PC-05.10.2026 - Living As Joyful Witnesses Of The Risen Christ

The readings of this 6th Sunday of Easter are filled with one beautiful theme: joy.

In the First Reading, Deacon Philip preaches Jesus in Samaria with the power of the Holy Spirit. Lives are changed, people are healed, and the Scriptures tell us: “So there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:8). True Christian joy does not come from an easy life or from having everything under control. It comes from knowing that Jesus Christ is alive, that He has conquered sin and death, and that He remains with us.

In the Gospel, Jesus speaks tenderly to His disciples: “I will not leave you orphaned” (John 14:18).

Before His Passion, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit — the Advocate, the Spirit of Truth — who will remain with the Church forever. Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus continues to live in us and among us. He even says: “You in me, and I in you” (John 14:20).

What an astonishing promise! The Christian life is not simply about following rules. It is about living in a real relationship of love and communion with the Father, through Jesus, in the Holy Spirit. This intimacy with God is nourished especially through prayer, Scripture, and the Eucharist. Every Mass is an encounter with the Risen Lord who comes to dwell within us.

Saint Peter then challenges us: “Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).

In a world marked by anxiety, loneliness, addiction, conflict, and uncertainty, Christians are called to be joyful witnesses of hope. People should see in us something different: peace, faith, mercy, courage, purity, kindness, and trust in God.

We do not witness only with words, but with the way we live: by loving our families, forgiving others, remaining faithful, rejecting sin, serving the poor, praying faithfully, and keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.

This week, let us ask the Holy Spirit to renew in us the joy of the Gospel and to make us courageous witnesses of the Risen Christ.

And on this Sunday May 10, may the Lord Jesus bless all mothers in a special way today: those who are living and those who have gone before us; that He may strengthen them in their vocation of love and sacrifice, console them in their struggles, and reward them for their hidden and faithful service to life, family, and faith.