Access daily Mass readings, meditations and articles, as well as special resources, by becoming a subscriber or logging in. Subscribers: Please log in to view the Mass readings. Not a subscriber? Subscribe for only $12 (Save $4). . . . that they may all be one. (John 17:21) Today’s Gospel reading brings to a close both Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper and his final discourse to his disciples before his arrest and crucifixion. These verses represent his highest hopes for his followers as well as the clearest expression of his saving mission: that his disciples’ unity and love for each other would shine so brightly “that the world may know that you sent me” (John 17:23). There are many things that Jesus could have prayed for that night: that his disciples would help the poor and the sick, perhaps, or that they would speak the most prophetic words to their listeners. But this twofold prayer—that they would be one and that the world would come to know him through their witness—revealed the deepest intentions of Jesus’ heart. Let’s take a look at these two prayers more closely. . . . that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me (John 17:22-23). Jesus exists in an eternal, perfect union with the Father. But it’s not a union that we are meant to admire from afar. Jesus is praying that all of his followers—including us—would come to join this divine communion of endless self-giving love. He’s praying that as we are filled with his love and his life, we would be moved to treat one another with the same love and reverence that he and his Father have for each other. And in order for that to happen, every wall that divides us, whether on a global or a personal scale or anywhere in-between, has to be broken down! . . . that the world may know that you sent me (John 17:23). Jesus knew that the unity he prayed for us to experience would stand out in a world marked by division, envy, and animosity. He knew that our love for one another could be so pure and so striking that it would draw other people to us. They would sense that there is something special—even divine—about our love for each other. If Jesus’ final prayer for us tells us nothing else, it makes this one truth crystal clear: everything comes back to love. God loves his Son completely and fully. And he loves you completely and fully. May we all come to taste that love today, and may that love heal all our divisions—so that the world may believe! “Jesus, teach me to live in love!”Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr (Memorial)
DAILY MASS READINGS AVAILABLE WITH A SUBSCRIPTION
Daily Meditation: John 17:20-26
Acts 22:30; 23:6-11
Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-11