Thursday, May 21, 2026

 

Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter

(Acts 22:30.23:6-11; John 17:20-26)

From its earliest days the Church has been plagued by disunity.  In several places the New Testament tells of unauthorized preachers spreading discord.  There are thousands of sects today.  Recently two large groups have strained relations with the Bishop of Rome to the extent that both may splinter.

One group claims that the Second Vatican Council was in error.  It specifies, contrary to the Council’s teaching, that people may not follow their consciences in choosing a religion and that seeking reunion with break-off churches and communities undermines the pope’s authority.  The other group seeks to liberalize the Church’s teachings on sexual morality. 

In today’s gospel Jesus prays for unity among all who believe in him.  He realizes the difficulty of keeping human minds and hearts united endowed as they are with free will and a gamut of emotions. Accordingly, Pope Leo recognizes that true unity comes from full union with Christ.  The Church must ever strive to attain the love Jesus had for his disciples.  It does so by rooting itself in his teaching and seeking reunion based on its truths.

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

 

Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

(Acts 20:28-38; John 17:11b-19)

Is the world as evil as Jesus indicates in today’s gospel reading? He says, “… the world hated (his disciples) because they do not belong to the world.”  Yet we don’t experience everything in the world objectionable.  Don’t we enjoy seeing butterflies and listening to music, even find them edifying? 

Without taking away the unique brilliance of the fourth gospel, commentators have noted its tendency to categorize all things as good or bad.  The good is what belongs to God’s original creation and to what Christ has redeemed.  Some of creation’s good, however, has been corrupted by Satan’s rebellion against God’s order. These are actions stemming from pride and its derivatives: lust, greed, and thirst for power.

Followers of Christ are in the world, but they resist Satan’s evildoing.  They may use and indeed enjoy aspects of the world when those things are aligned with God’s authority.  But when the things compete with God for priority, Christ’s disciples reject them firmly.  In the gospel, Jesus prays that his Father enlightens his followers to always choose wisely.

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

 

Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

(Acts 20:17-27; John 17:1-11a)

The two principal readings today present parting words.  In the first, Paul bids farewell to the leaders of the Church in Ephesus.  In the gospel, Jesus prays for his disciples as he prepares to hand himself over to redeem the world.  Both men give strong testimony to their faith, Paul in Jesus and Jesus in his Father.

Paul is not bragging when he mentions his efforts to preach the gospel.  He is saying that the gospel deserves one’s best efforts.  It brings life if accepted and death if rejected.  Jesus says something similar.  As he prays, he tells his disciples that the Father has chosen them with the implication that they go out to tell the world about Him. They must teach others about God’s ways as he taught them. 

We have had preachers and teachers tell us about God.  We continue to learn God’s ways from them.  But our responsibility does not end with knowledge.  We too have been chosen to tell others about God’s ways.  As Paul says, it is a matter of life and death.

Monday, May 18, 2026

 

Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter

(Acts 19:1-8; John 16:19-23)

In today’s passage from the Gospel of John Jesus tells his disciples that they will leave him for their own homes.  In fact, the gospel reports this happening.  After Jesus’ resurrection appearances in the locked room, the disciples are next seen back in Galilee.  Jesus will appear to them again standing on the seashore.  He will urge them to preach the gospel when he tells them to cast their nets.  He will also commission Peter to support and guide those who believe in the disciples’ preaching.

During today’s discourse Jesus indicates the reason for their eventual leaving Jerusalem.  They will have no peace there.  They will fear the Jews who will not want them around to preach in Jesus’ name.  Depressed that Jesus’ mission is apparently lost, they will not bother to pursue it further.  Jesus here gives advanced warning so that fear and depression do not overwhelm them.  He reassures them of his presence by stating that the Father is with him.  Earlier in the discourse (14:20), he told them that as the Father is in him, he is in his disciples.

Fear and depression keep some of us from living our faith in Christ.  In parts of the world Christians are being harassed and persecuted.  In western societies we shun the loneliness and frustration of living in accord with principles of faith. It is critical that we remember Jesus’ promise to be with us.  We can turn to other members of his Body as validating what he said.  He is turning our desolation to fulfillment and our sadness to joy.

Sunday, May 17, 2026

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD
(Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:17-23; Matthew 28:16-20)

There are only two accounts of the Ascension in the Bible; both were written by Luke. The first is found in his Gospel, and the second in the Acts of the Apostles. Interestingly, the accounts do not agree, at least regarding the day of the event. In the Gospel, the Ascension takes place on the night of the Resurrection. In Acts, Jesus stays with his disciples for forty days before ascending into heaven.

We may ask: which date is correct? Scholars do not offer a definitive answer to this question. They say that Luke probably wanted to conclude his Gospel on the very day of the Resurrection, the event of overwhelming importance for the Church, then and now. Meanwhile, they view the forty days of appearances as symbolic, indicating a period of instruction parallel to Jesus’ time in the desert. In any case, they consider the date of the Ascension less important than its meaning.

The Ascension affirms the lordship of Jesus Christ. When he ascends into heaven, the Father gives him all power to guide the events of the world to their fulfillment. He does this through the Holy Spirit, who forms the Church as the Body of Christ. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Church proclaims the Gospel to the whole world. In this way, it offers all men and women the opportunity to embrace salvation. While Jesus remains in the world, the Spirit stays with him. But once he takes his place at the Father’s side, the Son asks the Father to send the Spirit upon us. The Spirit makes us members of his Body to carry out his mission in the world.

We receive the Holy Spirit in Baptism. His presence within us is strengthened through Confirmation and the Eucharist. What are we going to do with so great a gift? In today’s Gospel, Jesus sends the apostles to all nations to teach what he has commanded. We can fulfill our role in this great mission by living with the selfless love inspired by the Spirit. Or we can avoid participation in the mission until the power of the Spirit atrophies within us like muscles that are never moved.

If we pray daily, asking the Lord for our relatives and companions, for those in need, and even for our enemies, we are fulfilling our role in the great mission of Jesus Christ. If we carry out our work well, fulfill our responsibilities at home, and live faithfully as citizens, we are fulfilling our role in the great mission. If we visit the sick, share our resources with the less fortunate, or teach those who lack education, we are also fulfilling our role in the mission.

On the other hand, if we pray only when we feel like it, we are avoiding participation in the mission of Jesus. If we always seek our own comfort, the praise of others, or financial gain, we are avoiding participation in the mission. If we perform no works of mercy, whether corporal or spiritual, we are also avoiding the mission.

There is a widow in El Paso, Texas, who for more than twenty years crossed the border once a week to teach English to the women of a sewing cooperative. Now, in her old age, she can no longer travel as before. Yet she continues serving the poor by writing thank-you notes to the cooperative’s benefactors. She is a living example of a person filled with the Holy Spirit, carrying out her role in the mission of Jesus.

Next Sunday we will celebrate Pentecost, the feast of the Holy Spirit. We will remember the coming of the Spirit upon the apostles and how he drove them out from the Temple to preach the Lord Jesus to the ends of the earth. The same Spirit sends us forth from this and every Mass to carry out our role in the mission of Jesus.