John 17: 20-26

Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:
I’m praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.
Then they’ll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you’ve sent me and loved them
In the same way you’ve loved me.

Father, I want those you gave me
To be with me, right where I am,
So they can see my glory, the splendour you gave me,
Having loved me
Long before there ever was a world.
Righteous Father, the world has never known you,
But I have known you, and these disciples know
That you sent me on this mission.
I have made your very being known to them—
Who you are and what you do—
And continue to make it known,
So that your love for me
Might be in them
Exactly as I am in them.

Gospel Reflection

That Jesus was and is the Son of God is the underlying theme in the Gospel of St John. In turn, Jesus calls us to one-ness with each other and with God.

Jesus makes God known by the perfect love he shows for his fragile disciples. The disciples are to be recognised as sent by Jesus by the love they have for one another.

There are over 300 references to love in the New Testament. Love is God’s greatest gift to us. By our mutual love we reveal God’s love to the world. Pagans said to one another: in the time of the Early Church: ‘See how these Christians love one another!’ They were impressed by this mystery and at least some came to believe in Jesus.