"I pray for all my disciples" by Beth
DeCristofaro
Wishing to determine the truth about why Paul
was being accused by the Jews, the commander freed him and ordered the chief
priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene. Then he brought Paul down and made
him stand before them. … The following night the Lord stood by him and said,
“Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.” (Acts 22:30, 23:11)
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed
saying: “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me
through their word, so that they may all be one, … Righteous
Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them.” (John 17:20, 26)
but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them.” (John 17:20, 26)
Piety
With boldness let us approach the throne of
grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace as a timely help, alleluia.
(Entrance Antiphon from the Mass for the Day)
Study
The Lord Jesus prays for you and me! Do Jesus’ words make you as speechless as it
does me? Who me, Lord? He gathers me into the embrace he shares with
his father. Those of faith lean into this embrace, which is as necessary as air
to our existence as human beings.
Jesus’ beautiful “priestly prayer” is a model
of the power of prayer. Through his
prayerful union with the Father Jesus is able to accept his passion but he
doesn’t stop there. He brings us through
his suffering into his death and lifts us with his resurrection. Prayer energizes us in the divine will. How else can Paul and the other disciples
have faced and persevered in their many trials?
How else do we thrive in spirit, even if our bodies fail?
Jesus counts on us to embody the flow of
divine grace into the world.
Action
Does my prayer connect me to God’s embrace? How do I allow God’s divinity to flow into
the world so that God’s Word and healing are known? Can my faith sustain me in those days when I
feel distant from God’s presence? Today,
give thanks to God as Jesus did each time he prayed. Listen to his prayer for
you, his disciple.
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