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
May 23, 2026 Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter Gospel: John 21:20-25
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 for the Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter is taken from the final narrative of the Gospel of John. I wish to take this opportunity to offer some reflections.
Perhaps we find John’s description of the disciple “reclining at Jesus’ bosom” (cf. John 21:20) somewhat peculiar, or even subject to wild imagination. Therefore, it is necessary to explain this expression.
Let us turn our gaze back to the scene of the Last Supper. All the Evangelists describe them as reclining at table. What is the significance of this posture? It signifies that those partaking in the Passover meal considered themselves to be free men. John specifically highlights “reclining at Jesus’ bosom” to indicate that this disciple, who understood the heart of Jesus, was deeply loved by Him. John was truly blessed, for God specially granted him to behold with his own eyes the Passion of Jesus Christ, and further granted him the Virgin Mary, making him a brother of Jesus and a son of the Mother of God.
Another point requiring our special attention is the dialogue between Peter and Jesus (cf. John 21:21-23). Peter was concerned about the fate of another, rather than concerning himself with his own calling. The same thing happens to us; we often fixate on others, thereby neglecting what Jesus says to us: “Follow me.”
Today, the Lord Jesus Christ, rich in mercy, entrusts each of us with a unique mission. He desires to give us His Holy Spirit, that the Spirit may abide with us always, instructing and enlightening us. On this final ferial day of the Easter Season, let us pray together:
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we, who have celebrated the paschal festivities, may by your gift hold fast to them in the way that we live our lives. 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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