh finds satisfaction in the fleeting joys of the world, while our souls, estranged from God, endure the anguish of separation—this is sin. Sin draws us away from God and closer to the devil. As Saint Peter the Apostle warns: “Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (cf. 1 Pet 5:8). Especially when we resolve to receive Baptism and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, they persist in tempting us, causing us to experience a labor pain akin to that of childbirth.
We encounter this birthing pain because we are to be reborn in Christ. I prefer to call this pain of rebirth a unique grace bestowed by God upon each of us. For it is through this singular grace that we choose to renounce the worldviews, life perspectives, and values imposed on us by the devil, and instead, under the illumination and guidance of the Holy Spirit, embrace the worldview, life vision, and values taught by the Word of God. This rupture is the distinctive grace God grants us.
Beloved brothers and sisters! When, within the boundless charity of Christ, we are cleansed from original sin in the water flowing from His sacred side through the Baptism of Christ, we are set free from sin and death. Whenever we are in Christ and receive the Holy Spirit—the “Advocate” promised by Christ to His disciples after His Ascension (cf. John 14:25–26), the “Spirit of truth” (cf. John 15:26–27)—then “in Him dwells the whole fullness of the deity bodily, and [we] have been brought to fullness in Him” (cf. Col 2:9). Thus, together with all who have received the Spirit, we share in Christ’s divinity and partake in His royal, priestly, and prophetic offices. Consequently, we are called to proclaim the Gospel to the world, so that through all we do, others may see the infinite mercy God reveals in them. In this way, we are filled with the joy God gives us. Then, whatever we ask the Father in Jesus’ name, He will grant us, for He is faithful to His promises.
Hear our prayers, O Lord, so that what was promised by the sanctifying power of your Word may everywhere be accomplished through the working of the Gospel and that all your adopted children may attain what the testimony of truth has foretold. 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 14, 2026 St. Matthias the Apostle Gospel: John 15:9–17
Today the Church solemnly celebrates the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord. Some dioceses, having sought and received permission from the Apostolic See for pastoral reasons, have transferred the celebration to the Seventh Sunday of Easter. According to the General Roman Calendar, today is the Feast of St. Matthias the Apostle. Therefore, mindful of the practical needs of regions where the Ascension is transferred, we also provide a reflection for the Feast of St. Matthias.
Today’s Gospel from St. John continues the discourse of Jesus before His Passion. When we hear Jesus say, “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. 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” (Jn 15:9–10), we may view His commandment as an unbearable imposition. In reality, the commandment Jesus gives us is simple: to love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus not only taught us this commandment but also fulfilled it perfectly, showing us how to view the world according to God’s design. To see the world rightly, we must learn to let go—to release everything we possess in this world and bravely leave behind our comfortable surroundings. Like St. Matthias, we must courageously go forth to the whole world, bearing witness to the truth and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If we follow Christ’s teaching, renouncing our selfish desires and living always according to the Word of God, then His words will abide in us, and His joy will be complete in us. When our hearts are filled with His joy, we will offer fitting prayers to the Heavenly Father, who, in His abundant mercy, will surely grant us every grace we need, according to the teaching of His only Son.
O God, who assigned Saint Matthias to the college of Apostles, grant, through his intercession, that we may so rejoice at the deep love You have shown us, that we may be counted among those You have chosen. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
全属于祢 
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