Gospel: John 17:1-11a
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said,
“Father, the hour has come.
Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people,
so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
Now this is eternal life,
that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
I glorified you on earth
by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
Now glorify me, Father, with you,
with the glory that I had with you before the world began.
“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world.
They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
because the words you gave to me I have given to them,
and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you,
and they have believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me,
because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours
and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them.
And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
The Mass intention is for Patrick Marley RIP.
Reflection:
Jesus often preached about eternal life. In His conversation with Nicodemus, He said “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). When He presented Himself as the Good Shepherd, He said “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish” (John 10:27-28). In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us the essence of eternal life: “Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.”
Knowing God and Jesus Christ is not a static experience. Knowing God – His graciousness, mercy, and plan of salvation to name a few – will lead us to loving Him. Loving Him is not the end though. For love must be shown through our good works, our service to Him and His people. Fr Pierre-Thomas Dehau, OP once wrote: “To the Christian, eternal life is entirely present, entirely loved, and therefore entirely joyful. His progress in the virtues, especially those that call for and bring about divine contemplation, the beginning of beatitude, makes him converse in heaven more that on earth…In heaven only joy enters in…” May our journey of faith with the Risen Lord lead us to eternal life.
- How do you understand eternal life?
- How do you know God?
- How do keep yourself joyful amidst the uncertainty of the times?
Lord Jesus, thank You for Your Word today. May each day be a step forward for us to know, love, and serve You more so that we may attain eternal life in the end. Amen.
(Pietro)
