TEXT: The Holy Gospel According to St. John 17: 1-11

Someone has said that the eyes of a man are the windows to the soul.  It is so, it seems, with our own souls.  We may sometimes get a glimpse of the true intent of one whose eyes declare without a doubt the true inner feelings of a soul.

The sense within the soul of Jesus is spoken as he lifted his eyes to look into the Face of his Father.  Here is what has happened to give us the sense of what has brought him to these words in chapter 17, verses 1-11.

The Divinity of Christ was expressed clearly by St. John in chapter 1 of this Gospel, then, Mary and John tell of The Marriage Feast at Cana, there the people saw his perform the water to wine before the eyes of the guests and host at the feast.  Then, Christ's Conversation is recorded with Nicodemus, a spiritually blind man who was coming to see the light.  After this, The Samaritan Woman, another sinner, is lead into the light of a new day when she encounters Jesus who brings her past into the light for all of us to see.  Then, Christ shows himself to us as the Bread of Life and teaches the people in the Temple.  Interestingly, in Chapter the message becomes more clear, it is shown that Christ is the Light of the World.  Light presumes sight to see it.  For immediately following the Light of the World, Chapter 9 speaks of the man born blind. This is followed by Christ the Good Shepherd, the Raising of Lazarus, Christ enters Jerusalem, and, The Last Supper.

Chapter 14 brings us to the Comforter promised, followed by Christ the True Vine, the Role of
the Advocate.

Now, we are given the wonderful account of the PRAYER of the HIGH PRIEST, our Lord Jesus Christ.

After this prayer, St. John and Mary figure into the rest of the story of the trial, crucifixion burial and resurrection of Jesus who rejoins his disciples alive where they might SEE him and WITNESS this to the whole world!

Let us listen to this High Priestly Prayer of Jesus --

1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, 
2 since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. 
3 And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. 
4 I glorified thee on earth, having accomplished the work which thou gavest me to do; 
5  and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made.

This is breathtaking in its scope and authority.

The hour has come. . .

Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify thee!

There is no question whatsoever here about Jesus understanding his own mission.  His mission is fully understood!  JESUS KNOWS where he comes from, where he is going, and, his ultimate glory in the Holy Trinity!  There is absolutely no question left to ponder about when Jesus mentions -- and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made.

This harkens back to John 1:1-3 and Genesis 1:1-3, and, Colossians 1-3.

Jesus is Immanuel -- God with us!

And, he has accomplished his mission.

6  "I have manifested thy name to the men whom thou gavest me out of the world; thine they were, and thou gavest them to me, and they have kept thy word . . .

A comment here.  I have manifested thy name.  The very Name of Jesus is related to "Yahweh."  His Name is "Yahweh is Salvation," "Salvation," or "Salvation of Yahweh."

Jesus was I AM before the worlds and ages came into being.

Jesus is the Word of God, the Logos, who spoke -- and the heavens and earth came into being.  Without him nothing became that became!

Yet, ever powerful as is Jesus forever, for eternity, the same yesterday, today and forever, there is more that is deeper than just the creation of the whole cosmos!

There is intimacy and communication by God to mankind through Holy Immanuel, Jesus.

7 Now they know that everything that thou hast given me is from thee; 
8 for I have given them the words which thou gavest me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from thee; and they have believed that thou didst send me.

Without God revealing who he is intimately, we have nothing.

St. Bonaventure has related to us the reality of our absolute dependence upon God’s self-revelation -- "I invite the reader to cry out in prayer through Christ crucified, by whose blood we are cleansed from the filth of sin.  Let us not believe that it is enough to read without unction, to speculate without devotion, to investigate without wonder, to observe without joy, to act without godly zeal, to know without love, to understand without humility, to strive without divine grace, or to reflect as a mirror without divinely inspired wisdom."  (Intro. to "Mystical Opuscula," paragraph 4., Franciscan Press)

This lets us fully perceive that we are on the receiving end of grace, and, we are infinitely limited in our innate abilities to rise to God apart from grace imparted by God.

Jesus knew who he was.

Do we understand ho we are in Christ?

Thank God for the following statement of our Great High Priest in PRAYER!

Jesus says -- in verse 9, "I am praying for them;

Thank the Lord!  Yet, there is more. . .

I am not praying for the world but for those whom thou hast given me, for they are thine; 10 all mine are thine, and thine are mine, and I am glorified in them."

It is good to know that Jesus prays for us!

I believe in the Communion of Saints too!

When Jesus lifted up his eyes to heaven and looked into the Face of the Father, we were given the example of the prayers of all the saints, living and dead, all of the redeemed, who lift up their eyes that SEE and pray to our Father in Heaven.

When we pray the Our Father, we pray with eyes lifted to the Face of the Father we KNOW loves us, because Jesus expresses the PERFECT LOVE of God the Father in John 3:16-18.

Jesus calls, because God is Rich in Mercy!  Praise the Lord !

Be not afraid means that you and I have consolations in the Body and Blood of Jesus, because we have the ministry of reconciliation at our disposal.  The sacrament of reconciliation is open to us, because Jesus paid the price and makes available to the people of God the blessings of penance, the continual conversion to God.

11  And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

Now, the Holy Spirit is in the world.  The Father keeps us in his name -- Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

St. Francis of Assisi wrote in the beginning of the first version of the Letter to the Faithful: Exhortation to the Brothers and Sisters of Penance,

"All those who love the Lord with their whole heart, with their whole soul and mind, with their whole strength and love their neighbors as themselves and hate their bodies with their vices and sins, and receive the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and produce worthy fruits of penance: Oh, how happy and blessed are these men and women when they do these things and persevere in doing them." (From "Ton Cling to Him with All Her Heart: The Spirituality of St. Clare of Assisi by Benet A. Fonck, OFM, 11-12)

This statement emphasizies more the fact that we are kept through the grace God betsows upon us as we respond in penance toward God.  Let us allow God to work in us and through us, as we might mirror closeness with God to others to be found in God when we see Jesus face to face.

Let us lift up our eyes with Jesus and know where we have been, are, and where we go in God through the merits of Christ.



Deus et Sanctissima.