October 25

Our Lord's Prayer

I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one. — John 17:11 BSB

This marvellous seventeenth chapter of St. John’s Gospel has been called the Incense Altar of the New Testament. It is filled with the sweet fragrance of our Lord’s intercession for His own. Let us dwell on it, allowing its wondrous depths to unfold before our eyes. It offers a glimpse into Christ’s inner thoughts, revealing the deep love and concern that filled His heart.

Christ’s self-obliteration. The driving force behind our Lord’s earthly ministry was always for the glory of the Father. He exemplified the words of the Apostle: “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever” (Romans 11:36). In this, He gives us an example to follow. We too must draw our strength from God, as Christ did, forsaking all for Him and recognizing that everything we possess belongs to Him. We must hold our resources as stewards, ready to use them for His glory and the benefit of others. If any glory should come our way, we must lay it at His feet and share it with those entrusted to us.

Christ’s self-assertion. Though Jesus laid aside His own interests, there were things He could never relinquish. He knew that He had always been one with the Father and always would be. He also knew that the love shared between the Father and Himself would extend to countless others. We too are loved with this unchanging love, and in Christ, we are enriched with the fullness of God’s love. Why don’t we more often share in Christ’s self-obliteration for others so that we can stand with Him on these glorious heights, beyond the reach of doubt and fear?

Christ’s self-realization. Listen to His joyous words: “I am glorified in them.” “I in them and You in Me, that they may be made perfect in one.” Christ’s fulfillment comes from seeing His joy shining in the lives of the redeemed and finding His love reproduced in them.

Prayer

We thank You, Heavenly Father, for the gift of Jesus, our Savior and Friend. Draw us closer to Him, that we may know You better through Him and be conformed to Your image. Amen.