Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 9, 2026
Jesus said to his disciples:
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you.
Remember the word I spoke to you,
‘No slave is greater than his master.’
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me.”
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.
Reflection
Today’s gospel can be hard to hear. Are we called to be hated and persecuted by the world? All of us occasionally find ourselves subject to criticism. Sometimes this can be due to our commitment to the faith, which is at odds with certain aspects of modern culture. At other times, it can be because of our own personal shortcomings.
In the former case, today’s passage reminds us that we can find reassurance in Christ’s self-sacrificial love. No matter how difficult our sufferings are in our attempts to live out the Christian life, we know that Christ bore those, as well as those unimaginably more painful. We are never alone in our sufferings.
When we find ourselves criticised for our personal failings, I think there is also plenty of hope to be found through reconciliation. Growing up, I did not maintain a particularly consistent practice of attending the sacrament of confession, but recently, I have found that it is never too late to rekindle the habit.
This simple ritual to seek forgiveness for our transgressions and to make amends with our communities has been bestowed upon Christians since the foundation of our faith. It connects us not only with those here and now but also with those who have lived centuries ago. By the same logic, it also connects us with people millennia into the future.
May we all be grateful for the sacrifices which Christ has already borne in our place, and strive to seek the grace offered by the sacrament of confession.
Prayer
Dear Lord, give us wisdom when we are filled with questions. Grant us a grateful heart when we feel discouraged. Open our eyes to the opportunities that await us. Steady our pace so that we can see you in the people and challenges that will come our way today. Let us be pure of spirit so your glory may guide our thinking and acting. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Though St. Anthony the Great is credited as the father of monasticism, St. Pachomius was the first to organize Christian communities around a common rule of life.
Pachomius was born in 292 in Upper Egypt, and at the age of 20 he was conscripted to the emperor’s army. He was transported down the Nile river with other recruits for training, and they traveled in terrible conditions. When they stopped at a small river town during their journey, Christians there showed them great kindness. Their charity deeply touched Pachomius.
As soon as he was able to leave the army, he made his way to a Christian church and began learning the faith as a catechumen. He was baptized and dedicated himself to finding every possible way to cooperate with the new grace he had received.
He learned of a hermit living in the desert, and he sought him out and asked to follow him. Pachomius promised the man obedience and they lived under great discipline and austerity—they ate only bread and salt, and practiced praying through the night.
Pachomius heard a call to establish a new monastery in a nearby region, and had a vision of an angel who instructed him on how to organize it. In 318, he constructed a small cell there and began his work.
The first to join him there was his brother, John, and others followed. Soon more than 100 lived together. He led them mainly by example, but allowed everyone to participate in their pursuit of holiness according to their ability.
The movement grew, and he eventually founded eight other monasteries, including one for women, which included his sister. Even in the face of false accusations, he displayed heroic humility and patience, and was known for miraculous healings.
Pachomius died in 348 of a disease that killed a number of other monks. At the time of his death, some 3,000 monks were living in his monasteries. His rule of life greatly influenced St. Benedict, who formed the trunk from which most branches of monasticism grew in the west.
St. Pachomius, you pioneered a path towards holiness through the practice of community, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of St. Pachomius is available for use under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Last accessed March 6, 2025 on Wikimedia Commons.
