Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 18, 2023
Jesus said to his disciples:
“A little while and you will no longer see me,
and again a little while later and you will see me.”
So some of his disciples said to one another,
“What does this mean that he is saying to us,
‘A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me,’
and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
So they said, “What is this ‘little while’ of which he speaks?
We do not know what he means.”
Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them,
“Are you discussing with one another what I said,
‘A little while and you will not see me,
and again a little while and you will see me’?
Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”
Reflection
Time and again, I return to the closing line of today’s gospel, where the prevailing theme is confusion. As is so often the case, the disciples don’t quite understand. Jesus doesn’t promise it will be easy. He doesn’t offer assurances that the road ahead will be free of pain and heartache. However, he signals that the destination will be worth the journey: “Your grief will become joy.”
I believe those five words offer a helpful summation of our faith, particularly in life’s most challenging moments. I certainly have found myself grasping onto this hope when beset by grief.
In moments of confusion and grief, we are encouraged to remember that the story is not yet over. Just as the crucifixion gives way to the empty tomb and the Easter joy of the Resurrection, we believe our grief is not permanent. We trust we will be reunited with our loved ones. We live in the hope that our suffering will give way to eternal peace.
I also notice and appreciate that the line doesn’t say our grief should be joy. It acknowledges that grief does have a time and place. After all, upon learning of the death of his friend Lazarus, Jesus wept. Instead of pushing grief away, Jesus reminds us that grief doesn’t get the last word.
During this Easter season, may we trust in the promise of joy and serve as faithful companions to those in a season of grieving.
Prayer
Jesus, we look at our world and we weep. We experience the pain of those who suffer and the emptiness of those who have no hope. But then we remember, and we see you again. We see the world redeemed and saved from separation and, seeing anew, share our vision through our prayer and action. May our weeping be turned to joy as we enter into your own divine life and know you are present in all of creation. May we join you in preparing our world for its life with the Father. Amen.
Saint of the Day

Though he wasn’t killed outright for his faith, Pope St. John I is honored as a martyr because he died from rough treatment when he was imprisoned for standing steadfast between the maneuvers of a king and an emperor.
John was born in Tuscany in 470, and joined the Roman clergy as a young man. He was elevated to the head of the seven deacons of Rome, where he played an important role in the politics of the Church, corresponding with theologians and philosophers and helping to lead gatherings of bishops.
He was elected pope in 523, but was in frail health. King Theodoric ruled much of Italy at the time, and subscribed to Arianism—a line of thinking that held Jesus as not fully divine. He decided to send a diplomatic envoy to the emperor in Constantinople to negotiate better treatment for Arians, and made John the head of that task, against John's wishes. Theodoric threatened dire consequences for orthodox Christians if he was not successful.
John was well-received by the emperor’s court, and seemed to succeed in his mission, which bought some leniency for orthodox Christians in Italy. But when he returned, Theodoric suspected him of conspiring with the emperor and threw him in prison. John died in prison from neglect and abuse.
Relics of Pope St. John I rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica.
Pope St. John I, you protected Christians from a feuding king and an emperor—pray for us!