Illustration: Painting in Deux-Acren, Belgium
Pope Leo’s Regina Caeli for 5th Sunday of Easter
St Peter’s Square, – 3 May 2026
“Have faith,” Jesus tells us. That is the secret!
Sunday Gospel (John 14:1-12)
“Let not your hearts be troubled; “Have faith in God; have faith also in me”. 2 In my father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the father, but by me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the father, and we shall be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the father and the father in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the father and the father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. 12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the father.
Pope Leo’s Regina Caeli
Dear brothers and sisters,
During the Easter season, we, like the early Church, return to the words of Jesus. In the light of his passion, death, and resurrection, these words reveal their full meaning.
What once eluded or distressed the disciples now returns to their minds, warming their hearts and filling them with hope.
This Sunday’s Gospel presents the Master’s dialogue with his disciples during the Last Supper.
In particular, we hear a promise involving us in the mystery of his resurrection from this moment onward.
Jesus says, “When I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that you may be where I am” (John 14:3).
The apostles thus discover that God has a place for everyone.
Two of them had already experienced this during their first encounter with Jesus by the River Jordan. Jesus noticed them following him and invited them that afternoon to visit him.
Even now, when faced with death, Jesus speaks of a home—but this time, it is a very large one.
It is the house of his Father and our Father, with room for everyone.
Jesus describes himself as the servant who prepares the rooms so that every brother and sister may find their room ready upon arriving and feel as though they have always been longed for and are finally found.
In the old world, exclusive places and experiences accessible only to a select few attract attention. However, in the new world into which, Jesus, the risen One, leads us, the most valuable place is within everyone’s reach.
Yet, this does not make it any less attractive. On the contrary, what is open to all brings joy.
Gratitude replaces competition, welcome overcomes exclusion, and abundance no longer entails inequality.
Above all, no one is mistaken for someone else, and no one is lost.
Death threatens to erase one’s name and memory, but in God, everyone fully is themselves.
This is truly what we spend our whole lives searching for, often doing anything for a little attention and recognition.
“Have faith,” Jesus tells us. That is the secret!
“Have faith in God; have faith also in me” (John 14:1).
This faith frees our hearts from the anxiety of possessing and acquiring and the illusion that we must pursue prestige to have worth.
Every person has infinite worth in the mystery of God, the true reality.
By loving one another as Jesus loved us, we impart this awareness to each other.
This is the new commandment. In this way, we bring heaven to earth and show everyone that fraternity and peace are our calling.
Indeed, amidst a multitude of brothers and sisters, each one discovers their unique purpose through love.
Let us pray, then, to Mary Most Holy, Mother of the Church, that every Christian community may become a welcoming home open to all and attentive to each person.
____________________
After the Regina Caeli:
Dear brothers and sisters,
May has begun, and with it, the joy of gathering in the name of Mary, our Mother, is renewed throughout the Church, especially through the recitation of the Rosary.
We relive the experience of the disciples gathering in the upper room between Jesus’ Ascension and Pentecost to invoke the Holy Spirit.
Mary Most Holy remained in their midst, her heart keeping watch over the fire that animated their prayers.
I entrust my intentions to you, especially those concerning unity within the Church and peace in the world.
