Catholic Mass Readings and Reflection May 20, 2026

20th May 2026 (Wednesday)

Psalter: Week 3

Readings of the Day

First Reading: Acts 20:28-38

In those days: Paul said to the elders of the Church of Ephesus,”Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

Psalm 68:29-30, 33-35a, 35bc-36ab R. (33a)

R/. You kingdoms of the earth, sing to God, sing to God. Or: Alleluia.

Gospel Acclamation

V/. Alleluia

R/. Alleluia

V/. You word, O Lord. is truth; sanctify us in the truth

R/. Alleluia

Gospel: John 17:11b-19

At that time, [Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and prayed, saying,] “Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.

Daily Gospel Reflection

Wednesday – 7th Week of Easter

Main Point: Unity is what makes Christians unique. It’s how the group of believers is tested.

1. As Jesus gets ready to leave his followers, he prays that they will be united and one. He is worried that the world will hate them just as much as it hated him, so he wants to protect them.

2. This is how people felt when Paul said goodbye to them in Ephesus. He warned them about “fierce wolves,” even among themselves, who would twist things to get the followers to leave.

3. The only way to stay safe and united is to keep ourselves in the name of the Father, just like the master did. This suggests that we shouldn’t keep ourselves under any other name or look for any other name and glory. It’s only the name of God and nothing else.

4. To stay one and united, we must never be of the world but of God. We are in the world to change it from the inside, so we should never get too much of the world’s wrong food. We should never identify with the world’s marks and scars.

5. We should also be made holy in the truth. God’s word is the truth, so we should become more holy in line with it. The word becomes both the way to become holy and the standard by which to measure it.

6. We grow as a group by being consecrated in the truth, just like Jesus was consecrated in the truth. This means we have to make a promise to follow the truth. In a world full of lies, we have to stand out as honest.

My Practice: Failure in unity is failure in truth, failure in truth is failure in word, and failure in word is failure in love for God. So, love Him and stay true to Him.