15 May 2026 (Friday) | Friday before Ascension Sunday or Saint Isidore the Farmer | Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter | Easter Weekday | Saint Isidore the Farmer, Married Man

15 May 2026 (Friday)

Friday before Ascension Sunday or Saint Isidore the Farmer.

Friday of the Sixth Week of Easter.
Easter Weekday/ Saint Isidore the Farmer, Married Man

First Reading: Acts 18: 9-18
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 47:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 ℟. 8a or: ℟. Alleluia.
Gospel acclamation: Alleluia: Luke 24: 46, 26
Gospel: John 16: 20-23
Liturgical year 2026 (Cycle A/II)
Liturgical color: White or Gold.

Readings from the Bible of the Roman Catholic Church:

First Reading : Acts 18:9‐18

(Reader) A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.

At Corinth one night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid to speak out, nor allow yourself to be silenced: I am with you. I have so many people on my side in this city that no one will even attempt to hurt you.’ So Paul stayed there preaching the word of God among them for eighteen months.
  But, while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a concerted attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal. ‘We accuse this man’ they said ‘of persuading people to worship God in a way that breaks the Law.’ Before Paul could open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, ‘Listen, you Jews. If this were a misdemeanour or a crime, I would not hesitate to attend to you; but if it is only quibbles about words and names, and about your own Law, then you must deal with it yourselves – I have no intention of making legal decisions about things like that.’ Then he sent them out of the court, and at once they all turned on Sosthenes, the synagogue president, and beat him in front of the court house. Gallio refused to take any notice at all.
  After staying on for some time, Paul took leave of the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut off, because of a vow he had made.

(Reader) The Word of the Lord.
(All) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 47:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 ℟. 8a or: ℟. Alleluia.

God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
All peoples, clap your hands,
  cry to God with shouts of joy!
For the Lord, the Most High, we must fear,
  great king over all the earth.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
He subdues peoples under us
  and nations under our feet.
Our inheritance, our glory, is from him,
  given to Jacob out of love.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!
God goes up with shouts of joy;
  the Lord goes up with trumpet blast.
Sing praise for God, sing praise,
  sing praise to our king, sing praise.
God is king of all the earth.
or
Alleluia!

Gospel acclamation: Alleluia: Luke 24: 46, 26
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
46, 26 Christ had to suffer and to rise from the dead, and so enter into his glory.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
(41. Their joy was so great that they still could not believe it, as they were dumbfounded; so he said to them, 'Have you anything here to eat?' 42. And they offered him a piece of grilled fish,43. which he took and ate before their eyes.44. Then he told them, 'This is what I meant when I said, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets and in the Psalms, was destined to be fulfilled.' 45. He then opened their minds to understand the scriptures, 46. and he said to them, 'So it is written that the Christ would suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47. and that, in his name, repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48. You are witnesses to this. 24. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.' 25. Then he said to them, 'You foolish men! So slow to believe all that the prophets have said! 26. Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer before entering into his glory?' 27. Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.)

Gospel : John 16:20‐23

(Reader) A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.
(All) Glory to you, O Lord.

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘I tell you most solemnly,
you will be weeping and wailing
while the world will rejoice;
you will be sorrowful,
but your sorrow will turn to joy.
A woman in childbirth suffers,
because her time has come;
but when she has given birth to the child she forgets the suffering
in her joy that a man has been born into the world.
So it is with you: you are sad now,
but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy,
and that joy no one shall take from you.
When that day comes,
you will not ask me any questions.’

(Reader) The Gospel of the Lord.
(All) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

For our reflection today:

The words of the Popes.

And we must be truthful with ourselves: not all of Christian life is a celebration. Not all of it! We weep, very often we weep. When you are sick; when you have a problem in the family, with your son, with your daughter, your wife, your husband; when you realize that your salary won’t last until the end of the month and you have a sick child; when you realize you cannot pay your mortgage and have to move out… So many problems, so many that we have. But Jesus tells us: “Do not be afraid!” “Yes, you will be sad, you will weep, and there will even be people who take pleasure in this, people who are against you”.  “Your sadness will turn into joy”. But it is difficult, when you go to a man or woman who is sick, who is suffering a lot, to say: “Take heart! Take heart! Tomorrow you will have joy!” No, you cannot say this. We must make them feel how Jesus made them feel. We too, when we are in the midst of darkness, seeing nothing: “I know, Lord, that this sorrow will turn into joy. I don’t know how, but I know it!” An act of faith in the Lord. An act of faith! To be courageous in suffering and to think that afterwards comes the Lord, afterwards comes joy, after the darkness comes the sun. May the Lord give all of us. This joy in hope. (Pope Francis, Homily at Santa Marta, 30 May 2014)

MORNING MASS IN THE CHAPEL OF THEDOMUS SANCTAE MARTHAE
HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
"To be filled with joy"Thursday, 16 April 2020

Introduction

In these days I have been reproached because I have forgotten to thank a group of people who are also working. I thanked doctors, nurses, volunteers… “But you have forgotten pharmacists”: they too have been working hard to help the sick get better. Let us pray for them as well.

Homily

In these days, in Jerusalem, people had many feelings: fear, amazement, doubt. “In those days, while the healed cripple clung to Peter and John, all the people were astonished…” (Acts 3:11): there was not a tranquil environment because things were happening that were not understood. And the Lord went to His disciples. Even they knew that He had already risen, even Peter knew it because he had spoken with Him that morning. These two who returned from Emmaus knew it, but when the Lord appeared they were afraid. “They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost” (Lk 24:37); they had the same experience on the lake, when Jesus came walking on the water. But at that time Peter had been courageous and placed His bet on the Lord, saying: “But if it is you, bid me to walk on the water” (see Mk 14:28). But this day Peter was quiet; he had spoken with the Lord, that morning, and nobody knows what they had said to each other in that dialogue and so he remained silent. 

But they were so filled with fear, upset, they thought they were seeing a ghost. And He said: “Why are you so agitated, and why are these doubts rising in your hearts? Look at my hands, my feet…” He lets them see His wounds (see Lk 24:38-39). That treasure that Jesus took in Heaven to show to the Father and to intercede for us. “Touch me and see for yourselves; a ghost has no flesh and bones.” And then there is a phrase that gives me a lot of consolation and for this reason, this passage of the Gospel is one of my favourites: “But they didn't believe for joy…” (see Lk 24:41) again, and were full of astonishment, the joy prevented them from believing. Their joy was so great that “No, this cannot be true. This joy is not real, it is too much joy”. And this keeps them from believing. Joy. They were both filled with joy and paralysed by joy. 

And joy is one of the desires that Paul has for his community in Rome: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy” (see Rom 15:13), he says. To fill with joy, to be filled with joy. It is the experience of the greatest consolation, when the Lord makes us understand that this is something different from being happy, positive or radiant… No, it is something different. To be joyful…but filled with joy, an overflowing joy that really gets us. And this is why Paul wishes the Romans that “the God of hope might fill you with joy”. And that word, that expression, to fill with joy is repeated many, many times. For example, what happened in the jail, when Paul saves the life of the jailer who was about to commit suicide after the doors had been opened by the earthquake, and then he proclaims the Gospel to him, he baptises him, and the jailer, the Bible says, was “filled with joy” for having believed (see Acts 16:29-34). The same happened with the minister of economy of Candace, when Philip baptised him; he disappeared, he went on his way “filled with joy” (see Acts 8:39). 

The same happened on the day of the Ascension: the disciples returned to Jerusalem, says the Bible, “filled with joy” (see Lk 24:52). It is the fullness of consolation, the fullness of Lord’s presence. Because, as Paul says to the Galatians, “joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit” (see Gal 5:22). It is not the consequence of emotions that emerge because of something marvellous… No, it is something more. This joy that fills us is the fruit of the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit, we cannot have joy. To receive the joy of the Spirit is a grace. I am reminded of the last numbers, the last paragraphs of Paul VI’s Exhortation Evangelii nuntiandi (see 79-80), when he speaks of joyful Christians, of joyful evangelisers, and not of those who are always down. Today is a good day to read it. Filled with joy. This is what the Bible says to us: “But they didn't believe for joy…”. Their joy was so great that they did not believe. 

There is a passage in the book of Nehemiah that will help us today in this reflection on joy. The people, after returning to Jerusalem, rediscovered the book of the law; they discovered it again - because they knew the law by heart, they could not find the book of the law - they had a great feast and all the people gathered together to listen to the priest Ezra reading the book of the law. The people were moved and wept, they wept with joy because they had found the very book of the law and they wept, it was joyful, the weeping… In the end when the priest Ezra finished, Nehemiah said to the people: “Be calm, do not weep anymore, preserve this joy because the joy in the Lord is your strength” (see Ne 8:1-12). This word from the book of Nehemiah will help us today. The great strength that we have to transform, to preach the Gospel, to go forward as witnesses of life is the joy of the Lord which is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. Today, let us ask Him to grant us this fruit.

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,
Pelayan Atasan Tertinggi / Most High Servant,
Yesus, Maria, Yusuf Pelayanan Kasih / Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love 
(Blessed and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)

My vocation is Blessed and Saints.

"I am the most humble of all the Saints in Heaven" Mary, Mother of God."

"I am the handmaid of the Lord, said Mary ‘let what you have said be done to me."

Mother Mary is the most humble Saint in Heaven and she is also the Mother of God for us all
(Luke 1:38)