The Gospel today presents the middle part of Jesus' High Priestly Prayer in John’s discourse after last supper. The high-priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17 has three parts. They correspond to the three parts of the ritual of the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16). “Jesus the high priest makes atonement for himself, for the priestly clan, and for the whole community of Israel, so Jesus prays for himself (John 17:1-5), for the Apostles (John 17:5-19), and finally for all who will come to believe in him through their word – for the Church of all times [John 17:20-26]. [Jesus] sanctifies ‘himself,’ and he obtains the sanctification of those who are his” (Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: Vol. II, 78).
Today, we read from the second part of the prayer which seeks to sanctify or consecrate the Apostles. Through his prayer, Jesus draws his disciples into his own sanctification. Jesus’ Apostles are not just ritually consecrated, they are truly consecrated in their very being. Just as the priestly sons of Aaron were vested in sacred robes and anointed with oil, the Apostles are purified, robed, and anointed with truth. “This purifying and sanctifying ‘truth’ is ultimately Christ himself. They must be immersed in him; they must, so to speak, be ‘newly robed’ in him, and thus they come to share in his consecration, in his priestly commission, in his sacrifice” (Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: Vol. II, 90). On the night of the Last Supper, Jesus consecrates his Apostles, setting them apart for the priestly service of the Gospel.
To “Sanctify them in the truth” is to make them holy by the truth where He prays to the Father for His disciples and for all who will eventually become His disciples—and that includes you! Jesus’ prayer is not only effective as a prayer, but also as a lesson on holiness. How do we become holy? Simple. We allow the Word of the Father to consecrate us in truth. In other words, we allow God’s holy Word to engage us, challenge us, change us, call us from sin, point us to Heaven and transform every aspect of our lives. God’s Word is the Truth, and we will become holy if we are transformed by this Truth.
This middle part also centres on the separation of the followers of Jesus from the world. He prays that they may remain One as Father and Him are one. Jesus has given them his Word and prays that they may remain uncontaminated by the world and the Evil One. This part justifies the title ‘High Priestly Prayer’ because the priestly function involves consecrating/sanctifying others. Here Jesus speaks of consecrating/sanctifying himself, so that his followers may not only be protected from the Evil One, but also may be consecrated/sanctified as he is consecrated/sanctified.
Two aspects we can reflect on from this Gospel and the readings of today. Firstly, is Jesus' prayer that those whom He has gathered may remain One. Jesus was praying for unity among all his disciples and the whole Church. This unity should be based on the fact that Jesus and His Father are one and are united; the source of Christian unity is the Holy Trinity and so we should be united and inspired by the relationship that exists among the Trinity. What was going to keep that unity among them? They were to remain devoted to the word of God and not to be led astray by the world. By the world, in John’s Gospel, Jesus means that which is contrary to God's will and those who belong to the world are those who have not accepted Jesus as the Son of God, have not believed in him and have no individual relationship with Him. Such people should not lead us astray but should remain guided by the Spirit and the word of God.
As the church of Christ, we have to keep this unity too, otherwise we become Christians by name. The only secret to keep this unity is to heed to Jesus' teaching and practicing Christian values which are summarised by love. We should always strive to promote unity not only in our Catholic church but also with other Christian denominations and other religions for Jesus wants us to be one and all be consecrated in truth. This unity is not excluded from our families, places of work, our communities and in all human relationships. People will know that we are Christians by the love and unity we show to each other and practice and St John in the second reading tells us that if Jesus loved us, we should also love one another, and this is the only sure way to show that we follow God’s commandments.
The second aspect is Jesus' prayer for protection from the Evil one. This is a powerful prayer for us. Brethren, the devil is real, and we need divine protection. It comes to us with enticing things which can easily take us astray, leaving God aside. How are we to be protected from Evil one? By being consecrated in Truth which is the word of God. If we heed to the word of God, it's teachings and the teachings of the church which is the source of all truths, the Evil one cannot overtake unless we choose to be overtaken. The Spirit will guide us and lead to this truth as he led the Apostles to choose Matthias as a replacement of Judas Iscariot (first reading).
Reflect today on Jesus' High Priestly prayer for us. How much are you keeping unity right away from our families up to the world level? How many times have you been taken away by the world while leaving the word of God aside? How much effort are you putting in fighting the Evil? Spend some time in silence and pray for the Graces you need to remain united to Jesus and conquer all the worldly lures which deceive us
Let us Pray.
Holy Father, I make Jesus’ prayer my own today. I pray that I may be one with you and with the other members of Christ’s Body. As I am sent into this world, I pray that I may be consecrated to your service. I am in this passing world but do not belong to this world. Lord Jesus, may we recognise daily the need for one another as Christians and the need for you God as the author and sustainer of our lives. Amen
Blessed Easter Season and don't forget to pray Novena to the Holy Spirit
No comments:
Post a Comment