Love One Another As I Have Loved You
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
John 17:20-21
I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.
Grace Prayed For
Lord, let us not be satisfied with our comfortable divisions. Plant in us a longing for the unity you prayed for — a unity that reflects the life of the Trinity.
Reflection
Jesus prayed for us. This moment, right here in John 17, is Jesus interceding for every person who would come to faith through the testimony of those first disciples. You are included in this prayer. I am included in this prayer. The prayer was prayed two thousand years ago, by the one whose prayers do not go unheard.
And what he prayed for was unity.
Not uniformity — the Trinitarian model Jesus holds up is not absorption into sameness but a communion of distinct persons in perfect love. The Father and the Son are not the same person; they are in one another, mutually indwelling, co-equal in love and purpose. This is the template for the unity Jesus desires among his followers.
The purpose of this unity is evangelistic: ‘that the world may believe that you sent me.’ The credibility of the Gospel is expressed through the visible love of the community that proclaims it. Conversely, our divisions and enmities actively contradict our witness. The watching world has every reason to dismiss a Gospel of love proclaimed by a community of bitter faction.
For retreat groups, this prayer is a summons to honest self-examination. Where are the fault lines in your community, your church, your small group? What keeps you from the kind of mutual indwelling that reflects the life of the Trinity? What would it take to move toward genuine unity — not agreement about everything, but the kind of love that can hold difference without contempt?
Jesus is still praying this prayer. Our part is to become what he has asked for..
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post