“SPRINGS OF LIVING WATER”
Daily Spiritual Reflections
18th May 2021
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TUESDAY, SEVENTH WEEK OF EASTER
Reading 1: Acts 20: 17-27 Paul tells the elders of the Church at Ephesus that his missionary activity is going to give way to a new phase in his life, that of suffering and eventually dying for the Faith.
Gospel: Jn 17: 1-11 This reading consists of Jesus’ high priestly prayer to the Father at the Last Supper, a prayer for the disciples to whom he has entrusted his truth.
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JESUS IS COUNTING ON US
At the wedding feast at Cana, Jesus told his mother, “My hour has not yet come.” Now, in today’s gospel, which comes at the end of the last supper, Jesus notes that at last, “the hour has come.” He speaks with the sad awareness that the time has come for him to leave this world. What follows is a most tender prayer from Jesus to the Father in the final hours before his passion and crucifixion. However, as he faces his death, his prayer is not for himself, but for those he loves here on earth, his disciples, and for us.
Jesus prays that the chalice of suffering that he is about to drink and its merits, may bring glory to the Father. He prays that all he does may lead to people everywhere sharing in the life of God. The work he has been given to do on earth is nearly finished, because now, it is his followers who will take it forward. They have been chosen from the world and yet will remain in the world, though not sharing in its values. He speaks warmly of his disciples being connected in some intimate way with the Father. Jesus knows that his work will be carried on by those who believe in him, and he offers a special prayer knowing that “these you have given me are really yours.”
It is not just the disciples at that supper who are commissioned with carrying on Jesus’ work on earth; it is all of his followers, including us. We are loved and prayed for by Jesus, who now counts on us to follow his path, and to be Jesus for others when he is no longer physically present. We were not at the table during the last supper, but in prayer we can sit in silence and feel the love and intimate friendship Jesus offers us. We are invited to live in that love, to be a part of the world in the way he has been and to love others as he has. Today, let us ask ourselves, “How am I carrying on the work of Jesus?” May we respond with zeal and enthusiasm each day, to his personal invitation to each one of us to continue his work of salvation.
Res. Psalm: Ps 68: 10-11, 20-21 Kingdoms of the earth, sing to God.
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