John 17:6-19
6 ”I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.
11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.
Wait - what for and how?
This Sunday bridges Jesus’ Ascension with Pentecost. We have seen the Lord Jesus praying far away from the crowd and the disciples. We have seen Him passing overnights praying to the Father. We saw Him starting and ending His day praying as we saw Him teaching the disciples how to pray, but this time He is praying in the presence of the disciples.
We are invited to give this prayer special attention to derive what it supports in our spiritual journey, and how it brings us closer and closer to the Lord Jesus.
Jesus accomplished His mission on earth with this inspiring, kerygmatic prayer that contains the essential aims of His Incarnation:
The Father's love and Mercy for each human;
Jesus' self-offering to redeem and save us;
Jesus’ model of humility and forgiveness;
Jesus' prayer asking the Father to sanctify His faithful;
Jesus' prayer asking the Father to protect His faithful from the world; and
Jesus asking the Father to sanctify His disciples throughout the centuries.
To sanctify means to grant them the grace of being like Jesus—loving, forgiving, and announcing the Kingdom of God wherever they are and provided they believe in Him and keep His commandments.
Am I among these disciples?
May we pray before we respond and try to be sanctified for the glory of God.