Daily Catholic Lectio
Wed, 20 May 2026
Seventh Week of Easter
Ac 20:28-38. Jn 17:11-19
Consecrated in Truth
In today’s Gospel, Jesus prays to the Father with these profound words: “Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth”. These words come from the final prayer of Jesus before His passion. He teaches His disciples, prays for them, and finally entrusts them to the Father. He consecrates them.
What does it mean to be consecrated?
To consecrate means to set apart, to dedicate, to make holy, to belong completely to God. In the Eucharist, bread and wine are consecrated to become the Body and Blood of Christ. A church building is consecrated for divine worship. Religious men and women consecrate their lives to God through vows. Sometimes we dedicate a book to someone dear to us. Something consecrated no longer belongs to itself; it belongs to another.
Jesus says today that His disciples are consecrated to God. And not only the apostles — we too, through baptism, belong to God. Our life is not merely our own possession. We are God’s people. We are set apart for His mission.
But Jesus adds an important phrase: “Consecrate them in the truth.” Consecration without truth becomes external religion. Truth without consecration becomes mere knowledge. Jesus joins both together. We are consecrated through truth.
And what is this truth? Jesus answers: “Your word is truth.”
The Word of God is not only the Bible, though the Scriptures hold a central place. God’s word also speaks through the voice of conscience, through the teachings of the Church, through wise elders, through prayer, through creation itself. God continues to speak among us. To live in truth means to listen to that voice sincerely and courageously.
Today’s world often surrounds us with falsehood — appearances, exaggeration, double lives, artificial images, and hidden motives. Sometimes people are more concerned about looking good than being good. We live in a culture where illusion can become more important than integrity. Yet Jesus reminds us that true freedom and true joy come only through truth.
A person who lives in truth becomes free. A person who lives in lies becomes divided within himself.
In the first reading, Saint Paul gives his farewell discourse to the elders of Ephesus. Paul the Apostle speaks with remarkable honesty and dignity: “I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities.” Paul’s life was transparent. His preaching and his living were one. He was consecrated in truth.
He also reminds them of the words of Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This saying is not found in the written Gospels, but it lived in the oral tradition of the early Church. The one who gives is spiritually free. The one who gives is not controlled by possessions. Consecration leads naturally to self-giving.
We see this also in the lives of the saints. Mother Teresa came to India first as a teacher. But gradually she discovered the deeper truth of her vocation among the poorest of the poor. Once she recognized that truth, she changed the direction of her life completely. Moses discovered his truth before the burning bush. Paul discovered his truth on the road to Damascus. Consecration begins when a person discovers the truth of God’s call.
The Second Vatican Council beautifully teaches in Perfectae Caritatis that religious consecration is the fulfillment of our baptismal consecration. Through self-emptying, surrender, and offering oneself to God, every Christian is called to belong more fully to Him.
Ultimately, Jesus Himself is the perfect example of consecration. In the Gospel, He says: “For their sake I consecrate myself.” Christ offers Himself completely to the Father. His whole life becomes an offering.
Even the evil spirit recognized this truth when it cried out in the synagogue: “I know who you are — the Holy One of God!” Jesus is the One consecrated by the Father. And now He consecrates us in truth.
Fr Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
An initiative of “Yesni Prays”
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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