Gospel reading: John 17.1-11
After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
‘I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.’
Reflections
This passage is infused with the language of gift. In just eleven verses there are eleven instances of didómi, the infinitive of the verb ‘to give’. For example,
‘you have given [the Son] authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him’
‘They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.’
‘the words that you gave to me I have given to them’
‘Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me’
from verses 2,6,8,11
I imagine God, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, lovingly wrapping me up as a gift and giving me to Jesus to open. As Jesus unwraps me, there is wonder and delight on his face.
How much have I allowed Jesus to unwrap me and how much am I still clinging to the paper?
Some years ago, I sent a bouquet of some yellow lilies to a friend. She responded by email, describing how delighted she was to receive them, and how lovingly she looked after them. How lovingly Jesus takes care of me, teaches me the words of eternal life, and holds me safe.
-oOo-
Since April 2020, I have been jointly hosting a shared Lectio Divina group on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings. These are my reflections only, during the prayer session and as I wrote them up. Please see my separate commentary and leaflet for more information about shared Lectio.
