Let us continue to join together in reading and meditating on these Bible passages each day.
May 1: Third Sunday of Easter: John 21: 1-14
Aren’t there moments in times of need when help seems to come from an unexpected source and we sense the presence of the Lord. The unexpected catch of fish was such a moment for the disciples. Pray to recognize such moments in your life.
May 2: John 6: 22-29
Some sought to make Jesus a king and some followed him because he was some kind of celebrity. What motivates my decisions. Am I really seeking what lasts in my relationships, or am I seeking what will soon perish?
May 3: John 14: 6-14
Philip asks Jesus to “Show us the Father.” Jesus is the presence of the Father in visible form. The words and deeds of Jesus are the words and deeds of God. Let us pray to be brought ever more deeply into the mystery of who Jesus really is.
May 4: John 6: 35-40
Jesus is the “bread of life,” the source of our daily sustenance. Jesus says, “Anyone who comes to me I will never drive away…” We can trust the Source of our life and strength!
May 5: John 6: 44-51
Jesus says, “I am the living bread…” Through Jesus, God invites us more fully into life, full, abundant, and eternal.
May 6: John 6: 52-59
Jesus invites us to be drawn fully into the life of God, to trust fully in the One who gives us life.
May 7: John 6: 60-69
Irenaeus said, “The glory of God is the human person fully alive.” I pray to become fully alive, totally open to God.
May 8: Fourth Sunday of Easter: John 10: 27-30
I am invited to follow Jesus. My daily prayer helps me to listen to his voice and deepen our relationship. It is a time of grace and blessing.
May 9: John 10:1-10
Lord, help me hear your voice and open the gate of my heart to you. Draw me into the pathways of abundant life.
May 10: John 10: 22-30
As the sheep recognizes the voice of its shepherd, I look over these past days, listening for the word of God spoken to me through those around me, through my observations and experiences.
May 11: John 12: 44-50
This passage is a summary statement which comes at the end of Jesus’ public ministry. It sums up everything Jesus has been doing and saying. Let us pray to listen to his words and act on them.
May 12: John 13: 16-20
Followers of Jesus are called to serve. Jesus himself is the model of service. I ask to recognize where God wants me to be and do what God wants me to do.
May 13: John 14: 1-6
These words of Jesus are a source of consolation. They speak powerfully to our fear of death, “the undiscovered country.” Jesus, the Light, guides us on the most fearful and unknown journey of all.
May 14: John 15: 9-17
My love for others must not be conditioned by how they respond. Jesus loves me totally. My love must have that quality, too. True love never comes to an end. Loving actions are the building blocks of eternal life.
May 15: Fifth Sunday of Easter: John 13: 31-35
At the moment of betrayal, of Jesus’ anguish, we are given a new commandment: “Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” It seems the disciples and we, too, need to be told and reminded, over and over, to love one another.
May 16: John 14: 21-26
We are invited to share God’s life and work! Learning and understanding take time. Jesus promises that we will not be left in a state of frustrating perplexity.
The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, will be sent to us, to teach us and to remind us of what is important.
May 17: John 14: 27-31
Jesus wants his friends to know that he is with them, God is with them. Jesus’ farewell wish is “Peace!” His gift of peace is not a state, but a relationship. It is the fruit of deeply abiding in him. This relationship will never fail. It will enable the disciples to endure suffering and rejection. The peace that Jesus gives is available to me. Lord, help me to be ready to receive what you offer.
May 18: John 15: 1-8
Here our relationship with Jesus is compared to the relationship between a vine and the branches that grow on it. I ask for guidance in understanding all that his metaphor suggests.
May 19: John 15: 9-11
Let us begin our time of prayer by considering how God sees us: as God’s well-beloved! As we savour this truth about ourselves, the joy of God will fill our hearts!
May 20: John 15: 12-17
We are called to be friends of Jesus! Each of us is highly favoured, unique, special. I take time to hear Jesus address me as friend. We are invited to go out in his name into the world and bear lasting fruit.
May 21: John 15: 18-21
Opposition took Jesus to his death, and love took him from death to resurrection. Evil can seem for a while to be stronger than love, but the message of Jesus is that love conquers all.
May 22, Sixth Sunday of Easter: John 17: 20-26
Jesus prayed for the apostles and for all who would believe. What might he be asking his Father for, for you? Can you make this prayer for yourself? As I pray for others today, I join my prayer with his.
May 23: John 15: 26-16: 4a
Jesus reassures us that the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who comes from the Father, will support us in giving witness to the Good News, despite all challenges. I ask to testify to his presence in my life through my daily choices, words, and deeds, and ask the Holy Spirit for the help I need.
May 24: John 16: 5-11
The gift of the Holy Spirit means we don’t have to rely on our own resources to reach God. Our call is to become better attuned to the wavelength of the Spirit, so that our lives are shaped by the Spirit.
May 25: John 16: 12-15
Today let us pray that we might offer ceaseless praise to God and be responsive to the leading of God’s Spirit. May we be quick to serve and to see God’s loving presence all around.
May 26: John 16: 16-20
Today I pray for the patience and the wisdom I need to learn what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
May 27: John 16: 2-23
Childbirth was a traditional biblical metaphor for the sufferings that were to herald the age of the Messiah. Giving birth to a renewed world will always entail suffering. I ask to accept patiently whatever God wants of me and anticipate the joy that will be given.
May 28: John 16: 23-28
Today let us focus on the central truth that Jesus shares here, which is this: the Father loves me! I sit quietly and allow this truth to enter into my heart. The Father love me!
May 29: Luke 24: 46-53
As Jesus leaves the disciples, he sends them out as witnesses. Jesus lifts his hands in blessing over me, as well. Jesus promises that his disciples will be clothed with power from on high. I think of those gifts of the Spirit that are necessary for me in my life. I pray for them and prepare to receive them.
May 30: John 16: 29-33
Lord, let me take comfort from your patience with your disciples. You looked past their present failures to see that they would become—bearing steadfast witness to you. Grant me the grace to be forever beginning, forever becoming, always open to growth and change.
May 31: Luke 1: 39-56
As we read this passage about Elizabeth and Mary as they ponder the mysterious working of God in their lives, let us reflect on how we are bearing witness to God’s will and ways in our own lives.