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Father, the hour has come! Give glory to your Son!"
This prayer of Jesus is the prayer of the Easter season
and the prayer of all seasons. It is the prayer of the Church
living the Risen Life. It is our prayer today and every
day, because it is in us that Christ is glo-rified. We are
His hour. It is in us that He lives "His hour"
now, the hour of His passion: the passion of His death,
the passion of His Resur-rection, the passion of His lifegiving
presence to the world. The hour has come, our hour; the
hour to live out in its full-ness the passion of the Life
that has been given to us; the hour to give glory to the
Son.
"Father, give glory to your Son, that your Son may
give glory to You -- by giving eternal life to all you gave
Him." We glorify Jesus Christ by receiving eternal
life from Him, by holding fast to it; by surrendering in
the very depths of our being to the Spirit who has been
given to us to "be with us always." We glorify
Christ by valuing the gift of eternal life more than all
the "empty promises" of fulfillment which this
world holds out to us apart from Him; by refusing to be
separated from Him or from the lifegiving Body of His Church
for anything this world offers us only to take it back from
us again at the grave. We glorify Jesus by living what He
died for.
"Now this is eternal life, that they should know you,
the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ!"
We glorify Jesus by becoming His disciples, by poring over
His words, by implanting His teachings in our hearts, by
keeping His example before our eyes -- day by day, hour
by hour. We glorify Jesus by knowing the Father as our Father,
as only the Son can know the Father; as we can only know
Him through the Spirit who has been given to us to "be
with us always," the Spirit of His Son dwelling in
our hearts crying, "Abba, Father!"
We glorify Jesus by "accomplishing the work He gave
us to do" -- as prophets "called out of darkness
into His wonderful light" to proclaim our faith in
His glorious works; as a "holy priesthood" offering
"spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God"; and
as a "royal priesthood," taking responsibility
for the transformation of the world as stewards of His kingship.
We give "glory to the Son" whenever we let His
message to the world take flesh in our lives, embodying
in our lifestyle what He took flesh to embody. When we bear
prophetic witness by "keeping His word" in opposition
to our culture and live out His truth in action, we show
we belong to Him, that we are "given to Him out of
this world," that He is alive and living in us.
We glorify Jesus as sharers in His priesthood when it becomes
obvious in our lives that we have not only "accepted"
and "believed," but "understood" and
"known" that Jesus is "from the Father,"
and that we are truly "from Him," one with Him,
united with Him in the offering of ourselves as co-victims
with Him on the cross; that everything in us is given in
Him and He is given in us; that everything is "from
Him," and we are one with Him, offering our flesh,
His flesh for the life of the world.
When the "world hates us" because we do not "belong
to the world" any more than Jesus "belonged to
the world," then we know that we have been "consecrated
in truth" and "sent into the world" as Jesus
was consecrated and sent into the world -- to transform
it and redeem it, to "bring everything in heaven and
on earth togther into unity under His headship." When
we take responsibility for establishing His reign over every
area and activity of human life on earth we "glorify
the Son" by "accomplishing the work He gave us
to do."
Father. the hour has come! Give glory to your Son that your
Son may give glory to you!"
PRAYER
TO SAY DAILY:
Father,
help us keep in mind that Christ our Savior lives with you
in glory and promised to remain with us until the end of
time. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God
for ever and ever. Amen
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HEARING
THIS WEEK'S GOSPELS
Monday:
John 16:29-33: "I have told you this so that you
might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble,
but take courage, I have conquered the world."
How do I draw peace consciously from the fact that Jesus
has conquered the world?
Tuesday: John 17:1-11: Jesus said of His disciples,
"they have believed that you sent me... and I have
been glorified in them." How does my faith glorify
Jesus -- that is, make visible His victory?
Wednesday: John 17:11-19: "Conse-crate them
in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into
the world, so I have sent them into the world."
How can I stay con-scious that I am consecrated to carry
His word, His truth, into my world of work and family
and social life?
Thursday: John 17:20-26: "I have given them
the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we
are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought
to per-fection as one." How do my intimacy with
Christ and my union with others reveal in me the glory
that was in Jesus?
Friday: John 21:15-19: Jesus said, "Simon,
son of John, do you love me?... Tend my sheep."
Which of Jesus’ sheep am I taking care of? When
and how? Am I aware that Jesus values my love for Him?
Saturday: John 21:20-25: "There are many
other things Jesus did, but if these were to be described
individually, I do not think the whole world would contain
the books that would be written." Do I believe
God has more to teach me about Himself than I already
know? Do I want to learn?
IDEAS FOR EASTER LIVING
As Christian: Glorify Jesus by deciding on something
specific to help you hold on to "eternal life":
e.g. regular Reconciliation, a weekday Mass, a break
with some sin.
As Disciple: Glorify Jesus by opening yourself
in some specific way to "know God" more deeply;
e.g. make a retreat, read a spiritual book, meditate
through the rosary.
As Prophet: Glorfiy Jesus by making something
part of your lifestyle that will show you do not "belong
to this world"; e.g. break with racist or sexist
talk; defend someone who is criticized.
As Priest: Glorify Jesus by consciously uniting
yourself to Jesus on the cross. Believe that by enduring
"in Him" some suffering which you cannot escape
you are contributing to the redemption of the world.
As King: Glorify Jesus by trying to change something
in your environment which does not reflect the ideals
of Christ. When you wake each morning, make the sign
of the cross on your lips as a re-minder that you are
"consecrated in truth" to have a lifegiving
influence on all around you. Try respectfully and peacefully
to change something that needs to be changed, and do
not yield to fear that the "world will hate you"
because of it.
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