How can you develop an intimate relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior? - Daily Reflections May 19,2015

KNOWING THE FATHER

 

As we move in this week of prayer for Christian unity, the Church has given us the whole 17th chapter of John. We are to reflect on the words of Jesus to His disciples in the Upper Room, the night before His death. We notice that Jesus will first pray for Himself, then for His disciples, and lastly for those who will listen to the words of the disciples sent by Jesus.

       Up until this time, Jesus said that the hour has “not yet arrived.” Now the hour has arrived. Jesus’ death is, according to John, the hour of glorification with the Father. He reveals the depth of His intimacy to the Father. Praying in the presence of His disciples, He asks the Father to glorify Him with the glory that was there in the beginning. Jesus is now satisfied because His mission is complete — He made the Father known. Now that He is returning to the Father, He makes known to the Father His desire that they continue to be cared for by the Father. The prayer is beautifully intimate, revealing to us the depth of knowledge between the Father and the Son. And Jesus brings us into that kind of relationship — an intimate knowledge of the Father. The intimate knowledge of the Father and the Son is a gift given to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. During this week leading to Pentecost, let us continue to call out to the Spirit who reveals to us Jesus and the Father.

       All of us seek intimacy in our lives and this can be found on various levels. Most often, intimacy is associated with sexual activity, but it is actually a need at the emotional, intellectual and spiritual levels, as well as on the physical level. We are meant for each other. The Christian journey is not an isolated one.We belong to the Church, the Body of Christ. This week of prayer for Christian unity should stress that fact. We are the Church on the move. Fr. Brian Steele, MGL

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: How can you develop an intimate relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior?

 

Thank You, Lord, for coming and revealing to us the knowledge of the Father. Amen.