Reading 1
Acts 20:17-27
From Miletus Paul had the presbyters
of the Church at Ephesus summoned.
When they came to him, he addressed them,
“You know how I lived among you
the whole time from the day I first came to the province of Asia.
I served the Lord with all humility
and with the tears and trials that came to me
because of the plots of the Jews,
and I did not at all shrink from telling you
what was for your benefit,
or from teaching you in public or in your homes.
I earnestly bore witness for both Jews and Greeks
to repentance before God and to faith in our Lord Jesus.
But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem.
What will happen to me there I do not know,
except that in one city after another
the Holy Spirit has been warning me
that imprisonment and hardships await me.
Yet I consider life of no importance to me,
if only I may finish my course
and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus,
to bear witness to the Gospel of God’s grace.
“But now I know that none of you
to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels
will ever see my face again.
And so I solemnly declare to you this day
that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,
for I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the entire plan of God.”
Gospel
Jn 17:1-11a
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,
“Father, the hour has come.
Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I glorified you on earth
by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
Now glorify me, Father, with you,
with the glory that I had with you before the world began.
“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”
Meditation: John 17:1-11
Father, the hour has come. (John 17:1)
If you find Jesus’ prayer here difficult to understand at first, perhaps it is because what we have here is an exchange between two divine persons. The language of love between humans is hard enough to grasp at times, so it makes sense that we would have to read this expression of divine love slowly and carefully!
Jesus’ first thoughts are for his Father. While he was on earth, he sought to obey his Father in every way possible and so “vindicate” his Father’s power, authority, and goodness. And what glory does Jesus ask for himself? Only to be with his Father once again. He didn’t ask for a great throne or for the unerring worship of all peoples. He simply wanted to be with his Father.
But Jesus’ prayer doesn’t remain focused on his Father. The consuming love between them spills over into Jesus’ love for his disciples. Imagine all the pressure that he must have been feeling. He knew that the weight of all our sins was about to be placed upon him. He knew that the devil was about to batter him with unspeakable hatred and temptation. He knew that all it took was one slip, one little sin, and all would be lost. But what was Jesus concerned about? His Father’s plan. His disciples. Each and every one of us. Now that’s love.
We all know how this story ends. Jesus triumphed! By dying in complete submission to God’s plan, he both glorified his Father and redeemed us from sin. His love for his Father and his love for us carried the day.
This is the love that Jesus is offering us today: a love strong enough to repel every temptation, heal every wound, and repair every broken relationship. It is a love that doesn’t discriminate and never grows tired or jaded. And what’s more, it is a love that we are meant to experience, not just learn about. Today in prayer, let Jesus shower that love upon you. Then throughout the day, look for signs that his love is still out there. He never stops caring for his people!
“Lord, I marvel at the amazing love that you have for me and for your Father. Help me to open my arms ever wider to receive all that you have for me.”
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