I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
“Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race.
He will dwell with them and they will be his people
and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes,
and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain,
for the old order has passed away.”

Revelation 21: 3-4

Here are the complete readings for Sunday, May 18, 2025.

(“St. Paul Preaching” by Vieira Lusitano)

The readings for today are meant to challenge us as persons of faith, but also to encourage us. The words give us reminders about the reality of the human experience. It is difficult to sustain the same positive feeling of belief from day to day, and it would be disingenuous for us to think otherwise. We are where we are in our journey of faith each day. Some days we experience confidence in the presence of the Holy, in other days, skepticism, or perhaps a feeling of stagnation or the absence of God. While a spiritual life, like any good habit or exercise, is about discipline, a sign of growth or maturity is the awareness of where we are and who we are in the present, not what we have achieved in our pursuit.

Friend,
This common rule
is not meant to be a burden to you. By faithfulness to it
may you discover
in God’s own time
ways to incarnate anew
the vision of Theodore James Ryken
and the charism of the Brothers of Saint Francis Xavier
in the life of the world.

– The Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers

God, thank you for believing in who we are and who we can be. May we not despair when we cannot see these gifts within us. Help us to be honest with ourselves and with our neighbors, and give thanks for the gentle challenges and strong support that our sisters and brothers give us to help us embrace who we are today and to give thanks for tomorrow. Amen