12-May-16

Gospel JN 17:20-26
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
“I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them.”
Reflection:
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
“I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one...."
Jesus not only prays that His disciples "may be one" with Him, but that we who have come to believe "through their word" also may "be one."
However, Christ's desire that we be with Him is based on our belief in His message of the Father's love for us and our best efforts to love our neighbor and live an unselfish life.
Jesus also prays that we may be "brought to perfection" so that the world will know that He was sent from God.
For us to be "brought to perfection" is indeed a tall order. Quite frankly, on our own we have no hope of being perfect. Like everyone, we are caught up in trying to resist the trappings and temptations of this world.
If I believed that becoming perfect was a prerequisite to attain heaven, I would lose hope.
But, I believe what Jesus told the disciples when they asked Him, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19: 25-26)
"Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me...."
We do not need to "earn" our way to heaven. It is enough for us to know that Jesus "wishes" for us to be with Him.
If we do our best to resist temptation and try to live a Christian life, I believe that what we lack in "perfection" will be made up for through the mercy of God.

"Love is where Justice and Mercy kiss."