be one in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the
glory you have given me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. Thus
they shall reach perfection in unity; and the world shall know that you have sent me, and
that I have loved them, just as you loved me. Father, since you have given them to me, I
want them to be with me where I am, and see the glory you gave me, for you loved me
before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you, and these have known
that you have sent me. As I revealed your name to them, so will I continue to reveal it, so that
the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I also may be in them.”
Reflect
Today’s Gospel offers the end of Jesus’ final prayer for his disciples. In the culmination of this
prayer, Jesus asks that his followers be granted two things. First, he asks that they be good
witnesses so that others will come to believe through their actions. Second, he asks that they
remain united. This unity is grounded in their love for God and for one another.
It is easy to see that the two aspects of this prayer are closely connected. A divided
community with brothers and sisters hurting each other is a poor witness to the love
to which God calls us. The more time and energy we expend on our internal fights, the
less we have to spend sharing the Good News and helping to build the kingdom of God.
If instead we focus on living together in the love that Jesus has shown us, we can
become a beacon of hope in a divided world, drawing all people to the light of Christ.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023