Gospel: Jn 20:19–23
(or Jn 15:26–27; 16:12–15)
On the evening of that day, the first day after the Sabbath, the doors were locked where the disciples
were, because of their fear of the Jews. But Jesus came, and stood among them, and said to them,
“Peace be with you!” Then he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples, seeing the Lord, were full of joy.
Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” After saying this, he
breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit! Those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; those
whose sins you retain, they are retained.”

Lectio Divina:

READ: Jesus promised to send the Spirit when He is gone. The Spirit will witness
to His truth and lead the disciples to the truth. This is because the Spirit will
speak only about Jesus’ truth. The Spirit will take from Jesus and make it known
to Jesus’ disciples in return.

REFLECT: Jesus in going back to the Father will not leave behind those He
love as orphans. They will not be alone. A Helper will be sent to be the abiding
presence of Jesus and the Father in the hearts of all who believe Him. Thus, the
Spirit is a comforting presence. It will not invent new teachings but will only
remind us of what Jesus taught before. It is, therefore, a Spirit of continuity. It’s
a wonder therefore that some people invoke the authority of the Spirit to spew
new and strange teachings. The Spirit of Jesus does not divide the believers.
The spirit of the evil one brings anarchy. Therefore, the true mark of the genuine
Spirit of Jesus is continuity of His teachings. The Spirit also unites believers into
one community who listen and follow Jesus’ teachings.

RESPOND: When was the last time you prayed to the Holy Spirit? For the Holy
Spirit is the most neglected Person of the Holy Trinity. Perhaps it is high time
to start a conversation with the Spirit of Truth so that we will not stray far from
the truth of God.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2021

Gospel: Jn 21:20–25
Peter looked back and saw that the disciple Jesus loved was following as well, the one who had reclined close to Jesus at the
supper, and had asked him, “Lord, who is to betray you?” On seeing him, Peter asked Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus
answered, “If I want him to remain until I come, is that any concern of yours? Follow me!” Because of this the rumor spread in the

Gospel: Jn 21:15–19
After they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these do?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” And Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” A second time Jesus said to him,
“Simon, son of John, do you love me?” And Peter answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him,

Gospel: Jn 17:20–26
I pray not only for these, but also for those who through their word will believe in me. May they all be one, as you Father are
in me and I am in you. May they be one in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the
glory you have given me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. Thus they shall reach perfection in

Gospel: Jn 17:11b–19
I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep those you have given me in
your name, so that they may be one, as we also are. When I was with them, I kept them safe in your name; and not one
was lost, except the one who was already lost, and in this the Scripture was fulfilled. And now I come to you; in the world
I speak these things, so that those whom you gave me, might have joy all my joy within themselves. I have given them your word; and the
world has hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world, I do not ask you to remove them from the
world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Consecrate them in the truth.
Your word is truth. I have sent them into the world as you sent me into the world; and for their sake, I go to the sacrifice by which I am
consecrated, so that they too may be consecrated in truth.

Reflection:

Now Jesus reports back to His Father. He is giving an account of the
disciples who followed and helped Him in His teaching ministry. He also raises a
plea to the Father, that is, they may remain united, safe from the evil one and
the machinations of the world, joyful and followers of truth. Even on His last
hours on earth, Jesus’ mind is fixed on the good of His friends. He did not
ask anything for Himself. All these are for the good of His disciples.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2021

Gospel: Jn 17:11b–19
I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep those you have given me in
your name, so that they may be one, as we also are. When I was with them, I kept them safe in your name; and not one
was lost, except the one who was already lost, and in this the Scripture was fulfilled. And now I come to you; in the world

Gospel: Jn 17:1–11a
After saying this, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come! Give glory to your Son, that the Son
may give glory to you. You have given him power over all humanity, so that he may give eternal life to all those you entrusted to him.
For this is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and the One you sent, Jesus Christ. I have glorified you on earth and finished the
work that you gave me to do. Now, Father, give me, in your presence, the same glory I had with you before the world began. I have made your name
known to those you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they kept your word. And now they know that whatever you
entrusted to me, is indeed from you. I have given them the teaching I received from you, and they accepted them, and know in truth that I came from you;
and they believe that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those who belong to you, and whom you have given to me. Indeed
all I have is yours, and all you have is mine; and now they are my glory. I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I come to you.
Holy Father, keep those you have given me in your name, so that they may be one, as we also are.

Reflection:

The right response to a ministry well done is gratitude. Jesus shows His
gratitude to the author of all that is good, His Father in heaven. The works of
His disciples netted good results. He is filled with joy. Now He can look
to the future with hope knowing that those whom He trained to take over His
work someday show great promise. All He has to do is to keep accompanying
them so that their potentials and skills will be further honed. And mean time,
He will keep reporting to His Father in heaven. He will share His joys and
sorrows, His satisfaction and disappointments, all of the human feelings He
shares with us. In that way, the Trinity is updated with what it is to be human.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2021

Gospel: Jn 16:29–33
The disciples said to him, “Now you are speaking plainly and not in veiled language! Now we see that you know all things,
even before we question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “You say that you
believe? The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone.

Gospel: Mk 16:15–20
Then he told them, “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Good News to all creation.
The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; the one who refuses to believe will be
condemned. Signs like these will accompany those who have believed: in my name they will

Gospel: Jn 16:23b–28
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. So far you have not asked for anything in my name; ask, and receive, that your joy may be full. I have taught you all
these things in veiled language, but the time is coming when I shall no longer speak in veiled language, but will speak to you