Gospel: May 10, 2024

(Friday)

6th Week of Easter

Psalter: Week 2 / (White)

St. Damien Joseph de Veuster of Moloka’i, priest / St. John of Avila, priest & doctor

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 47: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7

God is king of all the earth.

1st Reading: Acts 18: 9-18

Gospel: John 16: 20-23

Truly, I say to you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy. A woman in childbirth is in distress because her time is at hand. But after the child is born, she no longer remembers her suffering because of her great joy: a human being is born into the world.

You feel sorrowful now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice; and no one will take your joy from you. When that day comes you will not ask me anything. Truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.

Reflection:“Do not lose hope.”

We are living in a time when life has become even more difficult. Wars escalate. Poverty worsens. Climate risks become higher. Yet, in the Gospel today, Jesus told his disciples of sorrow turning into joy. He also tells us now not to lose hope despite all the problems we face at present. He is in charge. Nonetheless, we are also challenged to do our part in making the present world we live in a better place. Today’s Gospel teaches us the proper disposition. We are called to take the disposition similar to that of an expectant mother. Once we take this kind of disposition, we can face every suffering with hope the way a woman in childbirth would face birth pangs. Hence the experience of hardship is taken as something positive because such suffering would only be transitory, eventually bringing a beautiful outcome. Every Christian is summoned to have the kind of joy experienced by a mother who has given birth to a child, forgetting the suffering while possessing the joy of being able to give birth.