Good morning. In today’s Gospel, we have the conclusion of the beautiful prayer that Christ says to his Father in heaven. I would invite you all to read and meditate on this prayer of Christ; it can be found in John, chapter 17. In my homily yesterday, I said that in the same way that God sent His Son into the world and he gave of himself for us, Jesus sends us into the world and calls us to give of ourselves for Him and for each other. Well, in today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us one of the ways that we can “give of ourselves”, saying: “I pray not only for these [here, Christ is talking about his disciples and us], but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us. . .”
This is the mission that Jesus gives each of us at our Baptism and Confirmation, to go and make disciples of all nations, to spread the Good News of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through our words and actions, and to bring others to Christ so that they may be grafted to his Mystical Body. This is the mission of the Catholic Church, of which we are the many parts of the One Body with Jesus as the head. We all have a part to play in the unfolding drama of our salvation history. It is a daunting calling, no doubt about it. Sometimes it is easier to acquiesce to the prevailing winds of the current culture and societal norms. However, just like the disciples in their time, we are called to be counter-cultural in our time. As I said yesterday, we are in this world but we are not of this world. The world will hate us but know that the world also hates Jesus so “take courage”, Jesus tells us, just as he told Saint Paul in the first reading.
So what is the message that Jesus wants us to convey to the world? We can find the answers in Jesus’ prayer to the Father. Let us take a moment to reflect on them. First, Jesus wants us to tell others that they are a gift to him, that they are never so lost to him that he cannot find them no matter how far they have strayed from the path. Second, Jesus wants us to tell others that their Lord and God wants them to know of His love for them and that He desires to come and make his dwelling in their hearts. Third and last, through our words and actions, Jesus wants others to believe in him so that he may be in them. This means that through our words and actions, and how we live our lives, when others look at us, they do not see us but, rather, they see our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ because we are called to be imitators of Christ in all that we say and do. And if we do it right, Jesus will stand by us and say to us, “Take courage”, and send us to bear witness in the “Rome” of our present age so that we may glorify God before others.
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Gospel of the Day
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
"I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them."
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