Daily TV Mass Saturday May 23, 2026

Fr. Henk van Meijel, S.J.

Transcript

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From the St. Ignatius Chapel at the Manresa Jesuit Spiritual Renewal Center in Pickering, Ontario. The National Catholic Broadcasting Council presents the Daily TV Mass.

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Welcome to the celebration of the Daily TV Mass. I'm Father Hank Van Mel. The televising of this Mass is made possible by the contribution from an anonymous donor from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This Mass is offered in loving memory of her husband Leander, her children Margaret and Greg, and for the deceased members of the Rabbi and Helm Mink families, also for the intentions of her children Rosemary, Joanne, Patricia, and Annette. Our thanks to her donors for the gift of the televising of this Mass to the faithful of Canada, United States, and around the world. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen. The peace of the Lord be with you. And with your Spirit. And as we have placed ourselves before the Lord on this last day of the Easter season, as we again recall our own weakness, our own need for God's guidance. You were sent to heal the contrite of heart. Lord have mercy. You came to call sinners. Christ have mercy. You are seated at the right hand of the Father to intercede for us. Lord have mercy. May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. And let us pray. Grant we pray, Almighty God, that we who have celebrated this pastoral festivities may by your gift hold fast to them in the way that we live our lives. True, O Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever.

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Amen.

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A reading from the Acts of the Apostles. Since Paul had appealed to the Emperor, Festus sent Paul to Rome. When he came into Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him. Three days later he called together the local leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, he said to them, Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors, yet I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. When they had examined me, the Romans wanted to release me, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case. But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to the emperor, even though I had no charge to bring against my nation. For this reason, therefore I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the sake of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain. He lived there two whole years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. The word of the Lord.

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The Lord's throne is in help his eyes be hold. His case examines human peace. The Lord has to rich us and the wicket and is all his the lover of us. For the Lord is righteous, he loves righteousness, the upright shall behold his face. The chast will case on your face. I will send you the spirit.

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A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John. After he had was raised from the dead, Jesus appeared to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberius and indicated the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following him. He was the one who had reclined next to Jesus at the supper, and he said and had said, Lord, who is it that is going to betray you? When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, Lord, what about him? Jesus said to Peter, If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? Follow me. So the rumor spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him, and he would not die, but if it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? This is the disciple who testifying to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. But there are also many other things that Jesus did, even if every one of them were written down. I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written, the Gospel of the Lord. Today, on this last day of the Easter season, tomorrow, of course, is Pentecost. We have the last part of the book of Acts and the last part of the Gospel of John. And it's kind of the Gospel of John. It has a there's lots of stuff there. It's right after Peter was told by Jesus that he will I will fast someone will fasten a belt around you and will take you to places where you do not want to go to. And this is for so many of us too, especially later on in life, that we will go to places where they don't want to go to, as or the health declines, and we in our own way too will be have to be taken care of by others, especially in nursing homes. But it is also uh it's a it's a spiritual thing, but it it can mean different things also uh in our own life uh on a journey with God. We can go to places which we never thought of and be and especially like for a person like me who has uh a vow of availability, I can be placed in places I don't want to be at. But usually if we accept it, all will work out. But it's it's also uh uh the end times. Jesus talks about the end times, and uh he says to John that if what what about um who cares if I want him to stay there till the end times? But so so the early Christians thought that the end times would come early, but we're still waiting for the end times, and we can spend a lot of time on thinking about the second coming of Christ. And Christ will come back at one point, but in the meantime, we just live our lives and we live our lives the best we can, each in their own unique way, and and the the judgment will come at one point, but we don't have to worry about the judgment if we live a clean life. And it's it's so simple actually to to worry about the things about tomorrow, but it's about living today a clean life, and we uh and all will be well. The other thing, also, what really uh basically Jesus says to Peter, Peter is wondering about John, and Peter said uh uh Peter said sorry, Jesus says, uh, basically mind your own business, Peter, because uh what is it to you? What happens to the other guy? And this is for all of us also good stuff to pray with. We are in the in the in our world, we are so obsessed, so often obsessed with what other people do, and we each have to live our own life the best we can, especially in confessions. Sometimes I have to laugh to myself that people come and they confess all the sins of their siblings or of their children and not about themselves because they're so obsessed with someone else. And it's looking inward, and to live our lives as clean as we can. But so many parents also they are so involved in, especially adult children. I so often hear people saying they're so obsessed with our adult children, what will become of them? What will become of them and and where will they go and how will it work out? And the thing is, again, they have to live their own lives. It is so easy to get involved in other people's lives. But the children, as they grow up, they have to find their own way. And as parents, the parents they give the best they have, but there's a point when the children grow up, when they're say in their early 20s, that they have to make their own decisions. And if they're not going to come back to the church, as long as the parents did the best, that's their way. But often they will have to figure it out, and later on in life, so often I see that people come back to the faith anyway, because each one of us, at least I only have to look at my own life. I had to learn from my own silliness too. When I was younger, I thought I had all the answers, and my parents did not have any answers. Actually, my parents were not that smart, I thought. But of course, as I grew up, I had to learn that my parents were a whole lot smarter than I thought they were. But we each have to discover that in our own way and to stay out of the way of the children. And so often, when parents stick their nose really in their adult children's lives, they only build barriers. And when parents try to tell adult children how to run their lives, they will put up walls and say, kind of stay away from me. And it's something so many of us have to learn. But it is all again about tomorrow, is Pentecost about conversion. And to when we have that conversion, then we grow in God and we can move forward. And we will focus on our own lives. Yes, we will be available for those around us if they have questions, but not to run other people's lives. We know that God is with us. And in the first reading of Acts, we have the last part of Acts, and Paul is in Rome, where Paul is guarded by some soldiers, and he he again he just he did not want to go there, but he's there and he just makes the best of it. He continues to evangelize, and some people would accept what he had to say, and some said, nice, I have nothing to do with you. But Paul knew that his call was to evangelize and not to stick his nose into other people's business. He just wants to be that sign of Christ. And Paul he paid the price. And actually, it's uh Peter, both Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome. And tradition has that Paul was beheaded and that Peter was crucified upside down because when they tried to crucify him, he said, I'm not uh I don't want to be equal with Jesus, I'm not Jesus. Please crucify me upside down. What a beautiful sign of love also for Jesus. And but we don't have any real historical evidence how they how they died. It is really tradition, but we do know that they died somewhere, both of them, somewhere between the year 64 and 68 under Nero. Nero, the Emperor Nero, he was not exactly a nice kind of person. But that's where they gave their lives and the witness to God, and in union, of course, with the disciples. We try to give our life to God, no matter what happens, one day at a time, and keep that focus on where we're going and not on the distractions around us, what other people are doing and what they want to do, but keep our focus on God. Amen. So let us bring our prayers before the Lord. We pray for all those in our daily TV Mass Prayer Intention Book. We pray to the Lord.

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Lord, we are prayer.

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Throughout this month of May, our community prays to follow the example of Mary by following offering joy, compassion, and mercy, especially to mothers, grandmothers, and all who lovingly serve those in need. We pray to the Lord.

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Lord, we are prayer.

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With Pope Leo, we pray this month that everyone, from large producers to small consumers, be committed to avoid wasting food and to ensure that everyone has access to quality food. We pray to the Lord.

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Lord, hear our prayer.

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We pray for our children that they will embrace the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We pray to the Lord. And for these prayers and the prayers in the silence of our own hearts, we lift them up to you, Lord. Amen. Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you, fruit of the earth and work of human hands. It will become for us the bread of life.

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Blessed be God forever.

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By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity. Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you, fruit of the vine, and work of human hands. It will become our spiritual drink.

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Blessed be God ever.

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Humble spirit and contrite heart may we be accepted by you, O Lord, and may your sacrifice in your sight as day be pleasing to you, Lord God. Wash me, O Lord, from my iniquities. Cleanse me of my sins. Thank you. Pray, my sisters and brothers, that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the Almighty Father.

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May the Lord sacrifice at your hands.

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For our good and the good of all his holy church.

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May the Holy Spirit coming near, we pray, O Lord, prepare our minds for the divine sacrament, since the Spirit Himself is the remission of all sins through Christ, O Lord. The Lord be with you.

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And with your Spirit.

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Lift up your hearts.

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Lift them up to the Lord.

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Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right and just it is truly right and just our duty and our salvation at all times to acclaim you, O Lord, but in this time above all, to lord you yet more gloriously, when Christ or Passover has been sacrificed. Through him the children of light rise to eternal life, and the halls of the heavenly kingdom are thrown open to the faithful, for his death is ransomed from death, and in his rising the life of all has risen. Therefore, overcome with paschal joy, every land, every people exalts in your praise, and even the heavenly powers with the angeletic host sing together the unending hymn of your glory as they acclaim. You are indeed holy, O Lord, the fount of all holiness. Make holy therefore these gifts you pray by sending down your spirit upon them like the dofall, so that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his passion. He took bread and giving you thanks broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, Take this all of you and eat of it, for this is my body which will be given up for you. In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice and once more giving thanks, he gave it to his disciples, saying, Take this all of you and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me The mystery of

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Faith. We proclaim your death of Lord and profess your resolve until you come.

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Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his death and resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the bread of life and the challenge of salvation, giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you. Humbly we pray that partaking of the body and blood of Christ, we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit. Remember, Lord, your church spread throughout the world, and bring her to the fullness of charity, together with Leo or Pope, Francis or Bishop, the Order Bishops, the clergy, and the entire people you have called your own. Remember also our sisters and brothers who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection, and all who have died in your mercy, welcome them into the light of your face. Have mercy on us all. We pray that with the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with the Blessed Joseph, our spouse, with the blessed apostles and all the saints who have pleased you throughout the ages, we may merit to be co-heirs to eternal life, and may praise and glorify you through your Son, Jesus Christ. Through him and with him and in him, O God Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, O glory and honor is yours for ever and ever. Amen. And at the Savior's command, informed by divine teaching, we dare to say, O Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

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Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses. As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation.

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But deliver us from evil. Deliver us, Lord, we pray from every evil. Graciously grant peace in our days that by the help of your mercy we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever. Lord Jesus Christ, who said to the apostles, peace I leave you, my peace I give you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your church, and graciously grant our peace and unity in accordance with your will, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen. The peace of the Lord be with you always.

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And with your spirit.

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And let us offer each other a sign of peace.

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You take 'em away from sin. You take em away thus in some speech.

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Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb. Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul.

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Please join me now in this act of spiritual communion. My Jesus, I believe that you are present in this holy sacrament of the altar. I love you above all things, and I passionately desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot now receive you sacramentally, come spiritually into my soul, so that I may unite myself wholly to you now and forever. Amen.

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Through Christ, O Lord. The Lord be with you. And with your spirit. May Almighty God bless you. Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen. Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life. Hallelujah, hallelujah.

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Thanks be to God. Hallelujah.

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Our thanks to our donor for the gift of this mass.