Alleluia! Today Peter stands up at the Jerusalem Council and settles a hard debate with one argument: God himself bore witness by giving the Gentiles the Holy Spirit "just as he did us." The Church argues hard and reaches a decision together. Then the Gospel: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love... I have told you this so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete" (John 15:9-11). Hard decisions made in love, for joy. Today's news has a man living that sentence in a prison cell on the other side of the world.

📰 Quick Hits

1. Jimmy Lai Reads the Gospel Every Morning. He Draws the Crucifixion. He Prays.

Jimmy Lai is 78 years old. He is a Catholic convert, baptized by Cardinal Joseph Zen in Hong Kong. He founded Apple Daily, Hong Kong's largest pro-democracy newspaper, and was arrested in 2020 when China imposed its national security law. In February he was sentenced to 20 years in prison - effectively a life sentence for a man his age in deteriorating health. He is frequently denied access to the Eucharist. His daughter Claire told EWTN: "He reads the Gospel every morning. He spends his time praying and drawing the Crucifixion and the Blessed Mother. His faith is what protects his mind and soul." This week, President Trump told reporters that raising Lai's case is on his agenda for his upcoming summit with China's Xi Jinping - adding Lai's name to an already complicated diplomatic table.

Faith Lens for the Home: Do your children know who Jimmy Lai is? They should. Ask tonight: "There is a Catholic man in prison right now because he told the truth and refused to be silent. What does his faith look like from inside a cell - and what does that tell us about what faith is actually for?" Then pray for him by name. His daughter says faith is what protects him. Let your family's prayer be part of that protection.

2. Pope Leo on Nuclear Weapons: This Is Not a Political Position

After President Trump falsely claimed Pope Leo had made a statement endorsing Iran having nuclear weapons, Leo clarified this week that the Catholic Church has long opposed nuclear arms - their use and their possession. This is not a new position and it is not partisan. The Catechism states plainly that "every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man" (CCC 2314). The Church applies that standard to every nation, every arsenal, every flag. Leo was not taking sides in a political dispute. He was restating what the Church has always taught.

Faith Lens for the Home: Ask your family: "Why does the Church care about nuclear weapons? What does it mean that this teaching applies to every country - including ours?" The answer is the same one that runs through every life issue the Church addresses: every human being is made in God's image, and nothing justifies their indiscriminate destruction. That is not left or right. It is Catholic.

3. She Started With a Rosary Circle in Her Parlor

In 1685, an Italian laywoman named Rose Venerini gathered her neighbors in her home to pray the Rosary together. That small circle became a school. That school became a congregation - the Venerini Sisters - which went on to educate thousands of girls across Italy at a time when girls' education was nearly nonexistent. Pope Clement XI called her "a woman of singular merit." She started with a Rosary circle in her parlor. We honor her today as a saint.

Faith Lens for the Home: It is May. The month belongs to Mary. Ask your family tonight: "What could start in our living room? What small act of prayer or gathering could we begin that God might grow into something we cannot yet imagine?" St. Rose did not set out to found a religious congregation. She set out to pray with her neighbors.

⛪ Family Saint Spotlight

St. Rose Venerini - May 7

Italian laywoman, founder of the Venerini Sisters, pioneer of girls' education. She began by gathering neighbors to pray the Rosary. She died in 1728 having established schools across Rome and central Italy. Canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2006. Her whole vocation started with a Rosary and an open door.

Ask at dinner: "St. Rose opened her home to pray with neighbors. Who could our family invite in - for a meal, for prayer, for something small - that might grow into something bigger?"

✋ One Simple Action

Pray for Jimmy Lai tonight - specifically, by name. "Lord, protect Jimmy Lai. His faith is what protects his mind and soul. Let our prayer be part of that protection." Then pray one decade of the Rosary in honor of St. Rose Venerini and in this month given entirely to Mary. Small things. Open doors. That is how it starts.

📚 Read More

• Jimmy Lai: faith in prison, Trump's summit with Xi: NCRegister (https://www.ncregister.com/cna/catholic-activist-jimmy-lai-sentenced-to-20-years-in-prison-in-hong-kong-national-security-trial) and International Christian Concern (https://persecution.org/2026/02/28/prominent-hong-kong-catholic-wins-appeal-but-remains-behind-bars/)
• Pope Leo clarifies Church teaching on nuclear weapons: OSV News (https://www.osvnews.com/pope-leo-points-to-church-opposition-to-nukes-after-trump-misrepresented-his-position/) and CCC 2314 (https://www.usccb.org/sites/default/files/flipbooks/catechism/564/)
• St. Rose Venerini: Vatican News (https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/05/07/st--rose-venerini.html) and Catholic Culture (https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2026-05-07)

A man in a Hong Kong prison reads the Gospel every morning and draws the Crucifixion. A woman in 17th-century Italy opened her parlor to pray the Rosary with neighbors. The Gospel does not wait for better circumstances. Remain in my love. Let your joy be complete.