When Jesus had spoken
these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour
has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given
him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And
this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work
which you gave me to do; and now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with
the glory which I had with you before the world was made. "I have
manifested your name to the men whom you gave me out of the world; they were
yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know
that everything that you have given me is from you; for I have given them the
words which you gave me, and they have received them and know in truth that I
came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am praying for them;
I am not praying for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they
are yours; all mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. And
now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to
you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they
may be one, even as we are one.
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In his Last Supper
discourse Jesus speaks of his glory and the glory of his Father. What is this
glory? It is the cross which Jesus speaks of here. How does the cross reveal
his glory? In the cross God reveals the breadth of his great love for sinners
and the power of redemption which cancels the debt of sin and reverses the
curse of our condemnation. Jesus gave his Father the supreme honor and glory
through his obedience and willingness to go to the cross. In times of defense
the greatest honor belongs not to those who fought and survived but to those
who gave the supreme sacrifice of their own lives for their fellow citizens.
Jesus speaks of the
Father bringing glory to the Son through the great mystery of the Incarnation
and Cross of Christ. God the Father gave us his only begotten Son for our
redemption and deliverance from slavery to sin and death. There is no greater
proof of God's love for each and every person on the face of the earth than the
Cross of Jesus Christ. In the cross we see a new way of love – a love that is
unconditional, sacrificial and generous beyond comprehension.
Jesus also speaks of
eternal life. What is eternal life? It is more than simply endless time.
Science and medicine today looks for ways to extend the duration of life; but
that doesn't necessarily make life better for us here. Eternal life is
qualitative more than quantitative. To have eternal life is to have the life of
God within us. When we possess eternal life we experience here and now
something of God's majesty, his peace, joy and love and the holiness which
characterizes the life of God. Jesus also speaks of the knowledge of God. Jesus
tells his disciples that they can know the only true God. Knowledge of God is
not simply limited to knowing something about God, but we can know God
personally. The essence of Christianity, and what makes it distinct from
Judaism and other religions, is the knowledge of God as our Father. Jesus makes
it possible for each of us to personally know God as our Father. To see Jesus
is to see what God is like. In Jesus we see the perfect love of God – a God who
cares intensely and who yearns over men and women, loving them to the point of
laying down his life for them upon the Cross. Jesus is the revelation of God –
a God who loves us completely, unconditionally and perfectly. Do you seek unity
of heart, mind and will with God and unity of love and peace with your
neighbor?
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"If only I
possessed the grace, good Jesus, to be utterly at one with you! Amidst all the
variety of worldly things around me, Lord, the only thing I crave is unity with
you. You are all my soul needs. Unite, dear friend of my heart, this unique
little soul of mine to your perfect goodness. You are all mine; when shall I be
yours? Lord Jesus, my beloved, be the magnet of my heart; clasp, press, unite
me for ever to your sacred heart. You have made me for yourself; make me one
with you. Absorb this tiny drop of life into the ocean of goodness whence it
came."
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