Carmel teaches
the Church how to pray.
-Pope Francis & Pope Benedict XV
The Octave of Easter
April 6-12, 2026
Tuesday April 7th
The Gospel Reading
Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.”Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and then reported what he had told her.
—John 20:11-18
Wednesday April 8th
The Gospel Reading
That very day, the first day of the week, two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village seven miles from Jerusalem called Emmaus, and they were conversing about all the things that had occurred. And it happened that while they were conversing and debating, Jesus himself drew near and walked with them, but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” They stopped, looking downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, said to him in reply, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” And he replied to them, “What sort of things?”
They said to him, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word
before God and all the people, how our chief priests and rulers both handed him over to a sentence of death and crucified him. But we were hoping that he would be the one to redeem Israel; and besides all this, it is now the third day since this took place. Some women from our group, however, have astounded us: they were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find his Body; they came back and reported that they had indeed seen a vision of angels
who announced that he was alive. Then some of those with us went to the tomb and found things just as the women had described, but him they did not see.” And he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets spoke! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them what referred to him in all the Scriptures. As they approached the village to which they were going, he gave the impression that he was going on farther. But they urged him, “Stay with us,
for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. And it happened that, while he was with them at table, he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them. With that, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, but he vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other,
“Were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?” So they set out at once and returned to Jerusalem, where they found gathered together the Eleven and those with them who were saying, “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!” Then the two recounted what had taken place on the way and how he was made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
—Luke 24:13-35
Thursday April 9th
Morning Prayer
Evening Prayer
Night Prayer
The Gospel Reading
The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way, and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread.
While they were still speaking about this,
he stood in their midst and said to them,
"Peace be with you."
But they were startled and terrified
and thought that they were seeing a ghost.
Then he said to them, "Why are you troubled?
And why do questions arise in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself.
Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have."
And as he said this,
he showed them his hands and his feet.
While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed,
he asked them, "Have you anything here to eat?"
They gave him a piece of baked fish;
he took it and ate it in front of them.
He said to them,
"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
And he said to them,
"Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer
and rise from the dead on the third day
and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,
would be preached in his name
to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things."
—Luke 24:35-48
Friday April 10th
Morning Prayer
Evening Prayer
Night Prayer
The Gospel Reading
Jesus revealed himself again to his disciples
at the Sea of Tiberias.
He revealed himself in this way.
Together were Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,
Nathanael from Cana in Galilee,
Zebedee's sons, and two others of his disciples.
Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing."
They said to him, "We also will come with you."
So they went out and got into the boat,
but that night they caught nothing.
When it was already dawn,
Jesus was standing on the shore;
but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them,
"Children, have you caught anything to eat?"
They answered him, "No."
So he said to them,
"Cast the net over the right side of the boat, and you will find something."
So they cast it, and were not able to pull it in because of the number of fish.
So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter,
"It is the Lord."
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad,
and jumped into the sea.
The other disciples came in the boat,
for they were not far from shore,
only about a hundred yards,
dragging the net with the fish.
When they climbed out on shore,
they saw a charcoal fire with fish on it and bread.
Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you just caught."
So Simon Peter went over and dragged the net ashore
full of one hundred fifty-three large fish.
Even though there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, "Come, have breakfast."
And none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?"
because they realized it was the Lord.
Jesus came over and took the bread and gave it to them,
and in like manner the fish.
This was now the third time Jesus was revealed to his disciples after being raised from the dead.
—John 21:1-14
Hymn of
the
Month
Credits
Text and Music: Rory Cooney, b. 1952. Copyright 1984 Spirit & Song, a division of OCP.
Vocals: Steven Begert-Clark.
Piano: Benjamín Aguilar, O.Carm.
Viola: Briana Bandy.
Produced by: Julian Pardo.
Prayer Intention of
Pope Leo for April 2026
For Priests in Crisis
Let us pray for priests going through moments of crisis in their vocation, that they may find the accompaniment they need and that communities may support them with understanding and prayer.
Pray with the Pope:
Monthly Prayer
Lord Jesus,
Good Shepherd and companion
on the journey,
today we place in your hands all priests,
especially those going through
moments of crisis,
when loneliness weighs heavily,
when doubt clouds their hearts,
and when exhaustion
seems stronger than hope.
You who know their
struggles and wounds,
Renew in them the certainty of
your unconditional love.
Let them feel they are not mere functionaries or lonely heroes,
but beloved sons,
humble and cherished disciples,
and pastors sustained by
the prayer of their people.
Good Father,
teach us as a community
to care for our priests:
to listen without judging,
to give thanks without
demanding perfection,
to share with them the baptismal mission
of proclaiming the Kingdom
in word and deed,
and to accompany them with
closeness and sincere prayer.
May we support those
who so often support us.
Holy Spirit,
rekindle in our priests
the joy of the Gospel.
Grant them healthy friendships,
networks of fraternal support,
a sense of humor when
things don’t go as expected,
and the grace to always
rediscover the beauty of their vocation.
May they never lose trust in You,
nor the joy of serving your Church
with a humble and generous heart.
Amen.
– Pope Leo
The Rosary
Pray the Rosary
in English and Spanish
with the Carmelites here
or on SoundCloud.
Rece el Rosario
en inglés y español
con los Carmelitas aquí
o en SoundCloud.
Iconography
Praying with Spiritual Icons is an ancient practice still used by Eastern Rite Catholics and the Orthodox Church today. Icons present holy images and symbols that invite us to a still, contemplative space, deepening our connection with God. The Icons in our videos are intended to enhance the experience of praying the Liturgy of the Hours.
Many of the Icons we use are written by Carmelite friars. New Icons will appear beginning in the Third Week of Ordinary Time and thereafter, changing through the different liturgical seasons of the Church. We will do our best to briefly explain the symbols found in these icons and list resources for users who wish to learn more about the tradition of this sacred art form.
If praying with Icons interests you, here is a link to a guide that might be helpful.
Additional Reading
”Behold the Beauty of the Lord: Praying with Icons “
by Henri JM Nouwen
”Praying with Icons “
by Jim Forrest
”The Open Door “
by Frederica Mathewes-Green
“The Nativity”
Written by
Filiberto Oregel, O. Carm.
“Christ the Pantocrator”
Written by
Daryl Moresco, O. Carm.
“Christ of the Gospels”
Written by
Filiberto Oregel, O. Carm.
“Certainly, I find that the starting point for prayer
has to be a brief moment
of self-awareness:
an acknowledgment of how
I find myself right then —
peaceful…
troubled…
restless…
joyous…
preoccupied…
angry…
questioning…
Whatever the mood,
this is what I bring to prayer…[.]”
“Upon This Mountain: Prayer in the Carmelite Tradition”
by Mary McCormack, OCD.
Copyright 2009, Teresian Press