• Saint of the Day

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May 18

Saint John I

When John I became pope in 523, Italy was ruled by an Arian, Theodoric the Goth, who had reversed his policy of tolerance toward Christians because of trouble between Rome and the emperor of Constantinople, Justin I. When his subjects appealed to him, Theodoric organized a delegation to negotiate with the emperor and ordered a reluctant Pope John to head the mission. Enthusiastically received, John did win some concessions, but Theodoric was not satisfied. In 526, when the delegation returned to Ravenna, the pope and his entourage were imprisoned and John died soon after, probably of starvation.

©2011 Living with Christ, Novalis - Bayard Press Canada Inc., http://www.livingwithchrist.ca/. Reprinted with permission.

• Today's Gospel

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May 18th

I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. (John 16.20-23a)


When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father, he said to the disciples:

"Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. When a woman is in labour, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world.  

"So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you."

Used by permission of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

• Daily Reflection

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May 18th

No gain without pain

I'm almost jealous. As a man, I have never given birth to a child. I have held our newborn children in my arms; I have comforted them in the dark hours of the night; I have marvelled at their fragile perfection.

But I've missed a significant learning about life. Women know that the birth of anything new always comes as a painful experience. There's no way of easing into a new life. Rather, at some point, the new life takes over. It tears you apart. It demands to be born. And you cannot stay as you were.

That's as true for spiritual birth as for physical birth. It's a hard lesson for a man to learn.

• Mass

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Messe

http://www.seletlumieretv.org/messe/