Scripture
John
17: 11b-19
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying, “Holy Father, keep
them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we
are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that you gave me,
and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in
order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I
speak this in the world so that they may share in my joy completely. I gave
them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the
world any more than I belong to the world….Consecrate them in the truth. Your
word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world…”
Reflection
This passage from John is a flashback to the
Last Supper when Jesus, realizing that his time was coming to an end,
celebrates his farewell meal with his disciples. We often read that Jesus went
off to pray, but in this passage, we actually hear his prayer. These parting words
are meant just as much for us as they were for those first disciples.
We became sharers in the mission of
Jesus at our baptism and later reaffirmed that commitment in Confirmation. We
are called to be dedicated to the truth of God’s Word by the way we live. It
isn’t easy but we have help all around us. As a community we gather and reflect
on the Scriptures; we are nourished by the Body and Blood of Jesus; we share
stories with one another and offer support; and we experience in our own living
the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. This is the gospel we proclaim: God
is with us every moment of our lives!