May 25, 2026 The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church Gospel: Jn 19:25-34
Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. As noted in the Decree issued by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments on March 3, 2018, following the instruction of Pope Francis to inscribe this celebration into the Roman Universal Calendar: Pope Paul VI, on November 21, 1964, at the conclusion of the Third Session of the Second Vatican Council, proclaimed the Blessed Virgin Mary as “Mother of the Church”—that is, Mother of all Christians, both the faithful and the shepherds. He further stated: “The whole body of the faithful… should invoke the Most Holy Virgin as ‘Mother most loving.'” Pope Francis, after careful consideration, recognized that promoting this devotion could greatly encourage pastors, religious, and the faithful, fostering a deeper consciousness of Marian devotion. Therefore, he decreed that the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, be celebrated annually on the Monday after Pentecost.
Today’s Gospel passage from Saint John presents us with one of the most moving scenes in salvation history. Saint John tells us: “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, and Mary of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene” (cf. Jn 19:25). This group of courageous women accompanied Jesus with great fortitude. This description is not contradictory; rather, Saint John intends to invite us to imitate these women, always viewing the sufferings of Jesus for us through the eyes of faith. In His dying moments, Jesus entrusted His Mother to Saint John, representing all humanity, thereby making her the Mother of all the redeemed.
As we read in the Acts of the Apostles, after the Ascension of Jesus, the Virgin Mary did not depart from the disciples of her Son. Instead, she returned with them to the upper room in Jerusalem, where she persevered with them in prayer, united in heart and mind (cf. Acts 1:12-14). From this, we see that while humanity lost the infinite grace bestowed by God through the disobedience of the first Eve, it is through the obedience of the second Eve—the Virgin Mary—and by the fountain of mercy flowing from the pierced side of the second Adam, Jesus Christ, that original sin is washed away and the true freedom of God’s children is restored. Whenever the assembly of believers gathers in the name of the Lord, He comes to dwell among us, for Christ Himself promised: “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (cf. Mt 18:20).
O God, Father of mercies, whose Only Begotten Son, as he hung upon the Cross, chose the Blessed Virgin Mary, his Mother, to be our Mother also, grant, we pray, that with her loving help your Church may be more fruitful day by day and, exulting in the holiness of her children, may draw to her embrace all the families of the peoples. 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 24, 2026 Pentecost Sunday Gospel: John 20:19-23
Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Pentecost. The passage from the Gospel of John describes Jesus’ first appearance to His disciples after His Resurrection. In this manifestation, Jesus bestows upon them the Holy Spirit.
If we attend to John’s description of the room where the Apostles were gathered, we notice that while the doors were locked, Jesus stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you!” He then imparted to His disciples the breath of the Holy Spirit. To us, this seems contrary to common sense; yet for the Lord, risen from the dead, all things are possible.
By reason of Original Sin, we are conceived and born into a state of sin, and the wage of sin is death. Bound by this sin, we cannot, like Christ, pass through walls without disturbing the order of the material world. Our Lord, Jesus Christ, by His holy Cross, conquered death. Through His sacrificial offering, He presented an atonement for the sins of the world to the Father, reconciling us to God and restoring creation. The Risen Lord, glorified in His Resurrection, manifests His divinity by transcending all spatial limitations, moving freely according to His divine will.
Jesus, using a form intelligible to the Jews—breathing upon them—causes the Apostles to receive the Holy Spirit, so that this divine breath might rest upon each of them. Through the Sacrament of Confirmation, we receive the anointing of the Holy Spirit from the hands of the successors of the Apostles, becoming adopted children of God. Our priests, who have received Holy Orders from these successors, share in the authority granted to the Apostles to forgive and retain sins. Whenever we approach the confessional to seek reconciliation with God and the world, our priests, hearing our confession, absolve us of our faults. They admonish us, urging us to form a firm purpose of amendment, to renounce all occasions of sin, and to make reparation for our offenses—and those of the whole world—through penance and prayer. By uniting our sufferings to the Passion of Christ, we seek to become true children of God.
O God, who by the mystery of today’s great feast sanctify your whole Church in every people and nation, pour out, we pray, the gifts of the Holy Spirit across the face of the earth and, with the divine grace that was at work when the Gospel was first proclaimed, fill now once more the hearts of believers. 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 23, 2026 Evening Liturgy: Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost Gospel: John 7:37-39
Today is Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter. According to the ancient tradition of the Church, this evening the Vigil Mass for the Solemnity of Pentecost will be celebrated. As per the newly published Roman Missal, the Pentecost Vigil may be celebrated in a shorter form or an extended form, though the Gospel reading remains the same. In light of pastoral needs, this year we provide reflections for both the Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter and the Pentecost Vigil.
The Gospel reading for the Pentecost Vigil is also taken from the Gospel of John. In this very brief passage, Jesus reveals a profound truth through mysterious words: He is the source of life, and all shall recognize the rivers flowing from His Sacred Heart through the reception of the Holy Spirit. Let us attempt to reflect on this.
Today, those whom Jesus calls the “thirsty” (cf. John 7:38) do not refer to physical thirst, but to the thirst of our souls. Due to Original Sin, we lost our dignity as adopted children of God and our intimacy with the Lord. This sense of loss and unrest causes our souls to be unable to find God, preventing us from approaching the Lord of Life and the Risen Lord to receive the graces He bestows. Deprived of divine grace, our souls gradually lose their vitality and often feel hunger and thirst.
How then can we quench such hunger and thirst? It is by being united to Him through Baptism and receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit, thereby becoming His children. For only thus can we be reborn in Christ (cf. Romans 6:3-4). For at that moment, through the waters of Baptism, we are joined to Him; He cleanses us of Original Sin through the water flowing from His sacred side, restoring vitality to our souls which had lost their strength.
Almighty ever-living God, who willed the Paschal Mystery to be encompassed as a sign in fifty days, grant that from out of the scattered nations the confusion of many tongues may be gathered by heavenly grace into one great confession of your name. 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
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