Jn 17:11b–19
Holy Father, keep those you have given me in your name, so that they may be one, as we also are.
When I was with them, I kept them safe in your name; and not one was lost, except the one who was already lost, and in this the Scripture was fulfilled. And now I come to you; in the world I speak these things, so that those whom you gave me, might have joy—all my joy within themselves.
I have given them your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world, I do not ask you to remove them from the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.
I have sent them into the world as you sent me into the world; and for their sake, I go to the sacrifice by which I am consecrated, so that they too may be consecrated in truth.
REFLECTION
Quispiam est lucrum ut interdum est perditum. (Something is gained when something is lost.) “When you part from your friend, you grieve not: For that which you love most in him may be clearer in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is clearer from the plain.” (Kahlil Gibran) These two saying remind us that we are humans not animal. What?! Yes, because animals don’t consciously feel the angst of absence of a loved one. (Though research scientists argue that animals possess basic emotions such as fear and anger, yet evidence shows that animal response is mechanistically programmed to act with certain stimuli.)
When one feels distraught, deserted and depressed, what is the normal response? The leading causes of alcoholism or drug addiction are family influence, psychological problem, loneliness and peer pressure. These causes are aggravated by an easy access to drugs and alcohol. But these make one’s vulnerability worse. When brokenness reveals our humanness, humanity needs the divine to be whole again. Study shows a strong connection between religious involvement and healing. (D. Meinz) Dr. Levin said that religion’s emphasis on healthy behaviors, supportive relationships and hope impacts one’s overall health. (God, Faith, and Health, Jeff Levin, M.D.)
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