Welcome to a beautiful Saturday in the Sixth Week of Easter. As we move closer to the Feast of the Ascension and the great celebration of Pentecost, the Church’s liturgy begins to take on a very intimate, almost tender tone. Today, May 16, 2026, our readings from the Acts of the Apostles and the Gospel of John invite us into a deep realization: we are not just servants of a distant Master; we are children of a Father who is madly in love with us.
Whether you are a lifelong Catholic or someone just beginning to explore the beauty of our faith, there is a message here for you. We are going to look at the life of a man named Apollos and the words of Jesus Himself to see how God works through community, how He invites us to a life of joy, and how He looks at us with the eyes of a Father.
The Gift of Constant Growth: The Story of Apollos
In our first reading today (Acts 18:23-28), we are introduced to one of the most fascinating figures in the early Church: Apollos. The text describes him in glowing terms. He was a Jew from Alexandria, a city known at the time as a center of great learning and philosophy. Apollos was "an eloquent man" and "mighty in the Scriptures." He wasn't just smart; he was "fervent in spirit." He was already out there teaching accurately about Jesus, even though his understanding was a bit limited, he only knew about the baptism of John.
Imagine being as talented as Apollos. You are a great speaker, you know your Bible inside and out, and you have a heart on fire for God. It would be very easy to think, "I've got this. I don't need anyone to tell me how to do my job."
But then we meet Priscilla and Aquila. This husband-and-wife team, who were close friends and collaborators of St. Paul, heard Apollos speaking in the synagogue. They realized that while his heart was in the right place and his talent was immense, he was missing some of the "full picture" of the Gospel.
What happens next is a beautiful lesson in humility and community. Priscilla and Aquila didn't embarrass him in public. Instead, they "took him aside and expounded to him the way of God more accurately."
This is the gift of growth. Even the most eloquent, most knowledgeable among us has more to learn. In the Catholic tradition, we believe that formation isn't a one-time event; it’s a lifelong journey. The Holy Spirit often chooses to teach us not through a booming voice from the clouds, but through the humble corrections and insights of our brothers and sisters in the faith. Apollos’ greatness wasn’t just in his eloquence; it was in his willingness to be a student even when he was already a teacher.
Ask and Receive: The Invitation to Complete Joy
Turning to the Gospel of John (16:23b-28), we hear Jesus speaking to His disciples during the Last Supper. He is preparing them for His departure, but He isn't leaving them with a sense of dread. Instead, He is giving them a key to a new way of living.
"Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you."
This is a bold promise. Sometimes, we struggle with this verse because we think of God as a celestial vending machine. We ask for a parking spot or a winning lottery ticket, and when it doesn't happen, we wonder if the promise is broken. But Jesus clarifies the purpose of this asking: "Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete."
God doesn't want us to just "get by" or "survive" our spiritual lives. He wants our joy to be overflowing. This joy isn't a fleeting emotion based on good circumstances; it is the deep, abiding peace that comes from knowing we are in a right relationship with the Creator of the Universe. When we pray "in the name of Jesus," we aren't just using a magic formula at the end of a prayer. We are praying from within the heart of Jesus, asking for the things that align with His mission of love, healing, and salvation. When we pray like that, the Father delights in answering us.
A Personal Love: The Father’s Heart Revealed
If there is one sentence from today’s Gospel that you should take to heart and repeat to yourself all day, it is this: "For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me."
For a long time, many people have carried a distorted image of God the Father. They see Him as the "angry judge" of the Old Testament, while Jesus is the "merciful Savior" of the New Testament. They might feel like Jesus is standing between us and a grumpy Father, trying to talk Him out of being mad at us.
Jesus explicitly corrects that idea here. He says, "I do not tell you that I will ask the Father on your behalf." Why? Because He doesn't have to! The Father isn't waiting to be convinced to love you. He already loves you. He loves you personally, intimately, and directly.
The Greek word used here for love is phileo, which denotes a warm, personal affection, the kind of love found in the closest friendships and family bonds. Because you have opened your heart to Jesus, the Father looks at you and sees His own Son. You are brought into the very inner life of the Holy Trinity. You are a beloved child, and the Father’s love for you is not a secondary effect of Jesus’ work, it is the very reason Jesus came in the first place.
From Instruction to Action: The Purpose of Formation
Returning to the story of Apollos in the first reading, we see what happens after he receives that "more accurate" instruction from Priscilla and Aquila. He doesn't just sit around and keep his new knowledge to himself. He moves!
The text says he wanted to go to Achaia, and the brothers encouraged him. When he arrived, he "greatly helped those who through grace had believed." He used his refined understanding to debate and demonstrate through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.
This is a vital point for all of us: formation is always for the sake of the mission. We learn more about our faith not so we can win trivia contests, but so we can help others. When we grow in our understanding of God’s love, we are better equipped to share that love with a world that is starving for it. Like Apollos, once we have been "expounded to," we are called to go out and be a "great help" to others.
Supporting the "Apolloses" of Today
At the Society of St. Peter the Apostle (SPA), one of our four Pontifical Mission Societies, we see the story of Apollos playing out every single day.
Apollos is the perfect "patron" for the work we do. He was a local leader. He was already in his community, he knew the culture, and he had the passion. He just needed that extra "formation", that extra step of support, to become a truly powerful apostle for his people.
In mission lands across the globe, there are thousands of young men and women like Apollos. They are "fervent in spirit" and feel a deep call to serve as priests or religious sisters and brothers in their own countries. They don't need us to go there and do the work for them; they are already eloquent and mighty in their own way! What they need is a "Priscilla and Aquila" moment. They need the resources, the education, and the support to be formed "more accurately" in the way of God.
When you support the Society of St. Peter the Apostle, you are providing the "extra step." You are helping to build seminaries, pay for tuition, and provide for the basic needs of these future leaders. By doing so, you are ensuring that the Gospel is proclaimed with power and accuracy in places where the Church is young and growing. You are helping to make their joy, and the joy of their future parishioners, complete.
Reflection for Your Day
As you go about your Saturday, take a few moments to sit with these two questions:
- Who has been a "Priscilla or Aquila" in your life? Think of someone who took the time to explain the faith to you, or who corrected you with love, or who helped you see God’s hand in a situation you didn't understand. Say a prayer of thanksgiving for them today.
- How can you pray today with the confidence that "the Father himself loves you"? If you knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that the Creator of the universe had a warm, personal affection for you right now, how would that change the way you talk to Him?
A Final Thought
Jesus tells us at the end of today’s Gospel: "I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father."
Jesus is our bridge. He brings the Father’s love down to us, and He brings us back into the Father’s heart. Through your prayers and your support of our mission students, you are helping to keep that bridge open for people all over the world.
Thank you for being part of this mission. Thank you for helping us share the incredible news that the Father Himself loves us. Please keep our seminarians and religious novices in your prayers today: they are the "Apolloses" who will carry this message into the future!
The Pontifical Mission Societies
The Society of St. Peter the Apostle
70 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018
www.fraugustinedejidada.org