April 21, 2026 Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter / Saint Anselm, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Gospel: John 6:30-35
Today is Tuesday of the Third Week of Easter. The Church today celebrates the Optional Memorial of Saint Anselm, Bishop and Doctor of the Church. The passage from the Gospel of Saint John continues to present Jesus’ discourse on the Bread of Life.
Saint John relates that the crowd said to Jesus, “What sign do You do, that we may see and believe You? What work do You perform? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” (cf. John 6:30-31)
At times, we too are like this crowd that came to Capernaum seeking Jesus, wanting to receive a sign or a wonder from God. What sort of sign? It is the granting of our prayers. Having achieved the results, we desired through our own efforts, we sometimes forget God and think He does not exist, because we have not followed the promptings of the Holy Spirit to correctly understand every moment of our lives. Even at Mass, we might regard the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine as mere symbols, rather than the substantial, complete Jesus Christ.
Today, our priests, our bishops, and our cardinals—united with cardinals, bishops, and priests throughout the world—following the command and teaching of the Savior, call upon the Holy Spirit in the daily celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass to consecrate the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we view the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass with the eyes of faith, rather than with merely human eyes, we will not think that it is our priests, bishops, or cardinals who give us the Body and Blood of Christ, but Jesus Christ Himself. What we receive is no longer bread and wine, but our Lord Jesus Christ under the appearances of bread and wine. Although our corruptible bodies will grow hungry and thirsty again, the soul within us, nourished by receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, will never hunger or thirst again. As Jesus assured us: “I am the Bread of Life. Whoever comes to Me will never hunger, and whoever believes in Me will never thirst.” (cf. John 6:35)
Almighty God, who open the gate of the heavenly Kingdom to those reborn of water and the Holy Spirit, pour out upon Your servants an increase of the grace You have bestowed, that, having been cleansed of all sin, they may lack none of the good things You have promised in Your mercy. Through Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.
April 20, 2026 Monday of the Third Week of Easter Gospel: John 6:22-29
Today is Monday of the Third Week of Easter. From this day forward, the Gospel appointed by the Church for us is taken from Saint John’s Gospel, where Jesus speaks of the Bread of Life.
Saint John tells us: After Jesus had fed the five thousand, His disciples saw Him walking on the sea (cf. John 6:16-21). This is indeed a beautiful image. We know the sea is the dwelling place of the devil, and it always threatens to swallow life. John uses this image to tell us: Jesus is the Lord of life. He has trodden the sea (the devil’s dwelling) underfoot, thus conquering death.
Saint John recounts: “The next day, the crowd that remained on the other side of the sea saw that there was only one boat there, and that Jesus had not gone with His disciples in the boat, but that His disciples had left alone” (cf. John 6:22). This is truly surprising, for we know Jesus was often with His disciples. Yet this time, He did not accompany them. Where did He go? “He withdrew to the mountain” (cf. John 6:15). What does Saint John want to tell us? He wants us to understand: Sometimes, Jesus does not walk alongside us, but waits for us, in the course of daily life, guided by the Holy Spirit, to rediscover His presence and reestablish a relationship that is universal yet particular—a relationship in which it is just I and Jesus, who loves us and was willing to lay down His life for us.
Saint John continues: “Other boats from Tiberias drew near the place where the Lord had given thanks and they had eaten the bread. When the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Jesus” (cf. John 6:23-25). Why did they seek Jesus? Because Jesus could meet their needs. What did they need? They wanted to hear Jesus speak of the Kingdom of God, to see Him work miracles, and to have Him multiply bread so they would no longer be hungry.
We too often lose our way in life, seeking from God the wrong graces. We place great importance on the things of this world that can fill our stomachs and sustain our daily needs, yet fail to seek from God the imperishable food that satisfies our spiritual hunger—the Most Holy Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Grant, we pray, almighty God,that, putting off our old self with all its ways,we may live as Christ did,for through the healing paschal remedies you have conformed us to his nature.Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,God, for ever and ever
April 19, 2026 Third Sunday of Easter Gospel: Luke 24:13-35
Today is the Third Sunday of Easter. The Gospel passage from St. Luke describes the account of Jesus walking with the disciples on their way to Emmaus.
As these two disciples journeyed toward Emmaus, they were talking together when Jesus drew near and walked with them. Yet their eyes were kept from recognizing Him (see: Lk 24:16). The reason they could not see Him was their confusion about the future, their disappointment in all that had transpired. They had longed for a Messiah to lead them in rebellion against the Roman Empire—they had placed great hope in Jesus, only to see Him crucified. When they heard from the women that Jesus had risen and appeared to them, they were even more astonished, for in their view, it seemed like an illusion, a mere mirage.
What happened to the two disciples at Emmaus can also happen to us. Our emotions are often swayed by the world around us; when this fickle world undergoes great upheavals, a desire to escape it stirs in our hearts. As this thought grows stronger, our actions will face the world with the same pessimism as the two disciples traveling from Jerusalem to Emmaus that day (see: Lk 24:13-17). When this pessimism and negativity reach a peak, we will, like Cleopas, pour out our sorrow through our words to those we live with day by day (see: Lk 24:18-24). In our minds, sharing our inner grief with others will bring some comfort to our troubled hearts.
Today, the Risen Lord Jesus met with them—and He will also come to us in a form accessible to our perception. He does not come to accuse, but to accompany, explaining all that has happened according to His holy will. When we choose to understand this under the illumination of God’s Word, we will recognize the Risen Lord in every moment of our lives, proclaim Him rightly to the world, and live worthily as the Risen Lord desires.
May your people exult for ever, O God, in renewed youthfulness of spirit, so that, rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption, we may look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection. 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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