Tuesday of the Seventh Week of Easter

What Will People Remember About Us?

In today’s first reading, St. Paul is saying goodbye to the elders of the Church in Ephesus, and you can hear the emotion in his words. He knows suffering lies ahead, and he may never see them again. As he speaks to them, he does not focus on accomplishments or successes. Instead, he speaks about how he lived among them: “I served the Lord with all humility,” and “I did not shrink from telling you what was for your benefit.” In other words, Paul is able to say, I gave you everything I had. It raises an important question for all of us: What do people experience when they encounter us? Most people will not remember our achievements nearly as much as they remember how we treated them—whether we listened, showed kindness, offered patience, or made them feel seen and cared for. Paul understood that faith is not only something we speak about; it is something we leave behind through the witness of our lives.

In the Gospel, we hear Jesus pray to the Father just before His Passion begins. Before the suffering and the Cross, Jesus is thinking about others. He prays for His disciples and says, “They are your gift to me.” What is beautiful is that these disciples were far from perfect. They would misunderstand Him, struggle, and even abandon Him, yet Jesus loved them deeply and entrusted them to the Father’s care. That same truth extends to us. Jesus prays not only for saints or people who have everything together, but for ordinary people carrying worries, burdens, and weaknesses. He knows us completely and still loves us. Today’s readings invite us to reflect on two things: what kind of witness we are leaving behind in the lives of others, and the comforting truth that even on difficult days, we are people being prayed for by Christ Himself. And if Jesus has not given up on us, we should never give up either.