Sunday Gospel Reflection
This is eternal life, that they know the Father the only true God
Introduction:
During the shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, one young victim was asked by the murderers, "Do you believe in Jesus?" She answered, "Yes," and was shot. At her funeral the pastor aptly referred to her as a present day martyr. And so she was. No one probably told her two years earlier that by believing in Jesus she was choosing to share not only in His life, but also in His suffering. However, when she was called upon to do so, she did so bravely.
We all desire to share in the life of Christ, but we must understand that his is the life of a Suffering Savior. When Jesus called the disciples, they did not receive an explanation of what lay ahead. They experienced the dust and grime of his travels as well as the joy and amazement of His miracles. They delighted in the wisdom of His teachings and their increasing understanding, and the glory that came with being a part of Jesus' entourage. But they also experienced the judgment and hostility leveled at him by his malefactors, and eventually the threat of death associated with his crucifixion.
With his resurrection, and the subsequent indwelling of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost they took on his life in new ways. No longer were they simply accompanying him on his journey of ministry, now they were going in his place, providing the teaching and miracles, as Jesus lived out his life through them. The hostility which was directed at Jesus previously was still directed at him, only now it was directed at the indwelling Jesus within their bodies. The hostility directed toward Jesus now had to go through his followers to get to him. Yet they never faltered, never thought of exchanging his life for escape, or obedience for fleeting security. Rather they gloried that they were able to share in his suffering fully knowing that his power was resting on them. They knew the truth contained within the following anonymous poem:
But as the Master so shall the servant be,
And pierced are the feet that follow me.
Can he have followed far
Who has no wound, no scar?
We do not know when or where we will be called on to bear the suffering of Christ, but we inevitably will to some degree. Like the disciples we need to dwell in his presence in the good times so that we can bear a necessary wound or scar in the difficult times. Like the disciples we need to choose to be like our Master. Jesus prayed that we wouldn't be taken out of the world, thus escaping its misery and pain, but rather that we would be kept while in the world, making his life present to comfort those experiencing the misery and pain of this world.
First Reading
Acts 1:12-14
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called
Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away;
13 and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room,
where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas,
Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son
of James.
14 All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer,
together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brether
Second Reading
1 Peter 4:13-16
13 But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings,
that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
14 If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are
blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a
wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker;
16 yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed,
but under that name let him glorify God
Gospel Reading
John 17:1-11
1 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,
2 just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that he may give eternal life to all you gave him.
3 Now this is eternal life, that they should know
you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent,
Jesus Christ.
4 I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the
work that you gave me to do.
5 Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory
that I had with you before the world began.
6 "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.
7 Now they know that everything you gave me is
from you,
8 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.
9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but
for the ones you have given me, because they are yours,
10 and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is
mine, and I have been glorified in them.
11 And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in
the world, while I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have
given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.
Bible Study
1 Jesus raised his eyes to heaven
----- The customary attitude of prayer (see John 11:41).
1a and said, "Father, the hour has come. Give glory to
your son, so that your son may glorify you,
-----The "hour" of Jesus is
that of His glorification: the crucifixion, death, and resurrection by which salvation is
achieved. He has completed the work of "glorifying" the Father in giving eternal
life through the Eucharist which has now been given to the apostles.
2 just as you gave him authority over all people, so
that he may give eternal life to all you gave him.
-----This directs attention back to the
affirmation that the Father has given the Son power to give life and to judge (John
5:20-27).
3 Now this is eternal life, that they should know
you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
-----We now have a definition of eternal
life. To "know" is to experience and to accept commands by obedience - to accept
the will of God and obey. To "do whatever He tells
you".
4 I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that
you gave me to do.
------The Son has glorified the Father by
revealing Him perfectly in all the words and deeds of His life.
5 Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory
that I had with you before the world began.
------Now in turn the Father will glorify
Him in the resurrection and ascension by which He will return to the glory that in His
pre-incarnational state He has possessed from all eternity.
6 "I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out
of the world.
-----In Semitic usage, "name" is
equivalent to the person.
6b They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they
have kept your word.
7 Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
-----The disciples have come to a true
recognition of the relation of the Son to the Father, of His character as Savior. To
"know" doesn't mean to perceive or be aware of, but reflects personal
involvement in. Those whom the Father has given Him, the apostles, have been shown the
Father and Jesus is now beginning His prayer for them.
8 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.
9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the
ones you have given me,
-----It isn't that Jesus is excluding from His
prayers the world that God loves; the subject of this prayer is the apostles, the first
Bishops of the Church, who must live in the world but be no part of it.
9b because they are yours,
10 and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is
mine, and I have been glorified in them.
-----The disciples have already glorified
Jesus by their fidelity (verse 6). In view of the perspective of this prayer, Jesus is
probably speaking of the future works of the disciples as already glorifying Him.
11 And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are
in the world, while I am coming to you.
------This is the reason for this
prayer: They need the divine protection in an exceptional way, now that His visible
presence is about to be removed from them.
Meditation
In his Last Supper discourse Jesus speaks of his glory and the glory of his Father. What is this glory? It is the cross which Jesus speaks of here. How does the cross reveal his glory? In the cross God reveals the breadth of his great love for sinners and the power of redemption which cancels the debt of sin and reverses the curse of our condemnation. Jesus gave his Father the supreme honor and glory through his obedience and willingness to go to the cross. The greatest honor, trust, and love any person can give one's leader is through his obedience even to the point of sacrificing his own life. In warfare the greatest honor belongs not to those who survive but to those who give the supreme sacrifice of their own lives for their fellow countrymen. Jesus also speaks of the Father bringing glory to the Son through the great mystery of the Incarnation and Cross of Christ. God the Father gave us his only begotten Son for our redemption and deliverance from slavery to sin and death. There is no greater proof of God's love for each and every person on the face of the earth than the Cross of Jesus Christ. In the cross we see a new way of love - a love that is unconditional, sacrificial and generous beyond comprehension. Jesus also speaks of eternal life. What is eternal life? It is more than simply endless time. Science today looks for ways to extend the duration of life; but that doesn't necessarily make life better for us here. Eternal life is qualitative more than quantitative. To have eternal life is to have the life of God within us. When we possess eternal life we experience here and now something of God's majesty, his peace, joy and love and the holiness which characterizes the life of God. Jesus also speaks of the knowledge of God. Jesus tells his disciples that they can know the only true God. Knowledge of God is not simply limited to knowing something about God, but we can know God personally. The essence of Christianity, and what makes it distinct from Judaism and other religions, is the knowledge of God as our Father. Jesus makes it possible for each of us to personally know God as our Father. To see Jesus is to see what God is like. In Jesus we see the perfect love of God -- a God who cares intensely and who yearns over men and women, loving them to the point of laying down his life for them upon the Cross. Jesus is the revelation of God -- a God who loves us completely, unconditionally and perfectly. Do you seek unity of heart, mind and will with God and unity of love and peace with your neighbor?
Reflections:
· Please re-read the phrase(s)/sentence(s) that move(s)/touche(s) you.
· yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be
ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God (1 Peter 4:16)
-----Why would someone be willing to suffer for
Christ, or suffer as a Christian? Have you ever had to
suffer "for the sake of Christ" or suffered for being a Christian?
How did you
feel afterwards?
· Jesus had confidence in his disciples when
he said "I have been glorified in them".
-----Have you experienced that Jesus also
says that to you? Did you glorify him, do you glorify him and are you glorifying him?
. Jesus came to the world from God and he returned to God in glory after his death and resurrection. The Cross is a proof of the victory of goodness over evil, for after the Cross is the resurrection. The Cross is then the gateway to glory. Contemplate the cross in your life, and how it would glorify the name of God?
. Jesus voiced his two concerns: his Father's glorification, and the welfare of his disciples and all believers. The fist concern was well fulfilled. The second one is still in progress. Do you understand that Jesus is always concerned for your well-being? Share one thing that you did to show that you concern for your family or your relatives.
. What has been the longest time you have devoted
yourself to prayer?
Describe your experience and any lessons you
learned.
To live His Word this week:
· Do something for your wife or mom during Mother's day.
. Sacrifice a lunch and to donate that money to an
organization or Order that doing the mission works.
For Youngsters:
. Do or say something nice for your mom on the Mother's day.
. Say "thank you" to God for one good thing you have done during the family's prayer at night.
Prayer
If only I possessed the grace, good Jesus, to be utterly at
one with you! Amidst all the variety of worldly things around me, Lord, the only
thing I crave is unity with you. You are all my soul needs. Unite, dear friend
of my heart, this unique little soul of mine to your perfect goodness. You are all
mine; when shall I be yours? Lord Jesus, my beloved, be the magnet of my heart;
clasp, press, unite me for ever to your sacred heart. You have made me for yourself;
make me one with you. Absorb this tiny drop of life into the ocean of goodness
whence it came."
(Prayer of Francis de Sales, 1567-1622)