Providence Spirituality
Gospel of May 12, 2024 according to John 17:11b-19
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are. When I was with them, I protected them in your name that you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the evil one. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.”
Reflection on the Gospel of May 12, 2024 –
Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John 17:11b-19 –
The Gospel of Jesus for this last Sunday of Easter is very revealing and it impels me to focus my reflection on 3 aspects.
- Living Unity
Jesus’ first intention is that we shall live in unity. In his last Eucharistic prayer, he took the time to entrust us to his Father. He wants us to be united, in love, in the face of a divided world, a world torn apart and at war, sick and wounded. Christians need more than ever to feel united to Christ. Jesus speaks about a specific kind of unity, namely, being united with him and his Father in the Spirit. Jesus invites us to enter into his Trinitarian family. To journey together is our congregation’s present goal. Our consolation is to be able to draw our strength from the Risen Christ who unites us with the Father in the Holy Spirit. Unity is our strength against division in our hearts. The Spirit guides us into the Mission and impels us to bear witness to the presence of the Christ to humanity.
- Abide in the world and protect it from evil.
To live in the world without being from the world. After breathing the Spirit into his disciples, Jesus sent them out on a mission. We cannot overlook the fact that as a Church, we often feel discouraged; there is a certain apathy that makes us question the role of the Christian people in the world. The greatest challenge of consecrated life is doubt, the disbelief hidden inside us that questions our role in the world. How do we defend the interests of the little ones, of all those who have died from diseases or were killed by wars, or street violence? How do we invest ourselves to defend the truth? How can we defend God’s Word today? Jesus prays for us, to prevent us from doubting and from calling into question the very essence of consecrated life on earth, the essence of our identity.
Through Christ we are the compassionate face of Providence among everything that surrounds us. Each gesture reflects the light and makes us bearers of love. Christ reminds us of who we are: the salt and the light. We are the ones that add taste and light into a gloomy world devoid of meaning.
- Be holy through the Truth.
Jesus wants us to persist in living in truth, connected to his Word. I am the way, and the truth, and the life (John 14:6). This is Christ’s message to those who believe in him. Only Jesus is truth. Only by being close to Him through the Scriptures, in prayer and meditation, can we persist in the truth. Just like it happened with the disciples on their way back to Emmaus, Jesus invests time in walking with his dear ones and opens the Scriptures for us, where Truth is hidden. While the disciples shared the bread, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. Jesus gives himself to us in every Eucharist, where the great mystery of redemption and truth is hidden. Let us persist in praying, reflecting, and celebrating the Eucharist, the only possible source of truth and wisdom in our world. We need to remind ourselves of who we are and what our role is. As Pope Francis says, “ we are a breath of faith in a world torn apart and at war.”
Sister Juedie Elismat, SP.