John 6:37‑40→

says that everything the Father gives will come to Christ, and all who come to Him will not be turned away; the Father’s will is that everyone who sees and believes in the Son receives eternal life and is raised on the last day. Catholic teaching reads this as divine initiative inviting free response, not a Calvinist predestination that nullifies human freedom.

Lk 18:9-14→ Jesus tells a Pharisee who boasts of fasting, tithing, and prayer, and a humble tax‑collector who beats his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” The Lord declares the sinner justified, while the self‑righteous man is humbled. The parable teaches that true righteousness rests on humility and reliance on God’s mercy, not on personal merit. It calls every believer to examine the heart, to replace pride with contrite prayer, and to trust that God exalts the humble.

LK 18:1-8→ Jesus tells the parable of the unjust judge and the persistent widow to urge us not to lose heart in prayer; a judge who “neither feared God nor respected man” yields when the widow keeps asking (Lk 18:2‑5). Church teaches that this perseverance is a sign of true faith, for God will “grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night”. Pope Francis reminds us that such steadfast prayer is a source of mercy that sustains our hope for the Kingdom.

Jn 3:13-17: Nicodemus declares that no one has ascended to heaven except the one who descended, Jesus, the only one who had been in heaven before returning (Jn 3:13). Jesus then reveals that all authority comes from the Father, and only the Father knows the Son (Mt 11:27). He likens his crucifixion to Moses lifting the bronze serpent, so that belief brings eternal life (Jn 3:14‑15), echoing the salvation of Israel (Num 21:9). Pope Francis says these words “summarise the core of the Christian proclamation”.