18/05/2026
*DAILY MASS READINGS*
*Monday 18 May 2026*
*Monday of the 7th week of Eastertide*
*or Saint John I, Pope, Martyr*
*Liturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II)*
*Readings at Mass*
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*First reading*
*Acts 19:1-8*
The moment Paul laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul made his way overland as far as Ephesus, where he found a number of disciples. When he asked, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ they answered, ‘No, we were never even told there was such a thing as a Holy Spirit.’ ‘Then how were you baptised?’ he asked. ‘With John’s baptism’ they replied. ‘John’s baptism’ said Paul ‘was a baptism of repentance; but he insisted that the people should believe in the one who was to come after him – in other words, Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul had laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy. There were about twelve of these men.
He began by going to the synagogue, where he spoke out boldly and argued persuasively about the kingdom of God. He did this for three months.
*Commentary*
*This reading raises some fascinating questions. What was the meaning of the ‘baptism of John’ which these disciples had received? It must have been a baptism of a change of heart and a changed scale of values, rejecting or washing off the false and unworthy systems which would stand in the way of welcoming the Messiah promised to Israel. Would they know that Jesus was ‘the one coming after John’? How much, if anything, did they know about Jesus?*
*How widespread was this baptism? The gospel tells us that John was baptising at the Jordan, and that Jesus himself baptised at Aenon near Salim (John 3.23) ‘where there was plenty of water’, so perhaps also in the Jordan. But if disciples at Ephesus had been baptised in the same way, the baptism of John may have spread much more widely in the Jewish diaspora; this would be a sign of eager expectation of the coming of the Messiah, which would have prepared the ground for the Christian message*.
*What theological content did this baptism imply? If they had not heard of the Holy Spirit, had they heard of Jesus? Had they accepted Jesus as Messiah without learning about the Holy Spirit? If they had no knowledge of the Trinity, what might they have believed about the person of Jesus himself? What did they understand about the death and resurrection of Jesus, about his relationship to God?*
*What does it mean that they received the Holy Spirit? They began to speak with tongues and to prophesy. Does this also imply a great and sudden enlightenment? These are only some of the questions into the background of the passage*
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*Responsorial Psalm*
*Psalm 67(68):2-7*
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Let God arise, let his foes be scattered.
Let those who hate him flee before him.
As smoke is blown away so will they be blown away;
like wax that melts before the fire,
so the wicked shall perish at the presence of God.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
But the just shall rejoice at the presence of God,
they shall exult and dance for joy.
O sing to the Lord, make music to his name;
rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
Father of the orphan, defender of the widow,
such is God in his holy place.
God gives the lonely a home to live in;
he leads the prisoners forth into freedom.
Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
or
Alleluia!
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*Gospel Acclamation*
*Jn16:28*
Alleluia, alleluia!
I came from the Father
and have come into the world,
and now I leave the world
to go to the Father.
Alleluia!
Or:
Col3:1
Alleluia, alleluia!
Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ,
you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is,
sitting at God’s right hand.
Alleluia!
________
*Gospel*
*John 16:29-33*
Be brave, for I have conquered the world
His disciples said to Jesus, ‘Now you are speaking plainly and not using metaphors! Now we see that you know everything, and do not have to wait for questions to be put into words; because of this we believe that you came from God.’ Jesus answered them:
‘Do you believe at last?
Listen; the time will come – in fact it has come already –
when you will be scattered,
each going his own way and leaving me alone.
And yet I am not alone,
because the Father is with me.
I have told you all this
so that you may find peace in me.
In the world you will have trouble,
but be brave: I have conquered the world.’
*Commentary*
*This reading brings to a conclusion the second version of the discourse after the Last Supper which began at John 15.1. It concludes with an inspiring re-assurance of the certainty of the teaching which has been given. The half-dozen verses just before this conclusion have concentrated on the continuity of the union in love between the Father and the Son and between the Son and his disciples who have believed in him. These are the themes, love and belief, which have been constant throughout the teaching of Jesus which we have read in the weeks of Paschaltide. Now the disciples are to be scattered over the earth on their mission, but they can still rest secure in Jesus because of his union with the Father. We are ready for the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost*
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