Posted on 05/10/2026 10:46:35 PM PDT by fidelis
Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.” John 15:26–27
The Last Supper Discourse spans from Chapters 13–17 in John’s Gospel, making it Jesus’ longest continuous teaching in the Gospels. While Chapter 13 begins with Jesus washing the disciples’ feet and teaching humility, it also introduces the promise of the Holy Spirit, the Advocate. Today’s Gospel begins a deeper teaching on the role of the Holy Spirit, a theme we will explore further as we approach the Solemnity of Pentecost in less than two weeks.
The role of the Holy Spirit in this passage is twofold. First, the Holy Spirit is identified as the Spirit of Truth Who will testify to the disciples on Jesus’ behalf. To testify is to bear witness to the truth. A witness in a court of law testifies under oath to safeguard the truthfulness of his or her statement. Even more so, the Holy Spirit’s testimony, spoken deep within the conscience of every soul aligned with God’s will, brings with it moral certitude. When the Holy Spirit speaks, we know what He says is true. This is how we arrive at the certitude of faith in Jesus as our Savior and in the truthfulness of all He taught.
Second, Jesus says, “You also testify.” The Holy Spirit not only testifies to Jesus but also equips the disciples to give testimony about Him to the world. This testimony, as Jesus explains, will not be without cost: “They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God” (John 16:2). Jesus warns His disciples of this coming hostility so they “may not fall away.” The Holy Spirit will enable them to testify courageously, even in the face of persecution. This assurance was essential for the early Church and remains vital for believers today as we navigate a world often resistant to the Gospel.
The testimony we must give as Christians is rooted in proclaiming the Truth: Jesus is the one and only way to the Father. He alone offers the forgiveness of sins and the gift of salvation. Without turning to Him, we cannot be saved.
In addition to this central message, we must testify to the supporting truths of our faith through both word and action... We are called to love our neighbor, pray for those who persecute us, forgive every offense, and show boundless mercy, even to the most unlovable. Ultimately, we are called to lay down our lives for others in imitation of Christ.
Only the Holy Spirit can equip us with understanding and courage to give this testimony wholeheartedly. Without the Spirit, we are incapable of being faithful witnesses to God’s truth and love... To be a witness is to be a martyr in the broadest sense, with a willingness to live a life of sacrificial love, imitating Christ’s offering on the Cross. This is the greatest testimony we can give to a world in need of salvation.
Reflect today on the ways the Holy Spirit might be calling you to give witness to Christ. Are there moments when fear or complacency holds you back from testifying to the truth? Pray for the courage and grace to live boldly as His witness. To be used by God is the greatest honor we can receive. Embrace that honor by allowing the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, to dwell in you and bear witness through you that Jesus is the Savior of the world and the sole path to eternal life.
Most Holy Spirit, Spirit of Truth, please come to me and make Your dwelling within me so that I will know the Truth and be set free. In that freedom, please use me to testify on Jesus’ behalf that He is the Savior of the World and that only through Him can we receive eternal life. May I be a witness to these and every truth You wish to speak through me. Jesus, I trust in You.
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The Month of May is Dedicated to Devotion to Mary, the Mother of God.
“And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:41-43)
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of May, 2026:
That everyone might have food
Let us pray that everyone, from large producers to small consumers, be committed to avoid wasting food, and to ensure that everyone has access to quality food.
Today’s First Reading
From: Acts 16:11-15
They Go Over Into Macedonia
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[11] Setting sail therefore from Troas we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, [12] and from there to Philippi, which is the leading city of the district of Macedonia, and a Roman colony.
The Conversion of Lydia
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We remained in this city some days; [13] and on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. [14] One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshipper of God. The Lord opened her heart to give heed to what was said by Paul. [15] And when she was baptized, with her household, she besought us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." And she prevailed upon us.
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Commentary:
12. Philippi was a prosperous city, founded by the father of Alexander the Great (in the 4th century B.C.). Nearby, in 42 B.C., there took place the battle in which those who assassinated Julius Caesar were defeated. Octavius raised Philippi to the status of a "colonia" and endowed it with many privileges.
Very few Jews lived in the city, as can be seen from the fact that it had no synagogue (for there to be a synagogue there had to be at least ten Jewish men living in a place). The text refers only to a group of women who met on the riverside to pray--a location probably chosen for the purpose of ritual purification.
14. Lydia was probably a surname taken from the region this woman came from. She was not a Jew by birth but a "God-fearer" (cf. note on Acts 2:5-11). God chose her from this group of women to enlighten her with the light of faith, opening her heart to understand the words of the Apostle. Origen explains that "God opens our mouth, our ears and our eyes to make us say, hear and see divine things" ("In Ex. Hom.", III, 2). This shows that we can and ought to address God using the words of the Church's liturgy: "Open my lips, Lord, to bless your holy name; clean my heart from all evil thoughts; enlighten my understanding and inflame my will...so that I merit to be admitted to Your presence" ("Liturgy of the Hours", Introductory Prayer).
When Christians address God, they ask Him for the grace to pray well--not only at times of prayer but also in the course of everyday activities: "Lord, be the beginning and end of all that we do and say. Prompt our actions with Your grace, and complete them with Your all-powerful help" ("ibid.", Morning Prayer, Monday, First Week).
This episode shows faith to be a gift from God, stemming from His goodness and wisdom: for "no one can give his assent to the Gospel message in a truly salvific way except it be by the light and inspiration of the Holy Spirit: He it is who gives to all the power necessary for affirming and believing the truth" (Vatican I, "Dei Filius", Chapter 3).
15. St. Luke's succinct account shows that Lydia's good dispositions allow St. Paul's preaching to bear fruit very quickly. Her whole family receives Baptism and she insists on the Apostles' staying in her house. "Look at her wisdom, how full of humility her words are: 'If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord.' Nothing could be more persuasive. Who would not have been softened by these words. She did not simply request or entreat: she left them free to decide and yet by her insistence obliged them to stay at her house. See how she straightaway bears fruit and accounts her calling a great gain" (St. John Chrysostom, "Hom. on Acts", 35).
It is worth reflecting on the fact that Christianity began in Europe through a housewife's response to God's calling. Lydia set about her mission to Christianize the whole world from within, starting with her own family. Commenting on the role of women in the spread of Christianity, Monsignor Escriva says: "The main thing is that like Mary, who was a woman, a virgin and a mother, they live with their eyes on God repeating her words 'fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum' (Luke 1:38) 'let it be done to me according to your word'. On these words depends the faithfulness to one's personal vocation--which is always unique and non-transferable--which will make us all cooperators in the work of salvation which God carries out in us and in the entire world" ("Conversations", 112).
From: John 15:26-16:4a
A Hostile World (Continuation)
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(Jesus said to His disciples,) [26] "But when the Counsellor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness to Me; [27] and you also are witnesses, because you have been with Me from the beginning.
The Action of the Holy Spirit
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[1] "I have said all this to you to keep you from falling away. [2] They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. [3] And they will do this because they have not known the Father, nor Me. [4a] But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them."
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Commentary:
26-27. Just before the Ascension our Lord will again charge the Apostles with the mission to bear witness to Him (cf. Acts 1:8). They have been witnesses to the public ministry, death and resurrection of Christ, which is a condition for belonging to the Apostolic College, as we see when Matthias is elected to take the place of Judas (cf. Acts 1:21-22). But the public preaching of the Twelve and the life of the Church will not start until the Holy Spirit comes.
Every Christian should be living witness to Jesus, and the Church as a whole is a permanent testimony to Him: "The mission of the Church is carried out by means of that activity through which, in obedience to Christ's command and moved by the grace and love of the Holy Spirit, the Church makes itself fully present to all men and peoples in order to lead them to the faith, freedom and peace of Christ by the example of its life and preaching, by the sacraments and other means of grace" (Vatican II, "Ad Gentes", 5).
2-3. Fanaticism can even bring a person to think that it is permissible to commit a crime in order to serve the cause of religion--as happened with those Jews who persecuted Jesus to the point of bringing about His death, and who later persecuted the Church. Paul of Tarsus was a typical example of misguided zeal (cf. Acts 22:3-16); but once Paul realized he was wrong he changed and became one of Christ's most fervent apostles. As Jesus predicted, the Church has often experienced this sort of fanatical, diabolical hatred. At other times this false zeal, though not so obvious, takes the form of systematic and unjust opposition to the things of God. "In the moments of struggle and opposition, when perhaps `the good' fill your way with obstacles, lift up your apostolic heart: listen to Jesus as He speaks of the grain of mustard seed and of the leaven. And say to Him: `edissere nobis parabolam': explain the parable to me.'
"And you will feel the joy of contemplating the victory to come: the birds of the air lodging in the branches of your apostolate, now only in its beginnings, and the whole of the meal leavened" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 695).
In these cases, as our Lord also pointed out, those who persecute God's true servants think they are serving Him: they confuse God's interest with a deformed idea of religion.
4. Here Jesus prophesies not only His own death (cf. Matthew 16:21-23) but also the persecution His disciples will suffer. He forewarns them of the contradictions they will experience so that they will not be scandalized or depressed when they do arise; in fact, difficulties will give them an opportunity to demonstrate their faith.
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