John 17:1-11a

Acts 1:12-14

Psalm 27:1,4,7-8

1 Peter 4:13-16

John 17:1-11a

 Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,

“Father, the hour has come.

Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,

just as you gave him authority over all people,

so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.

Now this is eternal life,

that they should know you, the only true God,

and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.

I glorified you on earth

by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.

Now glorify me, Father, with you,

with the glory that I had with you before the world began.

“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.

They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,

and they have kept your word.

Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,

because the words you gave to me I have given to them,

and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,

and they have believed that you sent me.

I pray for them.

I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,

because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours

and everything of yours is mine,

and I have been glorified in them.

And now I will no longer be in the world,

but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”

Opening Prayer: Holy Father, I make Jesus’ prayer my own today. I pray that I may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent, as my eternal life. Glorify your Son in me, that I may accomplish the work you have given me and be kept in your name.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Glory of Jesus Our High Priest: The high-priestly prayer of Jesus in John 17 has three parts. They correspond to the three parts of the Day of Atonement ritual (Leviticus 16). The high priest would first make atonement for himself, then for the priestly clan, and finally for the community of Israel. In Jesus’ high-priestly prayer, he first prays for himself (John 17:1-5), then for his priestly Apostles (John 17:6-19), and finally for the Church (John 17:20-26) (see Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: Vol. II, 78). In the Gospel, we read from the first and second parts of Jesus’ prayer. Jesus does not have to make atonement for his sins. His request to the Father is for mutual glorification. He asks the Father for glorification so that he, as the Son, may give glory to the Father. As the eternal Son, Jesus possesses the divine glory of his Father (John 1:14), and this glory shines through Jesus’ miracles (John 2:11) and through his loving acceptance of the Cross (John 12:23-24). “The Son’s obedience to his mission glorifies the Father (John 13:31; 14:13), and in return, the Father glorifies the Son (John 8:54; 11:4). Before his death, Jesus petitions the Father to glorify his humanity that it may rise again to participate in the eternal glory that he already possesses in his divinity (John 17:5, 24)” (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 1921).

2. Praying for the Spirit: The First Reading, from the Acts of the Apostles, immediately follows the glorious ascension of Jesus, body and soul, to heaven. The eleven apostles returned to Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives and went back to the upper room, where they were staying. The eleven were accompanied by the women who followed Jesus during his public ministry (see Luke 8:2-3), by Mary, the mother of Jesus, and some of Jesus’ relatives. These were likely Jesus’ cousins, who were once skeptical of Jesus’ mission, but are now portrayed as disciples (John 7:5). One of Jesus’ cousins, James, would act as the first bishop of Jerusalem after Peter departed from the city. Another of Jesus’ cousins, Simon, would act as the second bishop of Jerusalem. Both James and Simon would suffer martyrdom. James was thrown from the temple around A.D. 62. Tradition holds that Simon was martyred during the reign of the Emperor Trajan. All of these apostles and followers of Jesus dedicated themselves to prayer as they awaited the day of Pentecost and the gift of the Spirit.

3. Sharing in Christ’s Suffering and Glory: Throughout the season of Easter, the Second Reading was taken from the First Letter of Peter. Today concludes our reading of this letter. Peter encourages the Church to rejoice insofar as we share in Christ’s sufferings. We should rejoice because this means we will share in Christ’s glory. “If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you” (1 Peter 4:14). Peter teaches that suffering for the name of Christ is not a curse but a blessing. “Instead of being disheartened by abuse, they should count it a privilege to suffer the same maltreatment endured by their Lord (1 Peter 4:13). This, he implies, is evidence that Jesus is replicating his own life in the experiences of the faithful, leading them down the path that he himself once walked (2:21; 4:1). The purpose of this is not to weaken or injure the faith, but to strengthen and refine it as something precious in the eyes of God (1:6-7) (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, 2196). 

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, lifted up in glory before the Father, grant that I may know you as the source of eternal life. Glorify your name in my life, that I may faithfully complete the work you entrust to me. Keep me in the Father’s name, that I may be one with you.

Living the Word of God: The readings encourage us to wait with trust, endure with hope, and live already in communion with God. How am I called to do this over the course of an ordinary day? Do I begin and sustain each day with prayer, as the apostles did gathered around Mary? How am I embracing suffering or trial in my life? Do I rejoice as Peter recommends?