John 17:1-11
1 After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
6 ”I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.
11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.
May Your Love be in Them, and Me in Them
How true are the words of Khalil Gibran in his book The Prophet, "Love's depth is only known at the hour of parting."
Just after the Last Supper, on the way down from the mountain to the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus is praying for the unity of His disciples.
Let us take few minutes to think about this prayer.
Jesus' last event with the disciples was the foot washing, where He gave them the model of humility, saying, "You call me Lord and Teacher, and so I am. I gave you the model of how you should do to each other" John 13:13.
Jesus knows what is going to happen with the Church that needs His prayer, which shines with hope and wrings out pain. He emptied Himself for her sake, and yet He foresees her future and places her in the Father's loving providence through His prayer. Unity as seen by the Lord is the prototype of His substantial unity with the Father, the unity of Love, the unity in the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is sending the apostles to teach, preach and baptize all nations. He knows and respects their respective identities and cultures. He prays for their unity in loving each other and spreading God's teaching wherever they are, each according to their culture.
Unity is not conformity but a witness of love and service, so that the world may believe.
Let us ask if our Churches are faithful to Jesus' prayer. Do we work together with Jesus' love and care for each other?
Every January 18th to 25th, we spend a week of prayer for Christian Unity. What comes out of it? Is it a display of liturgical performances or simply choosing a slogan for prayer week?
When we reflect on the state of the Church today, and to the extent to which they implement Jesus' model, we must ask ourselves where we stand in relation to His prayer. Where is our witness to His love and humility, and how is our imitation of Jesus and the example He gave us? The world needs to see that Churches proclaim the same message with mutual love, purpose and efficiency.
Today's Gospel urges us as individuals, congregations and Churches to reconsider our faithfulness to Jesus' teaching and example. More than yesterday, the world needs a model of love, unity and to care for justice, peace, human dignity and rights.
Let us pray for Church leaders to celebrate the Last Supper with John's foot washing and to follow Jesus to Gethsemane, remembering His prayer which came from the very depth of His being.