Reflection/Homily: Seventh (7th)
Sunday of Easter Year B (May 14 2015)
Theme: “Consecrate them in the Truth,
Your Word is Truth”
Last Thursday, we celebrated the solemnity of the
Ascension of Christ into heaven. Just as it was said then, Jesus is no more
physically present with us but he is still with us spiritually – in the Church,
the Word of God, the Sacraments and in our neighbours. His departure from the
world has not left us orphans and that is what the readings of today assure us
of. In today’s gospel reading (John 17:11-19), we reflect on the priestly
prayer of Jesus Christ offered before his passion and death. This prayer
strengthens us at this moment of his physical absence and assures us of the
abiding grace of God around us. To this end let us take a closer look at some
parts of this prayer.
Jesus knew what was going to befall him and how the
faith of his Apostles would be shaken. To keep his apostles on the safer side,
he prayed for them, asking his Father to keep them true to His name. In our
moments of danger, temptation, vocation or business crises, have we prayed for
God’s grace to abide in us or do we relax presuming God’s grace since He knows
all things and is equally a loving Father?
To be true to God’s name could mean to be steadfast
in faith and not to relent or fall in moments of trial. Often, we are faced
with financial, academic, social or moral challenges and we tend to abandon our
faith may be, out of disappointment in God or in search of help elsewhere. At
those moments, remember Christ prayed for you and so do not be afraid but
confront such challenges with prayer and you will see what God can do. The
problem is that most of us do not pray when challenged. They believe that it is
needless to pray since God who knows everything could not prevent it, while
some others believe that the God who knows our secret desires will help us even
when we do not pray. We should imbibe the virtue of prayer for although God created
us without our aid, He cannot save us without our aid.
In his priestly prayer, Jesus was not asking God to
remove his Apostles from this evil world but to protect them from the evil one.
This has got more to say about the difficulties and challenges we encounter in
life. We live in an evil world where man is wolf to man but instead of running
away like cowards, let us strive to make the world a better place by our way of
life. We can make the world a better place by living in love with one another
just as the second reading (1 John 4:11-16) urges us. Love is the only weapon
to conquer the evil in the world. When we live in love, there is freedom,
peace, joy and tranquility of mind and body. When this is achieved, then
Christ’s prayer that we may be one like him and the Father might be actualized.
Jesus also prayed that the Father consecrates us in
the truth and that truth is the Word of God. At baptism, we were consecrated
and immersed in the truth of God’s word. But unfortunately, so many of us have
abandoned the truth for reasons best known to us. Abandoning the truth could
mean abandoning the Church, the Word of God, the Sacraments, etc. and this
makes us prone to fall in the face of temptation. That was the situation Judas
found himself. He abandoned Jesus who is the Truth, the Way and the Life by
betraying him and in the first reading (Acts 1:15-17, 20-26), we see how his
place among the Apostles was given to Matthias who cherished and persevered in
the Truth.
Therefore
beloved friends, do not be afraid of this evil world, Jesus is there for us.
All we need to do is to live in love and unity and remain consecrated in the
Truth so that on the last day we shall reap the fruits of our labour and not
have our place in heaven given to someone else because we have not loved. God
loves you.
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