May 24, 2009 Seventh Sunday of Easter Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; 1 Jn. 4:11-16; Jn. 17:11-19 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________   Readings: http://www.usccb.org/nab/052409a.shtml                ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________     The Gospel concludes Jesus’ high-priestly prayer, which comprises one long prayer to his Father. We are invited to listen as Jesus, whose death is imminent, gives voice to his deepest hopes for his loved ones.   Jesus prays that the disciples may experience that unity he shares with his Father, that they may share in his joy, and that they will be consecrated in truth. Jesus also prays for their protection in a hostile world. His own life is a paradigm for the lives of believers. He comes from above, from presence with God, to an alien world that does not accept him, and then he returns to the Father. The believer, in John, is born from above, lives in a hostile and alien world; and, as Jesus returns to the Father, the destiny of his followers is to be with him.   Jesus prays for us; he prays that we might be embraced by God’s protective love as we continue life in this world. Jesus knew its challenges, its disappointments, even its hostility. We may not be happy with certain aspects of this world, but this is where we are and this is what we have. At times we may feel betrayed by church or political leaders, and we may be disappointed by those with whom we are in community, but we have not been betrayed by nor will we be disappointed with God. We live “in between” the world we knew and loved and the one that is yet to appear, but we are not alone. We have a God who loves us, a redeemer who prays for us, and we also have one another.   Jesus asks his Father also to consecrate them “in truth.” Holiness in the Bible is not primarily a moral category, but is a way of speaking about living in the presence of God. It is more similar to a “zone” or “marked-off area,” than a personal disposition. Disciples are to operate in this zone, which is also “in truth.” Jesus prays that the disciples will live in a zone of God’s presence (holiness) as they faithfully witness to the truth of his life.   Jesus’ prayer anticipates the coming of the Spirit of truth. Today this final wish of Jesus that his Father make the church holy in truth has a dramatic relevance. People are often most scandalized, not only by the sins themselves, but by an unwillingness to face the truth. At the same time hopeful signs emerge of truth-filled living in a zone of holiness.     <<   Previous: Ascension of the Lord  | Next: Pentecost >>     Go Back to SERMONS (Year B)