Thursday, May 9, 2024 | John 16:16-20

The disciples said to Jesus,“Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure of speech.Now we realize that you know everythingand that you do not need to have anyone question you.Because of this we believe that you came from God.”Jesus answered them, “Do you believe now?Behold, the hour is coming and has arrivedwhen each of you will be scattered to his own homeand you will leave me alone.But I am not alone, because the Father is with me.I have told you this so that you might have peace in me.In the world you will have trouble,but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

Jesus said to his disciples:“Go into the whole worldand proclaim the gospel to every creature.Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved;whoever does not believe will be condemned.These signs will accompany those who believe:in my name they will drive out demons,they will speak new languages.They will pick up serpents with their hands,and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them.They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he spoke to them,was taken up into heavenand took his seat at the right hand of God.But they went forth and preached everywhere,while the Lord worked with themand confirmed the word through accompanying signs.

Jesus said to his disciples:“Amen, amen, I say to you,whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.Until now you have not asked anything in my name;ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete. “I have told you this in figures of speech.The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figuresbut I will tell you clearly about the Father.On that day you will ask in my name,and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you.For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved meand have come to believe that I came from God.I came from the Father and have come into the world.Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

Jesus said to his disciples:"Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn,while the world rejoices;you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;but when she has given birth to a child,she no longer remembers the pain because of her joythat a child has been born into the world.So you also are now in anguish.But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,and no one will take your joy away from you.On that day you will not question me about anything.Amen, amen, I say to you,whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you."

Jesus said to his disciples:"A little while and you will no longer see me,and again a little while later and you will see me."So some of his disciples said to one another,"What does this mean that he is saying to us,'A little while and you will not see me,and again a little while and you will see me,'and 'Because I am going to the Father'?"So they said, "What is this 'little while' of which he speaks?We do not know what he means."Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them,"Are you discussing with one another what I said,'A little while and you will not see me,and again a little while and you will see me'?Amen, amen, I say to you,you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices;you will grieve, but your grief will become joy." Note for the United States: Thursday, May 9, is the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord in the ecclesiastical provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Omaha, and Philadelphia. All other ecclesiastical provinces of the United States of America have transferred this Solemnity to the following Sunday, May 12; on Thursday, May 9, the Easter Weekday is observed.

Jesus said to his disciples:"I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,he will guide you to all truth.He will not speak on his own,but he will speak what he hears,and will declare to you the things that are coming.He will glorify me,because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.Everything that the Father has is mine;for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mineand declare it to you."

Jesus said to his disciples:"Now I am going to the one who sent me,and not one of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.But if I go, I will send him to you.And when he comes he will convict the worldin regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:sin, because they do not believe in me;righteousness, because I am going to the Fatherand you will no longer see me;condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned."

Jesus said to his disciples:"When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,he will testify to me.And you also testify,because you have been with me from the beginning."I have told you this so that you may not fall away.They will expel you from the synagogues;in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills youwill think he is offering worship to God.They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.I have told you this so that when their hour comesyou may remember that I told you."

Jesus said to his disciples:"As the Father loves me, so I also love you.Remain in my love.If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,just as I have kept my Father's commandmentsand remain in his love."I have told you this so that my joy may be in youand your joy might be complete.This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.No one has greater love than this,to lay down one's life for one's friends.You are my friends if you do what I command you.I no longer call you slaves,because a slave does not know what his master is doing.I have called you friends,because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.It was not you who chose me, but I who chose youand appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.This I command you: love one another."

Jesus said to his disciples:"If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;but because you do not belong to the world,and I have chosen you out of the world,the world hates you.Remember the word I spoke to you,'No slave is greater than his master.'If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,because they do not know the one who sent me."