May 21, 2026, Thursday of the 7th week of Easter

Acts 22:30-23:6-11; John 17:20-26

Homily

          Communication is an essential part of being human, and the social dimension is an integral part of it. Nowadays, not only does communication retain all the importance it has always had in human life, but it has also been taken over by those who wield or want to wield power. Not so many years ago, power in society was in the hands of those who controlled money or 'capital'. Today it is in the hands of those who control communication. It is therefore important to reflect on the meaning of communication in God's plan. Didn't Jesus send his disciples to communicate his message to all nations? What is the meaning of this communication? The biblical texts for today's Eucharist shed some light on this.

May 22, 2026, Friday of the 7th week of Easter

Acts 25, 13-21; John 21, 15-19

Homily

During the last Passover that Jesus celebrated with his disciples, Peter, with his usual ardour, declared himself ready to follow him to the end, even to death. Jesus replied: "Peter, the cock will not crow today before you deny three times that you know me". And, in fact, a few hours later Peter denied Jesus three times and, meeting Jesus' gaze, he went out and wept bitterly.

May 23, 2026, Saturday of the 7th week of Easter

Acts 28, 16-20.30-31; John 21, 20-25

Homily

With the solemnity of Pentecost, which we celebrate tomorrow, the liturgical season of Easter comes to an end. In the Eucharistic celebrations of the last seven weeks, the first reading, generally taken from the Book of Acts, has introduced us to the witness of the first martyrs of the Faith and the life of the first Christian community in Jerusalem, followed by the preaching to the Nations beyond the Jewish world, and particularly the ministry of Paul. The reading of the Gospel has told us about the appearances of Jesus to His disciples during this /period; and, since the beginning of the last week, we have been reading the chapters of the Gospel of John relating the words of Jesus to His disciples during the last meal He had with them and His long prayer to His Father during this same meal. So it was only natural that, on this last day of Paschal Time before Pentecost, we should read the last verses of the Acts of the Apostles and the last verses of John's Gospel.

24 May 2026 – Pentecost

Acts 2:1–11; 1 Cor 12:3–13; John 20:19–23

H O M I L Y

Fear is a recurring theme in the Gospel of Saint John. And the phrase ‘out of fear of the Jews’ comes up time and again. This phrase refers to a faith that is not yet pure, a trust that is not complete. Thus, Nicodemus, at the beginning of the Gospel, comes to Jesus to question him, but he does so at night ‘for fear of the Jews’. Similarly, the parents of the man born blind whom Jesus had healed refuse to tell the Pharisees what they know, ‘for fear of the Jews’. After Jesus’ death, Joseph of Arimathea comes to ask Pilate to hand over His body, but he does so at night, ‘for fear of the Jews’. In the Gospel we have just read, John tells us that, on the evening of the first day of the week—that is, on Easter evening—the disciples had gathered in one place, ‘for fear of the Jews’. It is worth noting, in passing, that in the original Greek text, unlike most modern translations (including the one we have read), it does not say that the door was locked, but simply that it was ‘closed’; and the phrase ‘for fear of the Jews’ refers to the fact that the disciples were gathered in the same place and has nothing to do with the fact that the door was shut.

20 mai 2026 – mercredi de la 7^ème semaine de Pâques

Actes 20, 28-38 ; Jean 17, 11b-19

Homélie

Saint Luc, dans son Évangile, donne une grande importance à la longue montée de Jésus vers Jérusalem, où il sera jugé par le Sanhédrin puis confié par les chefs religieux au pouvoir romain, pour être mis à mort hors de la Ville. De même, dans son « deuxième livre », les Actes des Apôtres, il décrit l’activité de Paul comme une montée vers Jérusalem où il sera mis en accusation par les mêmes chefs religieux d’Israël, ce qui conduira à sa prise en charge par l’autorité romaine. Ce qui l’amènera à être envoyé à Rome où il sera finalement décapité.

21 mai 2026, jeudi de la 7^ème semaine de Pâques

Actes 22,30-23,6-11 ; Jean 17, 20-26

H O M É L I E

          Communiquer est essentiel à l'être humain dont la dimension sociale est un élément constitutif. De nos jours, non seulement la communication conserve toute l'importance qu'elle a toujours eue dans la vie humaine, mais elle a été en quelque sorte récupérée par ceux qui exercent ou veulent exercer le pouvoir. Il n'y a pas tellement d'années, le pouvoir, dans la société était dans les mains de ceux qui contrôlaient l'argent ou le "capital". Aujourd'hui il est dans les mains de ceux qui contrôlent la communication. Il est donc important de réfléchir sur le sens qu'a la communication dans le plan de Dieu. Jésus n'a-t-il pas envoyé ses disciples communiquer son message à toutes les nations ? Quel est le sens de cette communication ? Les textes bibliques de l'Eucharistie d'aujourd'hui nous éclairent là-dessus.