Daily reading & Reflection

  1. April 16, 2026
    Thursday, 2nd Week of Easter
    John 3:31-36

    The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks about earthly things. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, yet no one accepts his testimony.

    Whoever has accepted his testimony has certified this, that God is true. He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.

    The Father loves the Son and has placed all things in his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever disobeys the Son will not see life, but must endure God's wrath.

    Reflection:

    Vocation to Believe and Live from Above

    In this passage, Jesus Christ is revealed as the One who comes “from above,” bringing not human opinion, but the very words of God. He speaks what He has seen and heard from the Father, offering truth and life to the world. Yet not all accept His testimony—because to receive Him requires faith that goes beyond earthly thinking.

    To believe in the Son is to enter into a new kind of life—one shaped by the Spirit, given “without measure.” This is not simply about knowing truths, but about trusting in a relationship with Christ that transforms how we live and see the world. This speaks directly to our vocation.

    Our calling is to move beyond what is merely earthly and to live from what is “above”—from God’s truth, love, and Spirit. Vocation begins with belief, but it grows through daily fidelity to that belief. It is a choice to listen to Christ, to follow His word, and to allow His Spirit to guide us.

    When we embrace this, our lives reflect a deeper purpose. We no longer live only for temporary things, but for the eternal life that Christ offers. Our vocation becomes a witness that God is true, and that His love leads us to fullness of life.

     

    Prayer

    Lord Jesus, help us to believe in You fully and live according to Your truth.

    Guide us to follow our vocation with hearts open to Your Spirit and eternal life.

  2. April 15, 2026
    Wednesday, 2nd Week of Easter
    John 3:16-21

    Jesus said to Nicodemus,

    "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."

    Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.

    For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God."

    Reflection:

    Vocation as Trusting the Mystery of God

    In His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus Christ speaks of a life that goes beyond human understanding: to be “born from above” and led by the Spirit, like the wind that cannot be controlled or fully explained. Nicodemus struggles because he seeks certainty, yet Jesus invites him into mystery—a life of trust in what cannot always be seen.

    Jesus then points to the example of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness, foreshadowing His own being lifted up on the cross. Salvation comes not through human logic or control, but through faith in the One sent from above.

    This reveals something essential about our vocation. God’s call is not always clear or predictable. Like the wind, it may lead us in unexpected directions. We may not fully understand where it will take us, but we are invited to trust—to believe that God is guiding us toward life.

    To live our vocation is to surrender our need for complete understanding and to walk in faith. It is to believe in Christ, to follow where He leads, and to trust that even in mystery, He is bringing us toward eternal life.

    Prayer

    Lord Jesus, help us to trust in Your plan even when we do not fully understand.

    Guide us to follow our vocation with faith in Your saving love.

  3. April 14, 2026
    Tuesday, 2nd Week of Easter
    John 3:7b-15

    Jesus said to Nicodemus, "You must be born from above. The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things? Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, is that whoever believes in him may have eternal life."

    Reflection:

    Vocation as Trusting the Mystery of God

    In His conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus Christ speaks of a life that goes beyond human understanding: to be “born from above” and led by the Spirit, like the wind that cannot be controlled or fully explained. Nicodemus struggles because he seeks certainty, yet Jesus invites him into mystery—a life of trust in what cannot always be seen.

    Jesus then points to the example of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness, foreshadowing His own being lifted up on the cross. Salvation comes not through human logic or control, but through faith in the One sent from above.

    This reveals something essential about our vocation. God’s call is not always clear or predictable. Like the wind, it may lead us in unexpected directions. We may not fully understand where it will take us, but we are invited to trust—to believe that God is guiding us toward life.

    To live our vocation is to surrender our need for complete understanding and to walk in faith. It is to believe in Christ, to follow where He leads, and to trust that even in mystery, He is bringing us toward eternal life.

    Prayer

    Lord Jesus, help us to trust in Your plan even when we do not fully understand.

    Guide us to follow our vocation with faith in Your saving love.

  4. April 13, 2026
    Monday of 2nd Sunday of Easter
    John 3:1-8

    Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God."

    Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?"

    Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, You must be born from above? The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."

    Reflection:

    Vocation as Being Born from Above

    In his quiet search for truth, Nicodemus comes to Jesus Christ at night—curious, yet uncertain. Jesus leads him beyond human understanding into a deeper mystery: “You must be born from above.” This is not a physical rebirth, but a spiritual transformation—a new life shaped by the Holy Spirit.

    Nicodemus struggles to understand because he is thinking in earthly terms, while Jesus speaks of a divine reality. The Spirit moves like the wind—unseen, unpredictable, yet powerful. To be “born of the Spirit” is to allow God to reshape our hearts, our desires, and our direction in life. This speaks directly to our vocation. Our calling is not merely about what we do, but about who we become. Before any mission, we are invited to be transformed—to live a new life guided not by human logic alone, but by the Spirit of God.

    Vocation begins when we open ourselves to this transformation. It requires trust, surrender, and a willingness to let God lead us, even when we do not fully understand. Like Nicodemus, we may begin in uncertainty, but through grace, we are led into deeper faith.

    Prayer

    Lord Jesus, help us to be born anew through Your Spirit and live a transformed life.

    Guide us to follow our vocation with trust in Your unseen but powerful presence.

  5. April 12, 2026
    Divine Mercy Sunday
    Joun 20:19-31

    When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

    Jesus show his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

    When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

    But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

    A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!"

    Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

    Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

    Reflection:

    Vocation as Sent in the Spirit

    In a room filled with fear and locked doors, the risen Jesus Christ comes and stands among His disciples, offering peace. He does not wait for them to overcome their fear—He meets them in it. Then He does something extraordinary: He sends them. “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Their fear is transformed into mission.

    Jesus breathes on them and gives the Holy Spirit, empowering them to continue His work of forgiveness and reconciliation. Their vocation is not their own—it is a sharing in Christ’s mission, sustained by His Spirit.

    The story of Thomas the Apostle reminds us that doubt can be part of the journey. Yet Jesus does not reject him; instead, He invites him to believe. Faith is not forced—it is encountered. And from that encounter comes a deeper confession: “My Lord and my God!”

    This reveals our own vocation. We are called not only to believe, but to be sent—to bring peace, forgiveness, and hope to others. Even when we struggle with doubt or fear, Christ comes to us, strengthens us, and entrusts us with His mission.

    Blessed are those who believe without seeing—and who live that belief through their lives.

    Prayer

    Lord Jesus, fill us with Your peace and send us forth in the power of Your Spirit.

    Strengthen our faith so we may live our vocation as witnesses of Your love and mercy.