Held, Sent, and United: Living the Resurrection Commission
“For the Souls in Purgatory – Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord”
John 17:11b-19
“Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you, and I speak this in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world just as I do not belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world just as I do not belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”
Grace Prayed For
The grace to deeply experience the unity Christ desires for us and the courage to actively live out our calling to make disciples in the world, trusting in God’s protection and the joy of the resurrected Christ.
Reflection
Imagine the tender gaze of Jesus lifted towards heaven, not just in prayer, but in profound entrustment. He has poured His life into His disciples, sharing the very words and love of the Father. Now, on the cusp of His ultimate sacrifice and glorious resurrection, His heart beats with a desire for their unity, a unity mirroring the divine oneness He shares with the Father. This isn’t just about holding hands; it’s about being so deeply connected in the Father’s name – the very essence of who God is – that the world witnesses the transformative power of His love.
He acknowledges the friction, the hatred they will face simply because they, like Him, don’t ultimately belong to the fleeting values of this world. Yet, His prayer isn’t for escape, but for protection from the insidious pull of evil. He desires their consecration – a setting apart, a hallowing through the very truth of God’s Word. And then comes the breathtaking commission: “As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” The resurrected Christ, having conquered death, now empowers us, His disciples across time, with the same divine sending that propelled His own mission. His consecration – His ultimate sacrifice and triumph – becomes the very ground upon which our own sending is made possible. We carry the joy made complete by His resurrection, a joy that fuels our journey to make disciples, knowing we are held, protected, and sent with the very love that conquered the grave.
Growing in Intimacy/Union with Jesus
This passage unveils Jesus’ deep concern and intimate prayer for His followers. We see His heart for their unity, His awareness of the challenges they will face, and His powerful commissioning rooted in His own relationship with the Father. Understanding His prayer for us, echoing across centuries, fosters a profound sense of being seen, loved, and entrusted by Jesus himself, drawing us closer to His heart.
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