Seventh Sunday of Easter
Readings: Acts 1:12-14; Ps 27:1, 4, 7-8;
1 Pet 4:13-16; John 17:1-11a
“I pray for them … I have been glorified in them” (John 17:9, 10)
“I’ll pray for you” is a response that comes easily when we become aware of another person’s particular need or difficulty. Some keep a list to help remind them of all those for whom they promise to pray. One time, a friend who has dedicated herself to a life of contemplative prayer knew that I was facing a particularly challenging situation and offered that she would hold me in prayer very concretely every day. She even extended the invitation that if there was a particular day and time that I would need special prayer, I could email her and let her know and she would be with me at that very time. This gift of prayerful presence and support sustained me in a powerful way and made God’s spirit most tangible in a very trying time.
In like manner, Jesus prays for his disciples in today’s gospel. The setting is the Last Supper, where Jesus has been speaking to his disciples about his impending departure, while also assuring them that the Paraclete will come to be with them. The prayer, while directed to the Father, is spoken in the hearing of the disciples, and concludes the Supper. It has three parts: Jesus prays first for himself (vv. 1-5), then for those who already believe in him (vv. 6-19), and finally for all future believers (vv. 20-26). We hear the first half of the prayer in today’s reading.
The word that recurs again and again in the prayer and throughout the last part of the gospel is the noun “glory” (doxa) and its verb form, “glorify” (doxazō). It carries much the same meaning that the Hebrew word kābôd does in the Old Testament, where it refers to visible manifestations of God’s majesty in acts of power. For example, when the needy Israelites are crossing the desert, they “see the glory of the Lord” in the manna God provides (Exod 16:7, NRSV). The notion that glory is a radiant, fiery substance comes from references such as Exodus 24:16-17, where Moses ascends Mount Sinai, and “the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain” (NRSV). Likewise, in Ezekiel’s visions divine glory is described as gleaming brightness. But the root meaning of kābôd is “weightiness,” that is, something impressive in a person that gives one importance, as in Genesis 13:2, where Abraham is said to be very “rich,” literally, “heavy” or “glorious” (kābēd) in cattle, silver, and gold. Another example is Genesis 45:13, where Joseph asks his brothers to tell their father “how greatly … honored” (kĕbôdî) he is in Egypt.
In the Fourth Gospel, it is the Word become flesh and dwelling among us that makes the divine glory, God’s impressive presence, visible to us (John 1:14). When Jesus begins to reveal his glory publicly in signs at the wedding feast of Cana, disciples perceive these as concrete manifestations of God’s presence and come to believe in Jesus (2:11). Now, as he is about to depart, he speaks to God of how he has glorified God on earth, that is, has manifested the divine presence through his impressive deeds, and asks, “Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began” (17:5). Here the language of glorification refers not so much to a fiery radiance that belongs to another realm but, rather, to the divine presence, manifest in diverse modes. Enjoying glory with God before the world began is a way of speaking of Jesus’ being in the presence of and being one with the Creator from eternity (1:1-3). In his earthly sojourn, Jesus made visible in human form this divine presence (“I glorified you on earth” [17:4]). He is now entering another moment in his way of being with God and with humankind (17:11), and it is his disciples who will make visible God’s presence on earth in the way that he did. Jesus is already abiding in them. He affirms this, saying, “I have been glorified in them” (17:10). This is similar to the way that the divine glory was said to be visible on the face of Moses after his encounter with God on Mount Sinai (Exod 34:29-35). Jesus’ disciples, although abiding in his glorious presence, will face very difficult days ahead. In order for them to perceive his presence, his glory, in them, and to have the courage to manifest that publicly, he not only tells them he will pray for them, but does so in their presence. The prayer unleashes God’s weighty, tangible presence in a new way, if one is open to receive this gift.
1. How have you felt God’s presence when another has prayed for you?
2. How have you experienced the presence of a loved one who has died when you are united in prayer?
3. Who most needs your prayer at this time?