A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 17:20-26
(Glory to you O Lord!)
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.”
(The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!)
Reflection: We are loved!
Our Heavenly Father has loved our Lord Jesus since before the foundation of the world, and the Father and our Lord Jesus loves all of us so very much.
Today’s Gospel reading is the continuation from yesterday’s reading when our Lord Jesus’ prayed to the Father shortly after the Last Supper, and before they went to the garden of Gethsemane.
Our Lord prayed that the disciples as well as all who will come to believe in our Lord Jesus through their word, may be one, as Jesus and Father are one. Our Lord prayed that “the love” with which the Father loved Him may be in “all the disciples”, and that Jesus and the Father may be “in them” as the Father is in Jesus and Jesus is in the Father. What does this mean?
“The love” that our Lord Jesus talks about is the gift of the Holy Spirit, the advocate, which we all receive through our baptism! The Holy Spirit is “the love” of the Father and Son. God desires that all the disciples may be one in Jesus, as the Son is in the Father, and now our Heavenly Father with our Lord Jesus is now in us, through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is “the love”of the Father and our Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit journeys with all who follow and believe in our Lord Jesus!
We are dearly beloved by the Father and the son! Follow the promptings of the God’s Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds to share the good news of God’s immense love for us, and help gather all the faithful to His Heavenly Kingdom!
Action for the Day:
In quiet prayer of 10 to 15 minutes. Pray to God to continue to increase our faith, to strengthen our resolve to live lives of holiness, to share our gratitude for our daily blessings, to be aware of the presence of His Spirit within us, and to guide us on how to change our selves and follow Him. Ask our Lord how to share His message of love to all who have yet to know the love for us by our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus. Through this sad time of factions, injustice and disunity in the world, may we all be one in minds and hearts to follow Jesus’ daily call and promptings guided by the Holy Spirit to be one with each other, and with our Lord Jesus, to be united in the joy and peace of Christ, to share God’s message with hearts of compassion, kindness, mercy and love.
DEACON5 Website link: https://deacon5.com/
Click link below to listen to today’s reflection.
