May 12, 2026 // Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter // Optional Memorial of Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs; Optional Memorial of Saint Pancras, Martyr
Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s Gospel: John 16:5-11
Reflect on the Word //
I remember the deep sorrow I felt in driving away from our Georgia home for the very last time. I remember the tearful goodbyes and the difficult conversations and the looming feeling that I’d forever miss dogwood trees in the springtime. My love for that sweet southern charm was hardwon, but by the time we left it for our home state of California, it had wiggled its way past my best defenses—bless my heart.
I learned a lot while I was in Georgia. I learned that friendships run a little deeper and the pace of life runs a little slower and that Catholic infertility doctors are hard to come by. You see, we were deep in the throes of infertility at the time, yet despite it all, I was enamoured by the warmth of life there. I couldn’t understand why we were being called out of it.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells His disciples that He must depart from them (see John 16:5). I can’t imagine what they must have thought. They had Jesus walking alongside them. They loved Him. They followed Him. They risked their very lives for Him. So, it is fair to reason that they probably couldn’t have thought of anything better than what they already had—Jesus, in the flesh. His departure must have felt like a loss.
But God knew. Because in John 16:7, Jesus tells them that if He did not go, the Advocate (the Holy Spirit) would not come to them. He knew that their perceived loss was actually for their gain. Because the only thing better than God standing next to you is God dwelling within you.
Like the disciples, I couldn’t have known that our move to California would have been for our benefit. I couldn’t have known that we’d meet at Catholic OBGYN and that one year later I’d be delivering a son after ten long years of waiting.
But God knew.
He always does. Trust Him, sister.
Relate to the Lord // When has a loss actually resulted in a gain for you? Reflect on that grace with gratitude today.
Brittany Calavitta is an enthusiastic advocate for a good book, strong coffee, and a hopeful heart. After battling years of infertility, she and her husband welcomed their first child on September 11, 2016. While balancing time between life with a preschooler and a husband who travels for ministry, Brittany dances professionally all over Southern California where her family currently resides. She was a contributing author to Here Too: Where We Find God and Made New: 52 Devotions for Catholic Women. Find out more about her here.
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