INTRODUCTION
Christian love resulting in the unity of all Christian denominations is the main theme of today’s Scripture lessons. Jesus calls us to live in unity- a unity that goes beyond brothers of the same faith confession. We must promote universal love and unity for an integral human development.
FIRST READING: Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26
The preceeding paragraphs of Acts 1 present the story of the disciples’ witnessing of the Ascension of Jesus into Heaven and then their return to upper room in Jerusalem where they were instructed to remain in prayer, preparing to receive the promised “Power from above.” It is within this context that today’s event is featured. The apostles were desirous to fill their vacant twelfth position. This certainly should make us to ask about what the number twelve really represents and why it is so special in this context. Well, it is simple. Twelve is the number of the tribes of the ancient Israel around which God established the Old Covenant under Moses. It is not by chance that Jesus made a choice of twelve apostle. They represented the New Israel, the New Tribes on which God in Jesus made the New and Eternal Covenant. That is why we by virtue of baptism have become descendants of the apostles.
However, before his departure Jesus commissioned them to take the Gospel to the ends of the earth. And moved by the Holy Spirit, Peter, to whom Jesus had given Primacy after His Resurrection (at the beach breakfast beside the Sea of Galilee, after the miraculous draught of fish), calls the believers (around 120) into assembly. There, he explains to them why someone must be chosen, not by them but by God, to take the place of Judas, the betrayer, now deceased, as the twelfth of the Apostles who were to be Jesus’ messengers to the whole world.
The choice of replacing Judas tells of how God calls each one of us into the fold to be a witness to the Gospel. It equally tells us that though everyone is important in building the body of Christ, the Church, but no one is indispensable. The absence of Judas cannot stop the growth of the Church. Just like Judas many Christians in the past have betrayed the body of Christ. And still today many are a still constituting a threat to the unity of the body of Christ (and moving towards schism) by trying to impose on the Church certain practices that are championed by the circular society. But we know that Judas cannot stop the growth of the body of Christ.
SECOND READING: 1 John 4:11-16
The New American Bible states that the first letter of John was addressed to the early Christian community beset with many problems. Some members were advocating false doctrines. Some of them refused to accept the full Divinity and full humanity of Jesus. Others disregarded the commandment of love of neighbor. Still others denied the redemptive value of Jesus’ death and refused to accept Faith in Christ as the source of sanctification. These errors are here recognized and rejected.Here, in the Baltimore-style catechism form are the truths contained in this part of John’s letter:God loves us and it is God who first loved us. God doesn’t love us because we are good. God loves us because He is good. So what should we do? Love one another. How are we to love each other? We are to show our love for God by loving one another. What happens when we love one another? When we love one another, God remains in us. How do we know God remains in us? We know God remains in us because, through the holy Spirit He has given us, we can experience His presence within us. What happens to those who acknowledge Jesus as Son of God? Those who acknowledge Jesus as Son of God remain in God and God remains in them. Who is God? God is Love. What happens to those who remain in Love? Those who remain in Love remain in God and God remains in them. (Fr. Anthony Kadavil)
GOSPEL: John 17: 11b-19
This Gospel pericope presents the famous last testament of Jesus popularly known as the high priestly prayer of Jesus for his disciples.
THE CONTEXT:
After the Passover washing of the Apostles’ feet as recorded only in the Gospel ofJohn, Jesus began to prepare them for his departure. He made known to them about whom it was to betray Him. He foretold Peter’s denial of Him. He gave them the commandment of love for one another. He then told that He was destined to return his Father’s house not only for Himself but also for their sake, to prepare a place for them. He made them to counselled them not to be despaired by his physical absence, and that He would send them the Holy Spirit who would teach them everything. Most importantly, He warned them to be ready to face the hatred of the world. Finally, He pronounced this “High Priestly Prayer,” as recorded in our Gospel today.
The content of the prayer: The New Interpreter’s Bible distinguishes three parts in Jesus’ prayer.
1) Jesus Prays for His Glorification (17:1-8).
2) Jesus Prays for the Faith Community (17:9-23).
3) Jesus Prays for the Eschatological Union of Father, Son, and Believers (17:24-26). The main elements of the prayer are:
a) the founding of the community (17:6-8),
b) the petition for the preservation and sanctification of the community (17:9-19),
c) the petition for the oneness of the community (17:20-23), and,
d) the petition for the perfecting of the believers (17:24-26).
The content of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples:
Jesus prayed for the victory, unity, protection, and consecration of his disciples (in reverse order of the way these would occur):
(i) Jesus prayed that they might find victory by living out their Christianity in the rough-and-tumble of life, instead of spending full time in prayer and meditation in convents and monasteries or in a life withdrawn from the world. Of course, there is a need for prayer, meditation and quiet times for this equipping process. The disciples must win the world for Christ by living out their Christianity within the world. They must bear witness to Christ through their transparent Christian lives, by reflecting Christ’s love, mercy, forgiveness and spirit of humble service.
(ii) Jesus prayed for the unity of his disciples. The world cannot be evangelized by competing Churches, and that is why Jesus prayed that his disciples might be as fully one as he and the Father are one. But Christian unity is not determined by whether we agree with each other about every interpretation of Scripture or doctrine or form of Church government. Rather, Christian unity is determined by whether and how well we love one another, and whether we reflect the love of God in Christ for the world. (Ephesians 4:4–6: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; d5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; e6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all).
(iii) Jesus prayed for His Father’s protection for his disciples from the attacks of the Evil One. If the disciples of Christ fall, it is because they try to meet life on their own strength and do not remember the presence of their protecting God and seek His help. (iv) Jesus prayed that his disciples might be consecrated in the Truth.
(a) ‘Consecrate’ means to set apart for a special task (Jer 1:5; Ex 28:41).
(b) It also means to equip a man with the qualities of mind, heart, and character which are necessary for that task.
(c) The Truth in which they and we are to be consecrates is the fulness of the Deposit of Faith Jesus, Who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, has entrusted to His Church, His Mystical Body, in and through its Magisterium. God has chosen us and dedicated us for His special service of loving and obeying Him and bringing others to do the same. He has not left us to carry out that great task with only our own strength, but by His grace He fits us for our task, if we place our lives in His hands.
LIFE MESSAGES
1) We need to understand, appreciate, cooperate with, and pray with and for each other: The denominations are a reality.There is no use in our blaming each other for the historical events which caused these divisions in Christ’s Body. What we can do is to learn sympathetically about the doctrinal similarities and differences of the members of our Christian community, learn to love each one, and seek to cooperate with the members of all denominations in all way possible.
Let us pray fervently that God may show us how to work with Him in building true and lasting Christian unity without sacrificing the basic Christian principles and teachings.
2) This call to promoting Christian unity is a vocation for all. To love Christ is to love one another irrespective of his faith confession. I invite you all to deepen this call for communion by reading the encyclical letter of Pope Saint John Paul II titled “Ut Unum Sint” (On commitment to ecumenism). It beautifully captures the real identity of our vocation as Christians. The recent encyclical of Pope Francis “Fratelli Tutti” is also a viable tool that calls us to embrace one another beyond the boundaries of our nation, tribe and language. While we reflect on how lack of unity has wounded our world let us pray for peace to return to Israel and Palestine at least for the sake of innocent children who die for no fault of their. May the international community stop peeping from the fence because of personal and selfish interests and come to mediate peace. Every life is important no matter who it may concern.
PRAYER
Grant O Lord that those who are reborn through the waters of baptism may be filled with the breath of the Spirit, so that, they may renew the face of the earth through a life worthy of their calling. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Veni Creator Spiritus.
PAX VOBIS!
