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.
April 30, 2026 Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter / Pope Saint Pius V Gospel: John 13:16–20
Today is Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter. The Church celebrates an Optional Memorial of Pope Saint Pius V.
Pope Saint Pius V, born Antonio Ghisleri in 1504 in Bosco, within the Duchy of Milan, was elected Supreme Pontiff on January 7, 1566. He is renowned for his implementation of the reforms of the Council of Trent, his leadership during the Counter-Reformation, and his restoration of order within the Church. During his pontificate, he proclaimed St. Thomas Aquinas a Doctor of the Church. Weighed down by labours, Pius V fell asleep in the Lord on May 1, 1572, at the age of sixty-eight. He was beatified by Pope Clement X in 1672 and canonized by Pope Clement XI in 1712.
Today’s Gospel passage from Saint John describes words spoken by Jesus to His disciples during the Last Supper. At the beginning of the passage, Saint John sets the scene for this discourse, stating that after Jesus had washed His disciples’ feet, He said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you understand these things and put them into practice, blessed are you. I am not speaking about all of you; I know those whom I have chosen.” (cf. Jn 13:16–17).
This depiction contrasts sharply with the common image we hold of Jesus—the One who preached the Word in the Temple, bore witness to the truth in the streets, cast out demons, healed the sick, and raised the dead. Yet here, Jesus washes His disciples’ feet. He does this to transform the erroneous image of God that the scribes, Pharisees, Sadducees, elders, and chief priests had instilled in their hearts and minds. Their understanding presented God as a severe judge who harshly punishes all who fail to conform to His will—a strict and domineering deity. Jesus seeks to reveal to them that the true God is a God who is always loving; He is not a tyrant who merely demands homage or sacrifices from creatures, but a Father who bestows infinite grace upon humanity and draws near to His people.
Today, united with Pope Saint Pius V and regenerated through Baptism and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we are called to be configured to our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must view our relationship with the Divine Word through a supernatural lens and, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, properly order our relationships with the People of God within the Church. Thus, our life in Christ will reach its fullness, and our conduct will become ever more conformed to Him.
O God, who restore human nature to yet greater dignity than at its beginnings, look upon the amazing mystery of your loving kindness, and in those you have chosen to make new through the wonder of rebirth may you preserve the gifts of your enduring grace and blessing. 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 29, 2026 Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church Gospel: John 12:44–50
Today is Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter. The Church celebrates the Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena. According to her biography, she was a 14th-century Italian Dominican tertiary, a philosopher and theologian of the Scholastic tradition. She played a pivotal role in persuading Pope Gregory XI to return the Papal Court from Avignon, France, to Rome, and she fostered peace among the warring city-states of Italy. In 1939, Pope Pius XII named her, alongside Saint Francis of Assisi, as a principal patroness of Italy. On October 3, 1970, Pope Paul VI declared her a Doctor of the Church. On October 1, 1999, Pope John Paul II, at the Second Special Assembly for Europe of the Synod of Bishops, proclaimed Saints Catherine of Siena, Birgitta of Sweden, and Teresa Benedicta of the Cross as co-patronesses of Europe.
Today’s passage from the Gospel of John continues to reveal to us the divinity of Jesus Christ. We often rely on our own understanding and reason to decide what to believe or accept, using our own judgments as the measure of all things. Sometimes, we base our knowledge of God solely on the preaching of ecclesiastical superiors, imitating their behaviour until we become like them. Yet, among those we imitate, there are often those who “hear the word of God but do not keep it” (cf. John 12:47). They presume they can escape the judgment of God’s word while continuing to live freely in this passing world. However, when their earthly life ends, the just God will judge them according to their deeds, because they disregarded the infinite mercy Christ revealed to them during their lives and chose instead to remain in darkness.
Today, Jesus tells us: “I came into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness” (cf. John 12:46). We were called to receive the light of Christ in the Night of the Resurrection through Baptism. In our daily lives, our thoughts, words, and actions must be as open and upright as those of children of light. Like Christ, we must faithfully proclaim the living Christ to the world, helping more of our brothers and sisters living in darkness to step out of the shadows and into the light of life given to us by the risen Lord Jesus Christ.
O God, who set Saint Catherine of Siena on fire with divine love in her contemplation of the Lord’s Passion and her service of your Church, grant, through her intercession, that your people, participating in the mystery of Christ, may ever exult in the revelation of his glory. 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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