For the next three days, we have for our Gospel passage three instalments of the so-called High-Priestly Prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ. His words to His disciples are over; He now addresses no other than God the Father Himself, His own beloved Father, in a heartfelt, solemn and sublime prayer.
After a prelude of imploring the Father to bestow upon Himself the glory as of a Son, He shifts to His disciples. He intercedes for them.
This alone is already worth some thought: the plain and simple fact that Jesus, our Lord and Master, prayed for His disciples.
We all know what that is, in a way. Especially in our time of need, we do not hesitate to ask for prayers from our favorite priest, our friends, relatives, loved ones and so on. We email them, we text them. “Please pray for me, pray for my intentions,” we tell them. And we draw strength and consolation from the intercessory prayers of others for us.
Now imagine that we have no less than Jesus Christ Himself praying for us! “It is in them that I have been glorified,” Jesus says, referring to His disciples. Yes, He gives credit to them: “I entrusted to them the message you entrusted to me, and they received it. They have known that in truth I came from you, they have believed it was you who sent me.”
It only goes to show how much Jesus loves us, how much He thinks of us and remembers us, how much He cares for us. As He ended His assignment on earth and was about to return to the Father in glory, He prayed for us. How consoling, how encouraging!Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB
Reflection Question:
How quick am I in responding to a request for prayer? And how much do I trust in the power of intercessory prayer?
Remind me, Lord, to pray for those who need most my prayers, especially the poor souls in purgatory.
St. Anthony Mary Gianelli, pray for us.
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