SEVENTH SUNDAY OF EASTER (Cycle A)
(In those places
where the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord is transferred to the Seventh
Sunday of Easter, the Mass readings are those for the Ascension)
Readings:
Acts 1:12-14
Psalm 27:1-2, 4, 7, 8b
1 Peter 4:13-16
John 17:1-11a
All Scripture passages are from the New American Bible unless designated NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name, YHWH (Yahweh).
God reveals His divine plan for humanity in the two Testaments, which is why we reread and relive the events of salvation history contained in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the Liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
The Theme of the Readings: The Spirit and the Glory
The Resurrected Christ taught His Church for forty days,
preparing His Apostles and disciples to fulfill their mission to carry the
Gospel of Salvation from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. Jesus promised them
they would not be alone in their mission. At the end of the forty days, just
before His Ascension into Heaven, Jesus enjoined them not to depart from
Jerusalem but to wait for "the promise of the Father about which you have heard
me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized
with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:4-5). In the First Reading, after Jesus's
Ascension to the Father, in obedience to His command and in the company of the
Virgin Mary, the Apostles, and disciples gathered in the Upper Room in Jerusalem.
There they prayed for nine days, awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit, the "other
Advocate" Jesus promised to send to guide His Church.
The Holy Spirit was present at the Incarnation when He overshadowed the Virgin, leading to the conception and birth of the Messiah. It is fitting, therefore, that Jesus's disciples should be praying with His mother while waiting for the Spirit's activity in the birth of the New Covenant Church (see Lk 1:35). It is Mary, after all, who became the "Mother" of His disciples when, at the foot of the Cross, Jesus gave her as "Mother" to the "beloved disciple" who represented the Church full of all Jesus's beloved disciples (Jn 19:27; Rev 12:17). The Church teaches that, like the beloved disciple, we welcome Jesus's mother into our homes. She is the "new Eve" because, like the Eve of the first Creation event, whose name meant "mother of all the living" (Gen 3:20), Mary is the mother of all those who will live forever in the new Creation of Christ Jesus (Rev 12:17). "The prayer of the Church is sustained by the prayer of Mary and united with it in hope" (CCC 2679).
The Responsorial Psalm expresses the psalmist's joy in worshiping in God's holy Temple. He gives three definitions of the LORD: light, salvation, and life's refuge. Christians connect the psalmist's words, "The LORD is my light," with Jesus's declaration: "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life" (Jn 8:12). Our collective response, "I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living," expresses our hope of joining Christ in glory in Heaven. It is the hope we have of promised refuge and salvation, not in an earthly Temple, but in the Presence of the Triune God in the heavenly Temple at the end of our life's journey.
In the Second Reading, St. Peter wrote that Christ's glory is His reward for accomplishing the work on earth that God the Father gave Him. Like the Apostles, the men and woman disciples, Mary, and Jesus's relatives who prayed in the Upper Room awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit (the First Reading), the Church continues in obedient, prayerful waiting for the return of Christ the King. We pray confidently, knowing that when Christ reveals Himself in His Second Advent, all the faithful will rejoice in His glory.
The Gospel Reading is from Jesus's High Priestly Prayer at the end of the Last Supper. Christ's glory is the same glory He had before the Creation event recorded in Genesis. He will share His glory with all His faithful disciples who suffer for His sake and persevere in prayer and obedience until the end of their earthly lives or until Christ comes again, whichever comes first. In the meantime, we are in the world; however, we do not allow the world to seduce us into belonging to it. Jesus has prayed for us that, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we will continue to belong to Him and keep faith with Him so that one day we might join Him in glory!
The First Reading Acts 1:12-14 ~ The Church Awaits the
Coming of the Holy Spirit
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called
Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. 13 When
they entered the city, they went to the Upper Room where they were staying, Peter
and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James
son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 All these devoted
themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the
mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called
Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away.
The Sinai Covenant restricted travel on the Sabbath to not
more than 3/4th of a mile or about 1000 meters. The Mount of Olives (Olivet)
was east of Jerusalem and within this limited distance. After the disciples had
witnessed Jesus's Ascension to God the Father, two angels appeared and told them
that Jesus would return in the same way they saw Him leave. Then, obedient to
Jesus's instructions, they returned from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem and
gathered daily in the Upper Room as they remained in continual prayer, awaiting
the coming of the Holy Spirit. The announcement of two angels that Jesus would
return from the same place they saw Him leave (Acts 1:10-11) must have caused the
disciples to recall the prophecy of the 6th century BC prophet
Zechariah: That day his feet shall rest upon the Mount of Olives, which is
opposite Jerusalem to the east. The Mount of Olives shall be cleft in two from
east to west by a very deep valley, and half of the mountain shall move to the
north and half of it to the south ... Then the LORD, my God, shall come, and all
his holy ones with him (Zech 14:4-5).
13 When they entered the city, they went to the Upper
Room where they were staying, Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and
Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and
Judas son of James.
Verse 13 is Luke's second apostolic list and the fourth in
Scripture (see Mt 10:2-4; Mk 3:16-19; Lk 6:13-14). As in all the lists, St.
Peter is named first as it befits his role as the chosen leader of the Apostolic
College.
14 All these devoted themselves with one accord to
prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his
brothers.
Verse 14 records that they devoted themselves with one
accord [homothumadon] to prayer... The Greek word homothumadon, perhaps
better translated as "united as one," emphasizes the spiritual unity of the community.
In the presence of the Virgin Mary, the Apostles, and the men and women
disciples, remained in prayer for nine days as the first Christian community of
Jesus's Kingdom of the New Covenant Church, praying the first nine-day novena. Notice
that Jesus's "brothers," meaning His relatives, have also taken their place
within the community of believers. After His Resurrection, Jesus appeared privately
to his relative, James the Just (Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3; Gal 1:19), who became the
first Christian Bishop of Jerusalem (1 Cor 15:7).
Included among the "some women" in prayer with the community were the women disciples who, with the Virgin Mary, accompanied Jesus to Jerusalem from Galilee for the pilgrim feast of Passover/Unleavened Bread: Mary Magdala, Joanna, Susannah, and Salome, the mother of the Apostles James and John Zebedee. In addition, Jesus's disciples Mary and Martha of Bethany, Mary of Cleopas, and Mary of Jerusalem, the mother of John-Mark and kinswoman of Jesus's disciple Barnabas were probably also present (see Lk 8:1-3; 23:49; 23:54-56; 24:1-10, 22; Jn 12:1-6; Acts 12:12; Col 4:10). The Upper Room where they were staying was probably the same Upper Room where they celebrated the Last Supper. It may have been the home of Mary of Jerusalem, the mother of John-Mark and kinswoman of the disciple Joseph Barnabas (Mk 14:15; Lk 22:12; Acts 12:12; Col 4:10). It became the regular meeting place for the Jerusalem church (Acts 1:13; 12:12).
and Mary the mother of Jesu,s and his brothers.
Significantly, St. Luke mentioned that the first Christian
community was praying in the company of the Virgin Mary, waiting for the coming
of the Holy Spirit. This is the first mention of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in
Luke's Gospel since the infancy narrative (see Lk 1:27, 30, 34, 38, 39, 41, 46,
56; 2:5, 16, 19, 34). However, St. Luke used her name more than any other
Gospel writer. It was fitting that Jesus's disciples should be praying with His
mother while awaiting the coming of God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit's
first appearance on the stage of salvation history was at the Incarnation as He
overshadowed the Virgin, leading to the Incarnation of Jesus. This time, she was
present at the Spirit's activity in the birth of the New Covenant Church (see
Lk 1:35).
Jesus gave Mary to the "beloved disciple" as his "Mother" at the foot of the Cross (Jn 19:26-27). The "beloved disciple" represents the Church full of Jesus's beloved disciples in every Age who are reborn to receive the Virgin Mary as their Mother in the Sacrament of Christian Baptism (Rev 12:17). The Church teaches that "Mary is the perfect Orans (pray-er), a figure of the Church. When we pray with her as the disciples did in the Upper Room, we are adhering with her to the plan of the Father, who sent his Son to save humanity from their sins together with the hope of an eternal future. Like the beloved disciple, we welcome Jesus's mother into our homes, for she has become "the mother of all the living"—those who truly live in Christ. We can pray with her and to her. The prayer of the Church is sustained by the prayer of Mary and united with it in hope" (CCC 2679).
and his brothers.
Praying with the disciples and the Virgin Mary were Jesus's
"brothers," which refers to His relatives, and not to other biological children
of Mary: James, Joseph/Joses, Simon/Simeon, and Judas/Jude (see Mt 13:55;
Mk 6:3; Gal 1:18-19 and the document "Did Jesus have brothers and sisters").
Cleophas and his companion, the Emmaus disciples who had the encounter with
Christ in Luke 24:13-35, should probably be included among those relatives who
were praying with the 120 in the Upper Room (Acts 1:15). According to the early
Church historian Hegesippus (early to mid-2nd century AD),
Cleophas/Cleopas was the brother/brother-in-law of St. Joseph and the
father of Simon/Simeon, the second Christian Bishop of Jerusalem after the
death of St. James the Just (Church History, Book IV, Chapter 22).
Jesus's relatives, James and Simeon, became Jerusalem's first two Christian Bishops and suffered martyrdom for their faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus privately visited James after His Resurrection (1 Cor 15:7). St. Paul met with Sts. Peter and James on his first visit to Jerusalem after his conversion (Gal 1:18-19). He identified James as one of the "pillars" of the Church along with Sts. Peter and John (Gal 2:9). As the Christian Bishop of Jerusalem, St. James presided over the Council of Jerusalem with St. Peter in Acts 15. Paul also visited with James on his last trip to Jerusalem to report his success with the Gentiles in Acts 21:18. St. Clement of Alexandria called him "James the Just" because of his piety. Most Church Fathers and Christian scholars credit St. James, Bishop of Jerusalem, with writing the New Testament Letter of James, and his brother St. Jude, who was probably also present (Jude verse 1), with writing the Letter of Jude.
These were the faithful Jewish men and women of the New Israel and the New Covenant Kingdom of Christ Jesus. We are the inheritors of their tradition of faithfulness and persistence in prayer as we prayerfully wait for the promised Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
Responsorial Psalm 27:1-2, 4, 7, 8b ~ The Lord is My Salvation
The response is: "I believe that I shall see the good things
of the Lord in the land of the living." Or "Alleluia."
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; of whom should I
fear? 2 The LORD is my life's refuge; of whom should I be afraid?
Response:
4 One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: to dwell in the
house of the LORD all the days of my life, that I may gaze on the loveliness of
the LORD and contemplate his Temple.
Response:
7 Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call; have pity on me and
answer me. 8b Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
Response:
The superscription attributes this psalm to David. First, the psalmist declares the joy and peace he obtains through worshiping the LORD [YHWH/Yahweh] in His Temple. Next, he proclaims that his life is safe in the LORD by making two assertions, followed by two questions (verse 1):
Also, notice the psalmist gives three definitions of the LORD in verse 1: light, salvation, and life's refuge. The confidence contained in the declaration: "The LORD is my light," is read by Christians in connection with Jesus's statement, "I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (Jn 8:12; also see Jn 1:9). The psalmist proclaims that God is a refuge by protecting him from the attacks of his enemies (verse 2).
4 One thing I ask of the LORD; this I seek: to dwell in
the house of the LORD all the days of my life, that I may gaze on the
loveliness of the LORD and contemplate his Temple.
In verses 4 and 7, the psalmist makes two petitions. First,
in verse 4, he petitions the Lord in what has the hope of a present and future
fulfillment. The psalmist feels safe worshipping in Yahweh's Temple, where he
can give thanks for his blessings in communion with the Lord. However, in verse
4, there is also the suggestion of the hope of dwelling eternally in the house
of the Lord in His heavenly Temple. For Christians, this is our hope. It is the
hope we have in Christ Jesus of the promised refuge and salvation not in an
earthly Temple but in the Presence of the Triune God in the heavenly Temple at
the end of our life's journey.
7 Hear, O LORD, the sound of my call; have pity on me and
answer me. 8b Of you my heart speaks; you my glance seeks.
This second petition, spoken aloud, is a plea from the psalmist's
heart. He yearns for an intimate relationship with the Lord that will allow him
to see the face of God. He "speaks" from the heart of his faith in the Lord and
"seeks" his divine presence. Commenting on this psalm, St. Augustine wrote: "In
the most hidden place, where only you may hear it, my heart says to you: 'Lord,
I seek your face'; and I will continue in this search, without ever taking
rest, so that I may love you freely, for I will never find anything more
precious than your face" (Enarrationes in Psalmos, 26.8). Jesus's
disciples realized that same hope as they walked with God the Son in His
earthly ministry. As Christians, we hope that one day, if we persevere in
faith, we will see God's face in the heavenly Temple.
The Second Reading 1 Peter 4:13-16 ~ Glory in Suffering
for the sake of Christ
13 Rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings
of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly. 14
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of
glory and of God rests upon you. 15 But let no one among you be made to suffer
as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as an intriguer. 16 But whoever is made
to suffer as a Christian should not be ashamed but glorify God because of the
name.
In his letter, St. Peter encouraged the faithful who, through the Sacrament of Baptism, have died to sin through the sufferings of Christ (2 Cor 1:5, 7; Phil 3:10). Raised to a new life in Christ, they are united to Him in His suffering so that one day they may be assured of a share in His glory (1 Pt 1:11; 5:1; Rom 8:17; 2 Cor 4:17; Phil 3:11). Verse 13 implies more than just following an example. Peter deepens the meaning of suffering for the sake of Christ by writing that we actually "share in" or have communion with Christ's sufferings (Col 1:24). Like David in the Psalm reading, Peter referred to both a present and future reality of rejoicing. We rejoice in our current condition despite the persecutions we may experience because of our Christian beliefs. However, we will experience an even greater cause for rejoicing when Christ returns so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly (verse 13).
In verse 14, St. Peter promised a blessing that results from suffering for Christ: If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. It is a promise that recalls what Jesus said at the end of the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:11-12 ~ Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you. To be insulted for "the name of Christ" refers to the whole person of Jesus Christ and our belief in and obedience to everything He taught.
Next, Peter turned to the contrast between suffering for the sake of Christ and suffering as a result of temporal punishment for sins. There is no merit or glory for the sinner in suffering; there is only merit and glory for the righteous. Then, Peter alluded to Isaiah 11:2 when he wrote that there are blessings for the righteous who suffer because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon them (verse 14). Isaiah wrote concerning the promised Messiah: On him will rest the spirit of the LORD, the spirit of wisdom and insight, a verse that pointed to the Messiah in His glory. Since the Christian's suffering for the sake of belief in Jesus is a participation in the sufferings of Christ, the same Spirit rests upon the suffering believer as the Spirit who rested upon the suffering Jesus.
16 But whoever is made to suffer as a Christian should
not be ashamed but glorify God because of the name.
In verse 16, Peter used the term "Christian" to identify those
who were suffering. The word "Christian" is only found three times in the New Testament.
The community of believers in Antioch, Syria were the first to identify
themselves as "Christians" belonging to Christ in Acts 26:11; it was the faith community
of Sts. Paul and Barnabas. King Agrippa also used the word "Christian" for
Jesus's followers in Acts 26:28. Finally, St. Peter assured all Christians that
we must not be ashamed when others degrade us for our faith in Jesus Christ because
when we suffer abuse as Christians, we are bringing glory to God.
The Gospel of John 17:1-11a ~ Jesus's High Priestly Prayer:
Glory to the Father
17:1 Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said: 2 "Father, the hour has come. Give glory to
your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over
all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him. 3 Now
this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one
whom you send, Jesus Christ. 4 I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the
work you gave me to do. 5 Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that
I had with you before the world began. 6 I revealed your name to those whom
you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me,
and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you gave me is
from you, 8 because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they
accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed
that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the
ones you have given me, because they are yours, 10 and everything of mine is
yours, and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. 11a And
now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am
coming to you."
After the Last Supper in the upper room of a house in Jerusalem, Jesus delivered a homily to His disciples, which He closed with a prayer. The prayer was in two parts as He prayed for Himself and them. The prayer is called Jesus's High Priestly Prayer, as He prepared to take His rightful place as the High Priest of the heavenly Sanctuary who offers the continual sacrifice of Himself on behalf of His Body, the Church (Heb 8:1b-3; Rev 5:6; CCC 1137).
John 17:1-5 ~ Part I: Jesus Prays for Himself
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said: 2 "Father,
the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give
eternal life to all you gave him. 3 Now this is eternal
life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you send,
Jesus Christ. 4 I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work you gave
me to do. 5 Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with
you before the world began.
Looking to Heaven with raised arms was the traditional
position of Jewish prayer (Ps 123:1; Mt 14:19; Mk 6:41, Lk 9:15, etc.). His prayer
reminds us of when Jesus taught His disciples the duty and manner of praying and,
by example, prayed the seven petitions of "The Lord's Prayer" in Matthew 6:9-13.
Jesus's High Priestly Prayer fulfills the seven petitions of The Lord's Prayer.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church comments on Jesus's High Priestly Prayer
in citations CCC 2750-51: "By entering into the holy name of the Lord Jesus, we can
accept, from within, the prayer he teaches us: 'Our Father!' His priestly
prayer fulfills, from within, the great petitions of the Lord's Prayer: concern
for the Father's name; passionate zeal for his kingdom (glory); the accomplishment
of the will of the Father, of his plan of salvation, and deliverance from evil"
(CCC 2750). "Finally, in this prayer, Jesus reveals and gives to us the
'knowledge,' inseparably one, of the Father and of the Son, which is the very
mystery of the life of prayer" (2751). Jesus's High Priestly prayer
is in John 17:1-26.
Father, the hour has come.
Once again, Jesus referred to His "hour." The Gospel of St.
John refers to Jesus's "hour" at least fourteen times (Jn 2:4; 4:21, 23; 5:25,
28; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27 twice; 13:1; 16:21, 25, 32; 17:1).. In the first half
of the Gospel of John, which Biblical scholars refer to as "The Book of Signs,"
the "hour" is anticipated as the moment of climax in Jesus's ministry (Jn 2:4;
4:21; 5:25; 7:30; 8:20). In the second half of the Gospel, called "The Book of
Glory," after entering Jerusalem for the last time, Jesus spoke of His "hour"
as being imminent. We understand that His "hour" is not only the climax of His
ministry but also the climax of His earthly life (Jn 12:23, 27; 13:1; 17:1). John
has used the symbol of darkness repeatedly in his Gospel, beginning in the
Prologue: What came into being through him was life, and this life was the
light of the human race; the light shines in darkness, and darkness has not overcome
it (Jn 1:3b-5). Darkness symbolizes sin and the "prince of darkness,"
Satan. The final "hour" is also the hour of Jesus's final struggle with Satan.
Jesus's death on the cross is a historical event, but the "hour" of Christ's Passion reaches beyond the historical context. There are two significant dimensions of Jesus's "hour." The first is the aspect of His historical life and sacrificial death. The second is the aspect associated with the liturgical life of the Church: the sacrificial gift of Jesus's life to God the Father and the sacramental gift of Jesus to His Church in the liturgy of the Mass, which cannot be separated. His liturgical hour is the representation of the Passion of Christ in the Eucharistic celebration. It is an "hour" that began the night in the Upper Room and is continuously unfolding throughout the centuries in every corner of the world as Christians celebrate the ongoing sacrifice of the Mass (Rev 5:6).
In Jesus's High Priestly Prayer, His first petition in John 17:1 is that God the Father will glorify the Son. When film director Mel Gibson showed a preview of his film The Passion of the Christ to a mixed audience of Catholic and Protestant clergy, they all praised the film; however, one Protestant clergyman had a complaint. "But Mel," he said, "Where's the glory? You didn't show the glory." Mel Gibson quietly responded, "The glory is in the sacrifice." Mr. Gibson was absolutely correct. The glory is in Jesus's sacrificial death. It is then that the Son glorifies the Father through His obedience, and the Father glorifies the Son in accepting His sacrificial death as the atonement for the sins of humanity. The Resurrection does not add to Christ's glory--the Resurrection is for our benefit so that we will see, understand, and believe.
Jesus made a second petition in John 17:2-3 ~ Give glory
to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority
over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.
3 Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God,
and the one whom you send, Jesus Christ.
Jesus's second petition was that He might give the gift of eternal
life to all those who believe in Him. Through the Son's glorification, God
gives humankind the opportunity to receive eternal life through "knowing" (the
intimacy of a covenant relationship) God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. This
covenant intimacy, in turn, glorifies both the Father and the Son and also unites
humanity through participation in the Sacraments with Christ, giving redeemed men
and women a share in divine glory. This gift of covenant knowledge was promised
in Jeremiah 31:34 and quoted in Hebrews 8:6-13. The central message of the inspired
writer of the Letter to the Hebrews is that the New Covenant fulfilled and
replaced the Old in the revelation of a new "knowing" of the Lord. The inspired
writer (believed to be St. Paul) wrote: And they shall not teach, each one
his fellow citizen and kinsman, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for all shall know
me, from the least to the greatest (Heb 8:11, underlining added).
Verse 3 is the second time St. John has referred to Jesus by the title "Jesus Christ," which means "Jesus Messiah" (also see Jn 1:17). Eternal life isn't only the survival of the righteous soul after death. It is what Jesus teaches in His description of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25:41-46: Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.' [...] 46 And these will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life (underlining added for emphasis). Everyone will share in the survival of the soul, but the conditions of that survival are the vital difference. Eternal life for righteous believers in Christ is to enter into the fullness and intensity of the life of the Most Holy Trinity in Heaven (also see Dan 12:2; Mk 3:29; Jn 3:16, 36; 5:28-29; 6:40, 54, 10:28; Rev 20:11-15).
Up to this point in Jesus's first Advent in Salvation History, the instrument of revelation to the covenant people had been Mosaic Law, the writings of the prophets, and the oral teaching of the priesthood. These were the instruments of divine revelation to Israel in the Sinai Covenant Church. However, in the New Covenant in Christ Jesus, revelation comes to all people who believe in Christ through the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
3 Now this is eternal life, that they should know you,
the only true God, and the one whom you send, Jesus Christ.
In verse 3, "to know" is "covenant language." In the
Biblical context, "to know" is not merely the result of an intellectual process
to access and store information. It is to have intimate, personal knowledge resulting
in a covenantal relationship. When a man and a woman marry, they not only come
to know each other in the sense that they are familiar with each other's likes
and dislikes and goals and dreams. Their "knowledge" of each other becomes intimately
expressed when joined in a covenantal union, which results in the marital act
that can provide the next generation. That is why Biblically, "to know" means
sexual intimacy as well as the covenantal union.
In the prophecy of Jeremiah 31:31-34, Yahweh promised a time when all would "know" Him "from the least to the greatest." The sign of this intimate knowledge of Yahweh is the sign of the establishment of the New Covenant (Jer 31:31). According to Jesus in John 17:3, the characteristics of the believer's knowledge of God in His glory is the intimate covenant relationship with God the Father through God the Son and the Holy Spirit, who acts as the believer's Advocate. The Holy Spirit proceeds from God the Father and the Son (Nicene Creed) and who, as the "Spirit of Truth," will lead believers to the complete truth found in the New and eternal Covenant in Christ Jesus (Jn 15:26; 16:13; Heb 13:20).
The New Testament doctrine of the Trinity builds on the Old Testament doctrine that Yahweh alone is God. That Yahweh is the "One" (or the "Only") and that God is "True" are the traditional Biblical attributes of God. For Biblical references to "One" (or "Only"), see Isaiah 37:20 and John 5:44, and for references to the "True" God, see Exodus 34:6 and Revelation 6:10. That God is the "One, True and Holy God" is what the Sinai Covenant profession of faith in Deuteronomy 6:4 and 32:39, and in the New Covenant text in John 17:3 expresses. Also see CCC#s 234, 236-237; 243-245; 246-255.
The knowledge of the One True God begins when one becomes intimately united to Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist (Jn 6:53-58) and also by obeying His commandments (Jn 14:15; 15:10; 1 Jn 5:2-3). This union with Christ and obedience to His commandments is to "know" the living God in His Triune glory (Jn 14:13-14, 1 Jn 3:21-24). This is much more than intellectual knowledge. It must include a relationship of love, friendship, and communion with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit that continually grows throughout one's faith journey until union with Him is complete when the journey has ended. At that time, we face the judgment of our earthly temples (our bodies), and, God willing, we will be united into the Divine Life of the Most Holy Trinity in Heaven.
4 I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the
work you gave me to do. 5 Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that
I had with you before the world began.
Verse 5 is Jesus's third petition. He had His former glory as
the Pre-Incarnate Son of God. Jesus was united in glory with the Most Holy
Trinity before the creation of the world (John 1:1-3).
Between verses 1-5, Jesus used the word glory/glorify, doxazo in Greek, five times in the Greek text. According to Biblical scholars, the verb is used 61 times in the New Testament, 23 times in St. John's Gospel alone. In the Hebrew language, the word is kavod/kabod from the Hebrew root word meaning "heaviness" or "weight" (Brown-Driver-Biggs Hebrew-English Lexicon; Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon). In the Biblical perspective, the glory of God is the magnificence and fullness, or the "weight," of His eternal Being. St. Paul expressed the Hebrew concept of God's eternal glory when he wrote: The temporary, light burden of our hardships is earning us forever an utterly incomparable, eternal weight of glory, since what we aim for is not visible but invisible. Visible things are transitory, but invisible things eternal (2 Cor 4:17-18 NJB, bold emphasis added).
In these verses, Jesus prayed about His sacrifice and Resurrection, when His divinity and humanity would be glorified. John first introduced his readers to the theme of glory in the Gospel of John's Prologue in John 1:14 ~ And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father's only Son, full of grace and truth. The "glory" of God is the manifestation of His presence as in Exodus 24:16a: Cloud covered the mountain. The glory of Yahweh rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days NJB). In the Old Covenant, no one could see God and live: "But my face," he said, "you cannot see, for no human being can see me and survive" (Ex 33:20). Therefore, the function of the "Glory Cloud" (the pillar of cloud in the day that was visible at night as the pillar of fire in Exodus), was to manifest Yahweh's presence and yet shield the people from His glory. But in the Incarnation, the glory of God was hidden in Jesus's human nature. In the Transfiguration experience, for the first time, the Apostles Peter, James, and John witnessed the true nature of the Christ that He had kept hidden from them (Mt 17:1-8; Mk 2:2-8; Lk 9:28-36; 2 Pt 1:16-18).
Jesus's obedience to the Father in His mission glorifies the Father (Jn 13:31; 14:13), and in turn, the Father glorifies the Son in His obedience and their unity of will (Jn 8:54; 11:4). Jesus, the Eternal Son of the Father, possesses the divine glory of His Father made evident through His miracles and the gift to the Father of His sacrificial death on the alter of the Cross. Next, in His prayer, Jesus petitioned God the Father to glorify His humanity. Jesus would offer His human body in sacrifice, and He would arise from the dead possessing an imperishable glorified body as well as all the power and authority to participate in the eternal glory that He already had in His divinity. St. Paul explained Jesus's transformed humanity in 1 Corinthians 15:35-50. He explained that, at Jesus's Resurrection, the Holy Spirit filled His risen, glorified body with Divine Power. In His glorified body, Jesus passed from the state of death into another life, not limited by time and space. He shares the divine life in His glorious state in His humanity as well as His divinity so that St. Paul can say that Christ is the "man from Heaven" (1 Cor 15:47).
Catechism of the Catholic Church # 645: "By means of touch and the sharing of a meal, the risen Jesus establishes direct contact with his disciples. He invites them in this way to recognize that he is not a ghost and above all to verify that the risen body in which he appears to them is the same body that had been tortured and crucified, for it still bears the traces of his passion. Yet at the same time, this authentic, real body possesses the new properties of a glorious body: not limited by space and time but able to be present how and when he wills; for Christ's humanity can no longer be confined to earth and belongs henceforth only to the Father's divine realm. For this reason, too, the risen Jesus enjoys the sovereign freedom of appearing as he wishes: in the guise of a gardener or in other forms familiar to his disciples, precisely to awaken their faith." Also, see John 17:5, 24, and CCC# 646-554.
John 17:6-11a ~ Jesus's Priestly Prayer Part II ~ Jesus Prays
for His Disciples
6 I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They
belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now
they know that everything you gave me is from you, 8 because the words you gave
to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I
came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I pray for them. I
do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are
yours, 10 and everything of mine is yours, and everything of yours is mine, and
I have been glorified in them. 11a And now I will no longer be in the world,
but they are in the world, while I am coming to you."
6 I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of
the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept
your word.
In Scripture, the "name" indicates the essence of the entire
person. It was part of Jesus's mission to humanity, as prophesied in
Jeremiah 31:31-34, to reveal "the name," the entire person of God the Father
through God the Son in His words, His works, and His sacrifice (see Jn 3:11-13;
12:28; 14:7-11; 17:3-6, 26). One way Jesus "revealed" the Divine Name of God was
by repeatedly identifying Himself with the divine name declaring He was the "I
AM" (the Divine Name Yahweh is understood to mean "I AM" as Jesus demonstrated:
see 6:35; 8:12; 10:7; 10:11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1; 8:24; 8:28; 8:58; and 13:19).
CCC# 2812: "Finally, in Jesus the name of the Holy God is revealed and given to us, in the flesh, as Savior, revealed by what he is, by his word, and by his sacrifice. This is the heart of his priestly prayer: 'Holy Father ... for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth' (John 17:11). Because he 'sanctifies' his own name, Jesus reveals to us the name of the Father. At the end of Christ's Passover, the Father gives him the name that is above all names: 'Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father'" (see Phil 2:9-11).
and they have kept your word.
Jesus affirmed that the disciples God called and gave to Him
have kept the Gospel message of the Living Word in its entirety.
7 Now they know that everything you gave me is
from you, 8 because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they
accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed
that you sent me (underlining added for emphasis).
From the Greek text, John 17:8 should be translated: the
words you gave me (IBGE, Vol. IV, page 305, underlining added
for emphasis). Comparing "your word" in verse 6 and "the words" in verse
8, you will notice a difference in meaning. "Your word" is the entire Gospel
message, while "the words" indicates its constituent parts. Jesus expressed confidence
in His disciples that they understood His mission and true identity.
9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for
the ones you have given me, because they are yours, 10 and everything of mine is
yours, and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them.
Once again, Jesus expressed His unity with the Father. But He
also made a remarkable revelation concerning God the Father's relationship with
the disciples. One cannot accept Jesus unless one belongs to God, and one
cannot belong to God unless one accepts Jesus Christ: because they are
yours, 10 and everything of mine is yours, and everything of yours is mine,
and I have been glorified in them. The equivalence between those who
belong to the Father and those who belong to the Son indicates that it is not
the creation of an individual that makes a person belong to God but the
individual's response to Jesus as Savior and Lord that makes that person a
child of the Father.
11a And now I will no longer be in the world, but they
are in the world, while I am coming to you."
This verse gives us the sense that Jesus has already begun
His walk to Calvary. The key to understanding this verse is that Jesus says to
the Father: I am coming to you.
It is interesting that in verses 10 and 11, the Greek word kai,
which means "and," is used in two sets of threes for a total of 6 times in
the Greek text: three times in the first three lines of verse 10 and again in
the first three lines of verse 11. The literal translation is, And
things my all thine (yours in the singular) are, and thine mine and
I have been glorified in them, and no longer I am in the world, and these
in the world are, and I to thee come (IBGE, Vol. IV, page 305). A
series of repetitions usually connect verses or related passages, but
repetition can also associate the verses/passage with the symbolic significance
of a number. For example, three is the number of fullness or importance; six is
the number of human beings created on the sixth day of the Creation event. However,
the number six and its multiples also represent humanity in rebellion against
God (1 Sam 17:4; Dan 3:1; Rev 13:18). The connection is perhaps to Jesus's
discussion of "the world" related to "those of the world" (men and women not in
covenant with God) who reject Him and to whom the disciples no longer belong because
of their perfection in the glory of Christ.
You are in the world but do not allow yourself to belong to the world. Jesus has prayed for you that through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, you will continue to belong to Him and keep faith with Him so that one day you might join Him in heavenly glory!
Catechism References (* indicated Scripture quoted or
paraphrased in the citation):
Acts 1:12-14 (CCC 726, 1310*, 2617*, 2623, 2673*)
John 17 (CCC 2604*, 2746*, 2758*); 17:1 (CCC 730*, 1085*, 2750*); 17:2 (CCC 2750*); 17:3 (CCC 217*, 684, 1721*, 1996*, 2751*); 17:4 (CCC 1069*; 2750*); 17:5 (CCC 2750*); 17:6-10 (CCC 2751*); 17:6 (CCC 589*, 2750*, 2812*); 17:7 (CCC 2765*); 17:8 (CCC 2812*); 17:9 (CCC 2750*); 17:10 (CCC 2750*); 17:11 (CCC 2747*, 2749*, 2750*, 2815*, 2849)
Christ and the Holy Spirit (CCC 739)
Christ's prayer at the Last Supper (CCC 2746*, 2747*, 2748*, 2749*, 2750*, 2751*)
The Father glorifies Christ (CCC 312*, 434*, 648*, 664*)
Jesus prays for us (CCC 2614*, 2741*)
At prayer with Mary (CCC 726*, 2617*, 2618*, 2619*, 2673*, 2674, 2675*, 2676*, 2677*, 2678, 2679*)
Michal E Hunt, Copyright © 2014; revised 2023 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.