May 22, 2026 Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter Gospel: John 21:15-19
Today is Friday of the Seventh Week of Easter. The Gospel presents the narrative of Jesus’ final apparition to His disciples after His Resurrection.
This is a dialogue filled with profound affection between Master and disciple. Recall what Simon Peter did during the Lord’s Passion? He denied Jesus three times, saying, “I do not know Him” (cf. Lk 22:54-62). Yet, remembering all that Jesus had said to him—especially at the Last Supper: “Simon, I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (cf. Lk 22:31A, 32)—he was overcome with bitter remorse, for he loved Jesus deeply.
Jesus asks him three times, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” (cf. Jn 21:15A, 16A, 17A). This serves to teach Simon Peter not only to love Him and make reparation for his sins, but also to love the flock entrusted to his care, accompanying them with humility and charity.
Peter’s response—”Yes, Lord; you know that I love you” (cf. Jn 21:15B, 16B, 17B)—reminds us of the Profession of Faith we made before God and the Church when we received the Sacraments of Initiation. At that time, we professed: “We believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth… We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord… We believe in the Holy Spirit…” How often, when asked what we believe, can we no longer accurately recall the Creed we once proclaimed?
Today, let us renew the Profession of Faith we made before God and the whole Church. Let us imitate our Patron Saints, generously offering our lives and faithfully fulfilling the mission God has entrusted to each of us.
O God, who by the glorification of your Christ and the light of the Holy Spirit have unlocked for us the gates of eternity, grant, we pray, that, partaking of so great a gift, our devotion may grow deeper and our faith be strengthened. 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 21, 2026 Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter / St. Theodore of Magellan and Companions, Martyrs Gospel: John 17:20-26
Today is Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter. The Church celebrates a Memorial of St. Theodore of Magellan and his Companion Martyrs. The passage from the Gospel of John continues Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer offered to the Father before His Passion.
In this Gospel passage, John provides us with a most essential truth: Jesus is in the Father, and the Father is in Jesus (cf. Jn 17:20-21). To understand the relationship between Jesus and the Father, we must turn to Genesis. At the very beginning of creation, it is written: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day” (cf. Gen 1:1-5). Thus, the Word proceeding from the mouth of God is the Logos, through whom the world was created. St. John tells us at the outset of his Gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made” (cf. Jn 1:1-3).
Another point of note is that Jesus mentions “glory” once more (cf. Jn 17:22-23). This “glory” is not merely a verb but refers to the Holy Spirit. We know that the Holy Spirit is the Life of God. As written at the beginning of John’s Gospel: “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” (cf. Jn 1:4). By giving them “glory,” Jesus bestows upon them the very Life of God. He gives His flesh as food and His blood as drink—and according to Jewish custom, blood and flesh signify a person’s life.
Today, each of us has the opportunity to receive the Life of Our Lord Jesus Christ through the Eucharist. In the Sacred Liturgy, enlightened by the Holy Spirit and listening to the Word of God, if we keep His commandments, we are those whom the Father has given to Jesus. If we follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit and live according to His will, we are united to Christ. The Word of the Lord, rich in mercy, will never leave us “orphans” (cf. Jn 14:18). He remains ever at our side, ready to grant us strength whenever we are in need, helping us through every crisis of life.
May your Spirit, O Lord, we pray, imbue us powerfully with spiritual gifts, that he may give us a mind pleasing to you and graciously conform us to your will. 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 20, 2026 Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter Gospel: John 17:11b-19
Today is Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter. The passage from the Gospel according to Saint John presents us with Jesus’ prayer to the Father before His Passion. In fact, yesterday we read the first part of this High Priestly Prayer; today we continue with the second part.
Who are those whom the Father has given to Jesus? They are those who are willing to listen to the Word of God, who are enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and who have received the anointing of Baptism and the Chrism of Christ. The Father chose them from the world, so that from the moment they left their mother’s womb, they might experience every good gift of His creation. Our merciful heavenly Father also grants them holy shepherds and a cloud of witnesses—those saints who stand before the throne of God—to encourage them to follow Christ courageously, to receive His Baptism, and to be filled with the oil of gladness poured out by the Holy Spirit, thus uniting themselves to Christ. Speaking of this union, Saint Paul says: “We were indeed buried with Him through Baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life.”(cf. Rom 6:3-4)
Today, the Lord Christ remains truly present among us. If we come to the church and gaze upon the Crucifix with the eyes of faith, we will perceive that Jesus is truly here, present in the image of the sculpture. If we participate in Holy Mass with firm faith, we hear the Lector proclaim the Scriptures, and our Priest expounds the Gospel. If we open the ears of our faith to listen, we will find that Jesus is present among us; He is present in a perceptible manner, filling our inmost being. When we approach the altar with the eyes of faith, we see that in the Tabernacle, and in the reception of the Most Holy Eucharist, our Lord Jesus Christ is present under the appearances of bread and wine. When we receive His Body and Blood, He truly enters our hearts and fills our souls. When we close our corruptible eyes and look with the eyes of faith, we discover that Jesus is present among us, conversing with our hearts.
As we prepare to conclude the Easter Season and return to Ordinary Time, let us now offer our prayers to God:
Graciously grant to your Church, O merciful God, that, gathered by the Holy Spirit, she may be devoted to you with all her heart and united in purity of intent. 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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