7 May 2026 (Thursday) | Thursday of the 5th week of Eastertide | Easter Weekday | Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter

7 May 2026 (Thursday)

Thursday of the 5th week of Eastertide.

Easter Weekday.
Thursday of the Fifth Week of Easter.

The Word of the day is a daily podcast featuring the readings in the Vatican liturgical calendar accompanied by a commentary from one of the Popes of recent times.

Readings from the Bible of the Roman Catholic Church:

First Reading: Acts 15: 7-21
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 10 ℟. 3 or: ℟. Alleluia.
Gospel acclamation: Alleluia: John 10: 27
Gospel: John 15: 9-11
Liturgical year 2026 (Cycle A/II)
Liturgical color: White or Gold.

First Reading : Acts 15:7‐21

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

After the discussion had gone on a long time, Peter stood up and addressed the apostles and the elders.
  ‘My brothers,’ he said ‘you know perfectly well that in the early days God made his choice among you: the pagans were to learn the Good News from me and so become believers. In fact God, who can read everyone’s heart, showed his approval of them by giving the Holy Spirit to them just as he had to us. God made no distinction between them and us, since he purified their hearts by faith. It would only provoke God’s anger now, surely, if you imposed on the disciples the very burden that neither we nor our ancestors were strong enough to support? Remember, we believe that we are saved in the same way as they are: through the grace of the Lord Jesus.’
  This silenced the entire assembly, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul describing the signs and wonders God had worked through them among the pagans.
  When they had finished it was James who spoke. ‘My brothers,’ he said ‘listen to me. Simeon has described how God first arranged to enlist a people for his name out of the pagans. This is entirely in harmony with the words of the prophets, since the scriptures say:
After that I shall return
and rebuild the fallen House of David;
I shall rebuild it from its ruins
and restore it.
Then the rest of mankind,
all the pagans who are consecrated to my name,
will look for the Lord,
says the Lord who made this known so long ago.
‘I rule, then, that instead of making things more difficult for pagans who turn to God, we send them a letter telling them merely to abstain from anything polluted by idols, from fornication, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has always had his preachers in every town, and is read aloud in the synagogues every sabbath.’

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

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 96:1-2a, 2b-3, 10 ℟. 3 or: ℟. Alleluia.

Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
or
Alleluia!
O sing a new song to the Lord,
  sing to the Lord all the earth.
  O sing to the Lord, bless his name.
Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
or
Alleluia!
Proclaim his help day by day,
  tell among the nations his glory
  and his wonders among all the peoples.
Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
or
Alleluia!
Proclaim to the nations: ‘God is king.’
  The world he made firm in its place;
  he will judge the peoples in fairness.
Proclaim the wonders of the Lord among all the peoples.
or
Alleluia!

Gospel acclamation: Alleluia: John 10: 27
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
27 My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
(25. Jesus replied: I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name are my witness; 26. but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. 27. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. 28. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from my hand. 29. The Father, for what he has given me, is greater than anyone, and no one can steal anything from the Father's hand. 30. The Father and I are one.)

Gospel : John 15:9‐11

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

Jesus said to his disciples:
‘As the Father has loved me,
so I have loved you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments
you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.
I have told you this
so that my own joy may be in you
and your joy be complete.’

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

For our reflection today:

The words of the Popes.

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you” (Jn 15:9). The love Jesus gives us is the same with which the Father loves him: pure unconditional love, freely given love. It cannot be bought, it is free. By giving it to us, Jesus treats us like friends — with this love —, letting us know the Father; and he involves us in his same mission for the life of the world. And then, we can ask ourselves the question, how do we abide in this love? Jesus says: “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love” (v. 10). Dear brothers and sisters, where does this abiding in the Lord’s love lead? Where does it lead us? Jesus told us: “That my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (v. 11). And the Lord wants that the joy he possesses, because he is in complete communion with the Father, also be in us insofar as we are united to him. The joy of knowing we are loved by God despite our infidelities enables us to face the trials of life confidently, makes us live through crises so as to emerge from them better. Our being true witnesses consists in living this joy, because joy is the distinctive sign of a true Christian. (Pope Francis, General Audience, 9 May 2021)

POPE FRANCIS
REGINA CAELI
Saint Peter's Square Sunday, 9 May 2021

Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Buongiorno!

In this Sunday’s Gospel passage (Jn 15:9-17) after having compared himself to the vine and us to the branches, Jesus, explains what fruit is borne by those who remain united to him: this fruit is love. He again repeats the key-verb: abide. He invites us to abide in his love so that his joy may be in us and our joy may be full (vv. 9-11). To abide in Jesus’ love.

Let us ask ourselves: what is this love in which Jesus tells us to abide to have his joy? What is this love? It is the love that originates in the Father, because “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). This love of God, of the Father, flows like a river in his Son Jesus and through him comes to us, his creatures. Indeed, he says: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you” (Jn 15:9). The love Jesus gives us is the same with which the Father loves him: pure unconditional love, freely given love. It cannot be bought, it is free. By giving it to us, Jesus treats us like friends — with this love —, letting us know the Father; and he involves us in his same mission for the life of the world.

And then, we can ask ourselves the question, how do we abide in this love? Jesus says: “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love” (v. 10). Jesus summarized his commandments in a single one, this: “that you love one another as I have loved you” (v. 12). To love as Jesus Christ means to offer yourself in service, at the service of your brothers and sisters, as he did in washing the feet of the disciples. It also means going outside of ourselves, detaching ourselves from our own human certainties, from earthly comforts, in order to open ourselves up to others, especially those in greater need. It means making ourselves available, as we are and with what we have. This means to love not in word but in deeds.

To love like Christ means saying ‘no’ to other ‘loves’ that the world offers us: love of money — those who love money do not love as Jesus loves —, love of success, of vanity, of power… These deceptive paths of “love” distance us from the Lord’s love and lead us to become more and more selfish, narcissistic and overbearing. And being overbearing leads to a degeneration of love, to the abuse of others, to making our loved ones suffer. I am thinking of the unhealthy love that turns into violence — and how many women are victims of violence these days. This is not love. To love as the Lord loves us means to appreciate the people beside us, to respect their freedom, to love them as they are, not as we want them to be; as they are, gratuitously. Ultimately, Jesus asks us to abide in his love, to dwell in his love, not in our ideas, not in our own self-worship. Those who dwell in self-worship live in the mirror: always looking at themselves. He asks us to overcome the ambition to control and manage others. Not controlling, serving them. Opening our heart to others, this is love, to be trusting, giving ourselves to others.

Dear brothers and sisters, where does this abiding in the Lord’s love lead? Where does it lead us? Jesus told us: “That my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (v. 11). And the Lord wants that the joy he possesses, because he is in complete communion with the Father, also be in us insofar as we are united to him. The joy of knowing we are loved by God despite our infidelities enables us to face the trials of life confidently, makes us live through crises so as to emerge from them better. Our being true witnesses consists in living this joy, because joy is the distinctive sign of a true Christian. True Christians are not sad; they always have that joy inside, even in difficult moments.

May the Virgin Mary help us to abide in Jesus’ love and to grow in love for everyone, witnessing to the joy of the Risen Lord.

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)