May 6, 2026 Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter Gospel: John 15:1-8
Today is Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Easter. The passage from the Gospel of Saint John continues to present Jesus’ farewell discourse to His disciples before His Passion. In this passage, we hear the parable of the True Vine.
We often see grapevines growing and bearing abundant fruit in due season. When the vines bear rich clusters, the vinedresser gathers them to make wine and other beverages.
The Lord, rich in mercy, created us in His own image and likeness, and entrusted all of creation to our care. Even after our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed His command and were driven from Paradise, He continued to send prophets, judges, priests, and kings to instruct His beloved Israel. He even sent His only Son to reveal His compassion among us. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word of God, does not speak on His own authority, but on the Father’s who sent Him. He does nothing on His own, but the Father, dwelling in Him, continues His work. All that He does is so that we may bear fruit—fruit worthy of the many graces He bestows upon us.
How can we bear such fruit? By remaining always in Christ. To live in Christ means to be buried and die with Him in Baptism, crucifying our sinful old self with Him on the Cross, so that we may begin a new life with the risen Lord Jesus Christ in the world of God.
How do we begin this new life with the risen Lord? By abiding in Him. How do we abide? By frequently receiving the Eucharist. When we come regularly to church for Mass, the Holy Word of God fills us—not only our senses and faculties, but also our very being. By receiving His Holy Body and Blood, He makes His dwelling within us. Once He dwells within us, He fills us with His divine life and grace. If we do His will and follow His teachings, then we truly live with Him in the new life of God’s kingdom.
O God, restorer and lover of innocence, direct the hearts of your servants towards yourself, that those you have set free from the darkness of unbelief may never stray from the light of your truth. 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 5, 2026 Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter Gospel: John 14:27-31A
Today is Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Easter. The passage from the Gospel of Saint John continues to present Jesus’ farewell discourse to His disciples before His Passion.
When we first arrive in a strange place, despite having prepared thoroughly beforehand, we remain uneasy about everything that unfolds there because we are unfamiliar with local customs, transportation, and lodging. Similarly, when we first begin working, if our superiors assign tasks beyond our ability or responsibility, we become distressed, fearing the loss of our job. Yet, have we considered the root cause of this unease, distress, and fear? The reason is simple: it is the sin we have committed. Sin enslaves us, making our souls feel deprived of God’s love, thus causing anguish and pain.
When discussing sin, we often blame our first parents. We might complain: “Because Adam and Eve desired to be like God, heeding the serpent’s words and transgressing the divine command, they stained all humanity with original sin.” Yet, such complaints sever the peace between us, God, and all creation.
The peace Jesus promises (cf. John 14:27) is a peace achieved through the Sacrament of Reconciliation—a peace that reconciles us with God and all He has made. It comes from always doing the Father’s will, uniting our hearts with Him. This peace is not as the world gives. The world is passing away, but God is eternal; His peace does not fade with time.
Jesus says, “You heard me tell you, ‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I” (cf. John 14:28). His word is true. Even now, whenever we receive the sacraments in church or join in communal prayer, He is beside us, accompanying us always. Though we often encounter trials in life, Jesus remains at our side. Therefore, let us confidently entrust ourselves to Him in prayer:
O God, who restore us to eternal life in the Resurrection of Christ, grant your people constancy in faith and hope, that we may never doubt the promises of which we have learned from you. 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 4, 2026 Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter Gospel: John 14:21-26
Today is Monday of the Fifth Week of Easter. The passage from the Gospel of Saint John continues to present Jesus ‘farewell discourse to His disciples before His Passion.
Whenever we encounter the word “commandments” in Scripture, we often think of the Ten Commandments given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. We also recall the Five Precepts of the Church established for our pastoral benefit, as well as the Seven Capital Sins derived from the Word of God.
Dear brothers and sisters! Called to receive Baptism in Christ and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we are united by faith with Jesus Christ, with the Father who dwells in Him, and with the Paraclete whom He and the Father send forth. By receiving the Body and Blood of Christ, we are bound more closely to the Word of God; therefore, we must keep the commandments Jesus gives us. That commandment is: “Love one another as I have loved you.” (cf. John 13:34).
Perhaps, like Judas (not the Iscariot) in the Gospel, we often ask Jesus in prayer: “Lord, how is it that You will reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” (cf. John 14:22). It may seem to us that since we are created in God’s image, and though we are distinguished from unbelievers by Baptism and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, those outside the faith still have the right to see Jesus, to receive His love, and to know Him. If we think this way, it shows we have not yet understood Jesus’ words. The merciful Lord Jesus Christ reveals Himself to us according to His holy will and in ways we can grasp, so that we might give witness by our actions to the intimate communion we experience with the Lord. May the world see the change in our lives and resolve to join us: discerning their vocation under the light and guidance of the Holy Spirit, following the promptings of the Paraclete, receiving Baptism and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, becoming children of God, and rejoicing deeply in the holy love of God.
May your right hand, O Lord, we pray, encompass your family with perpetual help, so that, defended from all wickedness by the Resurrection of your Only Begotten Son, we may make our way by means of your heavenly gifts. 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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