28 May 2017
Seventh Sunday of Easter
Let’s recapitulate a bit to appreciate Jesus’ prayer to the Father in today’s Gospel.
The Father sent Jesus to earth to give us eternal life. To accomplish this mission Jesus gave his life for us. By his Passion and death he united his humanity with divine glory. That was his job. He was to glorify humanity in himself.
How is this possible? He came to reveal that his Father’s love for us is an overflowing love, beyond measure. That is the Good News, the Gospel. We are transformed by our faith in him. Reflecting on Jesus then means seeing in his human traits, which are similar to our own, the image of God, our Father in heaven.
Jesus, now ascended, is glorified. But He does not stop repeating his prayer described in today’s Gospel. He is repeating it now for you, me, and for all people.
We can repeat it with him for ourselves and for everyone, especially for those we love because he has given us our intimate relationship with the Father, and so, “they are yours and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine.” Amen.