Arulvakku

28.05.2020 — Constitute the heart of the Trinity

7thweek in Easter Time, Thursday – 28thMay 2020 — Gospel: Jn 17,20-26

Constitute the heart of the Trinity

As Jesus concludes his priestly prayer to the Father, his vision transcends the present. He prays not only for the disciples gathered around him but also for all future believers who do not yet know him. Jesus is praying also for you and for me. He is praying that those who believe in him would be made one body of Christ (1 Cor 12,13). Yet Jesus also prays that believers may be “perfected in unity” (17,23), which implies a process of growth. However, true Christian unity is based on shared life in Christ, i.e., our common salvation is in Jesus Christ. This unity will be not only a source of fulfillment for believers, but it will be a powerful witness to the world. Its purpose is to confirm Jesus’ mission and the love of the Father (17,23). Likewise, the believers witness to the world is expressed through common love, purpose and mission. United in the Father’s love, the believers can express the same love with which he has loved his Son, and they can proclaim the good news of this love to a hostile world. This prayer of Jesus, calling all to loving unity with the Father, expresses the deepest meaning of the doxology at the end of liturgical prayer: “To the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit.” Jesus asks that we who have experienced his love from the Father may accept our responsibility to draw others into the unity of love that constitutes the heart of the Trinity.