Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 22, 2023
The disciples said to Jesus,
“Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.
Now we realize that you know everything
and that you do not need to have anyone question you.
Because of this we believe that you came from God.”
Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now?
Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.
But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world.”
Reflection
At one point in our young family life, my wife Carrie and I had three children in diapers. Friends and family members frequently commented, “Enjoy these days. They grow up fast.” We cognitively knew what they meant, but we couldn’t fully accept the meaning of that sage advice with our days dominated by baby formula, wipes, and binkies.
Our oldest will graduate high school this June and be off to college in the Fall. We now know how fast kids grow up; we can feel the knowledge because our family dynamics are changing.
I imagine the disciples going through a similar experience in today’s reading. In previous verses of John’s Gospel, Jesus said, “I have much to tell you, but you can not hear it now.” They weren’t ready.
They are hearing it now and are having an ‘aha’ moment about Jesus’ omniscience, about who he really is, even though they’ve mentally comprehended it in the past. The disciples are about to feel the change in family dynamics as Jesus tells them he will be leaving them but not to despair because he will be with God and with them through the Holy Spirit.
This passage is a reminder that faith is only sometimes an instantaneous or straightforward process. It often takes time and experience to truly grasp Jesus’ teaching and meaning in life.
The joy of the Easter season is knowing that he remains with us throughout changing circumstances. May our meditation on his death and resurrection deepen our faith and understanding so that we may feel his presence always.
Prayer
All-powerful and ever living God, your Son, Jesus Christ, taught us to not be afraid of pain and suffering. As we face this world’s uncertainties and challenges, send your Spirit to sustain, nourish, and fortify us for wherever life takes us. Help us to remain faithful in good times and bad until we see you again and rejoice in your presence forever. Grant this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day

Nearly every stage of her life was marked by suffering and loss, but Rita never lost her faith and trust in God. Because of this faithfulness, she is the patron saint of desperate causes.
Rita was born to aged parents in 1381 in Italy. She was a pious child, and wanted to devote herself to a religious life, but her parents arranged a marriage for her. She obeyed, but suffered greatly because her husband was abusive.
She bore twins, and the two boys also suffered under her husband until he was killed by a different family in an honor killing. After her two sons died of illness, Rita applied to enter a convent.
Because some of the sisters in the convent were related to the family that killed her husband, she was denied entry. She persisted in asking to join the community, however, and eventually was accepted.
As a religious, she gave all of her energies to devotional practices and prayer. From her childhood, Rita was devoted to the passion and suffering of Jesus. She received a special form of the stigmata when a wound opened on her forehead similar to what would have resulted from the crown of thorns Jesus wore. The wound caused her to be secluded, and she suffered from it for 15 years until her death. The last four years of her life were marked by illness and she died on this date in 1457.
In modern times, her body was discovered to have remained incorrupt, and some of her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. Her bust, pictured here, stands in the offices of Campus Ministry for the University.
St. Rita, you who are patron saint of the impossible and the advocate of desperate cases—pray for us!