Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 3, 2026
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not let your hearts be troubled.
You have faith in God; have faith also in me.
In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places.
If there were not,
would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?
And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come back again and take you to myself,
so that where I am you also may be.
Where I am going you know the way.”
Thomas said to him,
“Master, we do not know where you are going;
how can we know the way?”
Jesus said to him, I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
If you know me, then you will also know my Father.
From now on you do know him and have seen him.”
Philip said to him,
“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time
and you still do not know me, Philip?
Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.
How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?
The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own.
The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.
Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me,
or else, believe because of the works themselves.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whoever believes in me will do the works that I do,
and will do greater ones than these,
because I am going to the Father.”
Excerpts from the Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States of America, second typical edition © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No portion of this text may be reproduced by any means without permission in writing from the copyright owner. The full readings of the day from the Lectionary are available here.
One of the most scrutinized apostles, besides Judas, is Thomas. In the gospel today, Thomas continues questioning Christ. As an undergraduate, Thomas is someone whom I can understand quite well. Often, I doubt God’s plan for my life (or whether or not there even is a plan at all).
But I know doubt is something that we all struggle with, whether it is about the love of God, discerning a career, figuring out the meaning of life, fear over the health of a loved one, or the existence of evil in the world. At the center of all of our doubts, there is desire. Our hearts all desire to know the way; we all desire to be moving in the right direction towards love, peace, and contentment. This is where Thomas’ question from today becomes our question: “How can we know the way?”
Christ does not meet us with a philosophy or an equation to solve this question. Christ meets us with himself. Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” Christ does not offer a road map to this life. Christ invites us into companionship on a journey through this life. This journey is whether to live your life with or without him. Walking with him, and learning from him, and living every day desiring him. He does not make decisions for us, but instead extends us his yoke to pull alongside us.
Christ longs that all of our hearts are not troubled, so let us bring our doubts to him and accept the invitation to walk with him.
Prayer
God of all strength and consolation, you hear those who cry out to you in their need. Even though the world’s evils are many, never let your faithful be overcome by hatred and vengeance. Sustain us with the Bread of life and the Cup of eternal salvation. Let your face shine upon us, and we shall be saved. Grant this through Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
James was one of the 12 disciples, and was Jesus’ own cousin—his mother was sister or cousin to Mary. Legend says that he looked so much like Jesus that Mary herself could have confused them, and this is why Judas betrayed Jesus with an identifying kiss for the authorities.
James is called “minor” or “lesser,” meaning younger, to distinguish him from the other James, who was also a disciple and played a more significant role in the Gospel stories.
This James was one of the first witnesses of the resurrection, and received a special appearance from Jesus before he ascended to heaven. He was bishop of the Church in Jerusalem, and was held in high esteem—he spoke for the people, for instance, in some of the important decisions of the early Church. St. Paul consulted with him before starting his missionary journeys and referred to him as a “pillar” of the Church.
He was known in Jerusalem as “The Just One” because of his constancy in prayer and for the devotion with which he practiced his faith. He did not eat meat, he refrained from any ostentation in clothing, he did not drink wine, and he did not cut his hair. He spent so much time in prayer that his knees grew thick calluses and looked like a camel’s.
The leaders in Jerusalem were worried about the growing number of people who were coming to believe that Jesus was the Christ. They asked James to refute this claim, but he refused and was stoned. He was finally killed when he was struck on the head with a club, and his body was cut to pieces with a saw. He is the patron saint of pharmacists because they work with a pestle, which resembles a club.
He is frequently portrayed in art with the instruments of his death, a club or saw, or with a book, signifying his authority in the early Church. The relics of St. James the Lesser rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. He is also portrayed with this symbol in stained glass that stands in the chapel in Morrissey Hall.
St. James the Lesser, cousin of Jesus and the “just one” who led the early Church in Jerusalem—pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. James the Lesser is in the public domain. Last accessed March 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
