May 15, 2018

Gospel: Jn 17:1-11a
After saying this, Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come! Give glory to your Son, that the Son may give glory to you. You have given him power over all humanity, so that he may give eternal life to all those you entrusted to him. For this is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and the One you sent, Jesus Christ. I have glorified you on earth and finished the work that you gave me to do. Now, Father, give me, in your presence, the same glory I had with you before the world began. I have made your name known to those you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they kept your word. And now they know that whatever you entrusted to me, is indeed from you. I have given them the teaching I received from you, and they accepted it, and know in truth that I came from you; and they believe that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those who belong to you, and whom you have given to me. Indeed all I have is yours, and all you have is mine; and now they are my glory. I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I come to you. Holy Father, keep those you have given me in your name, so that they may be one, as we also are.

Reflections
I pray for them How consoling to know that Jesus prays for us. Paul knew he was to suffer much in Jerusalem because of his differences with Peter regarding the prerequisites for baptism. The Risen Lord must have prayed for his protection and perseverance. Jesus does not only pray for us, He empowers us through his Spirit to live out the Gospel. Without the Spirit, we will be left on our own, incapable of following Jesus. Jesus would be reduced to a moral exemplar whom we cannot emulate. But because of the indwelling Spirit, we are made capable of following in Jesus’ footsteps — not by our power, but through his power within us.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2018