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
May 3, 2026 Fifth Sunday of Easter Year A Gospel: John 14:1–12
Today the Church celebrates the Fifth Sunday of Easter. The passage from the Gospel of Saint John further reveals to us the path toward growth in holiness. I would like to take this opportunity to offer some reflections.
We often place our sense of security in fellow creatures who, like us, are subject to corruption and decay. In our eyes, those who live closely with us day by day, and every word that comes from their lips, become the source of our comfort. Imperceptibly, we begin to take their words as the norm for our lives. Gradually, our hearts drift away from God, because we regard all that they say as though it were the Gospel of the Kingdom revealed to us through them. When they leave us—for whatever reason—we become like the disciples when they heard that Jesus was about to leave them: deeply troubled and unsettled.
The Lord Christ, rich in mercy, did not forget to console His disciples at the moment of parting (cf. Jn 14:1–4). To keep those who had followed Him from Galilee to Jerusalem from grieving over His departure—for, like Thomas called Didymus, they were immersed in this shifting world and could not yet discern their vocation—they said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how can we know the way?” (cf. Jn 14:5). Jesus answered them, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (cf. Jn 14:6). For Jesus did not come into this world to condemn it, but so that through the sacrifice He offered on the Cross, all humanity might be reconciled with the Father and with the world itself. Thus, through all that He proclaimed and through the atoning sacrifice He offered to the Father on the Cross, humanity receives forgiveness of sins and begins a new life in Him.
As I have often emphasized, from the moment a Christian receives the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, his earthly life is perfectly united with the eternal life of Jesus Christ. Anointed with the Holy Spirit, he must courageously embrace the mission of evangelization. This mission requires a complete transformation of self, so that one’s thoughts, words, and actions fully conform to those of Jesus Christ. Then, those who live closely with us will gradually perceive in our lives the reflection of Jesus Christ. They will walk with us, through Jesus Christ, to the merciful Father; through the Church, come to know and accept the teaching of the Word of God; and through the Eucharist, receive the abundant life found in Jesus Christ. In this way, the love of God is brought to fulfilment in the hearts of all who are called to be His people.
Almighty ever-living God, constantly accomplish the Paschal Mystery within us, that those you were pleased to make new in Holy Baptism may, under your protective care, bear much fruit and come to the joys of life eternal. 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 2, 2026 Memorial of Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church Gospel: John 14:7-14
Today is Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter. The Church commemorates Saint Athanasius today. According to his biography, he was one of the Eastern Church Fathers. During his lifetime, he served as Bishop of Alexandria in Egypt. In the year 325, he combated the Arian heresy, defining that Jesus is consubstantial and perfectly equal with God the Father, thus laying a historic foundation for the theology of the Trinity. He passed away on May 2, 373.
Today’s Mass Gospel continues with the discourse from the Gospel of John, consisting of Jesus’ farewell words to His disciples before His Passion.
Sometimes, we strive mightily to change this world; we desire to make it a better place. In our eyes, only we ourselves can change this world. Likewise, we tend to project our own vision of a better life onto Jesus, just as Philip did. For Philip and the Jews of that time, they hoped Jesus would be the Messiah who would defeat the Romans for them. They regarded Jesus merely as a Rabbi from Galilee. Although they witnessed His works and heard His teachings, because they failed to view Jesus’ works and understand all He taught according to the new world belonging to God, they ended up saying to Jesus, as Philip did: “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” (cf. Jn 14:8) This is precisely what belongs to those who belong to this passing world, for since they cannot see Jesus clearly, they cannot see the Father dwelling in Jesus either.
What work was Jesus doing? During His earthly life, He constantly performed miracles and proclaimed the true doctrine. To save us, He was even willing to die on the Cross, using the water from His sacred side to wash away our offenses and atone for the sin committed by Adam and Eve in their disobedience. He also gave us the blood from His side, so that our souls would thirst no more. At the Last Supper, He gave us His own Body, providing nourishment not only for our perishable bodies but also for our souls, so that by receiving His Body and Blood, we might receive benefit. He does nothing on His own, but it is the Father dwelling in Him who does all these things.
Dear brothers and sisters: Through the reception of Baptism and the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we are perfectly united to the risen Lord Jesus Christ. If we listen to the Word of God externally while our hearts are not within the sanctuary, then we have not truly accepted the Word of God. If we receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ without entering into our inner room, then we are rejecting the Word of God who descends into our hearts to nourish us with His unconditional love.
May Saint Athanasius intercedes for us before the throne of God, so that our thoughts, words, and deeds may become daily more conformed to Christ and progress ever more towards holiness.
Almighty ever-living God, who raised up the Bishop Saint Athanasius as an outstanding champion of your Son’s divinity, mercifully grant, that, rejoicing in his teaching and his protection, we may never cease to grow in knowledge and love of 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.
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