These are some of the most mystical passages in the Gospel where Our Lord speaks about his unity with the Father, his going to the right hand of his Father in heavenly glory, and following his departure from the midst of his disciples, he and the Father will send the Holy Spirit upon the Church. The Lord foretells then his Ascension, his going to the Father, and then the sending of the Holy Spirit, Pentecost.
And so its fitting for us to read from this section of John’s Gospel during this short period of the liturgical calendar between the Feast of the Ascension last week and the Feast of Pentecost this upcoming Sunday. I highly recommend reading John chapters 13 to 17 in one sitting sometime this week, to get a sense of the whole Farewell Discourse.
But today we read perhaps the most lofty section of the discourse, the opening lines of what is called the Lord’s High Priestly Prayer where the Lord takes on the language of a priestly intercessor and mediator on behalf of his disciples. He prays for his disciples. “I pray for them” he says today, “because as I’m coming to you, departing from this world…they are staying in the world” and have some work to do. They are going to face mockery, and suffering, and torture, “tears and trials” as St. Paul describes in our first reading.
It is comforting to know that the Lord has foreseen our “tears and trials”; that on the night before he died, he was thinking of us, and praying for us, that what we suffer for being his disciples will bring us a share in the glory of God, that what we do on earth will glorify God. This prayer must have given St. Paul so much courage and conviction as he preached to Jews and Gentiles and endured imprisonment and beatings. And it is meant to fill us with courage and conviction as well, to willingly embrace “tears and trials” for the sake of the kingdom, knowing that God sees and will reward what we endure for him.
Whether you are an ordained priest, a homeless beggar, a widow, a farmer or seamstress, king or slave, we are called to a life which makes God known to others, which does not shrink away from tears and trials for the sake of the kingdom, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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Let us pray to our Heavenly Father, confident that He is
generous to those who call upon Him with faith.
For Pope Francis, and all the bishops: may they rightly lead
the Body of Christ in faithfulness to all the Lord teaches and commands. And
that the Holy Spirit may guide the Holy Father in choosing a new bishop and
shepherd for the diocese of Cleveland.
For our President and all elected government
representatives, may the Holy Spirit grant them wisdom and guide them to
promote authentic and lasting peace in the world, an end to terrorism, respect
for religious freedom, and a greater reverence for the sanctity of Human Life.
That the power of Christ’s resurrection may overcome all
oppression, prejudice, hatred, addiction and injustice. For those most
profoundly impacted by the coronavirus, for the healing of all the sick. For
those who selflessly labor for the good of others, for the safety of first
responders and medical care workers, police and firefighters. For the
protection of all those who serve in our nation’s military, and for all wounded
servicemen and women, for all those widowed and orphaned because of war.
For the repose of the souls of our beloved dead, for all of
the poor souls in purgatory, for the deceased members of our family, friends,
and parish, for those who have fought and died for our freedom, and for Margaret
Gorczyca for whom this mass is offered.
Gracious Father, hear the prayers of your pilgrim Church,
grant us your grace and lead us to the glory of your kingdom, through Christ
Our Lord.
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