JESUS’ HIGH PRIESTLY PRAYER
We begin reading Chapter 17 of John’s Gospel, which is still part of Jesus’ Farewell Discourse. This time, however, there is a decisive shift. Instead of Jesus addressing His disciples (as He has been doing so far, like leaving His final instructions, assuring them of His continuous presence, and so on), this time we have a Jesus who “looked up to heaven” and prayed to the Father. Today, tomorrow and on Thursday, our Gospel reading is from this so-called High Priestly Prayer of Jesus during the Last Supper.
To think that Jesus prayed for us is already in itself a source of inspiration. “The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful” (James 5:16). We often ask people (close friends, priests and religious, especially) to pray for us. But here now is a plain and simple fact that we can forever take consolation and strength in. Imagine: no less than Christ Himself, at that one crucial point in His life, prayed for us.
Hopefully we shall not render Jesus’ prayer in vain, or undo it with our lives! It’s true — no less than Jesus Himself is the one praying for us. How can God the Father not hear His prayer? But it’s also true that in some strange, mysterious way, the answer to His prayer lies in our own hands. Why is that? As Aesop pointed out from of old, “Heaven helps those who help themselves.” There are no guarantees that prayer alone automatically generates positive results.
And so even if no less than Jesus Himself is the one praying for us — we repeat — it all still depends on us. The essential collaboration and fusion between God’s grace and man’s effort is definitely non-negotiable. Fr. Martin Macasaet, SDB
REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Who do you rely on to pray for you when you need it? How can you be that someone, too, for others?
Lord Jesus, thank You for praying for us. Thank You for the sending us righteous people to intercede for us in prayer.
No comments:
Post a Comment