Jesus' Prayer For You

First Reading: Acts 22:30; 23:6-11

Wishing to determine the truth
about why Paul was being accused by the Jews,
the commander freed him
and ordered the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin to convene.
Then he brought Paul down and made him stand before them.

Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees,
so he called out before the Sanhedrin,
“My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees;
I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.”
When he said this,
a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and Sadducees,
and the group became divided.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
or angels or spirits,
while the Pharisees acknowledge all three.
A great uproar occurred,
and some scribes belonging to the Pharisee party
stood up and sharply argued,
“We find nothing wrong with this man.
Suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
The dispute was so serious that the commander,
afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them,
ordered his troops to go down and rescue Paul from their midst
and take him into the compound.
The following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage.
For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem,
so you must also bear witness in Rome.”

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 16:1-2A AND 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

R. (1) Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.”
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
Because you will not abandon my soul to the nether world,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope.

Gospel: John 17:20-26

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:
“I pray not only for these,
but also for those who will believe in me through their word,
so that they may all be one,
as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
that they also may be in us,
that the world may believe that you sent me.
And 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 perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.
I wish that where I am they also may be with me,
that they may see my glory that you gave me,
because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I made known to them your name and I will make it known,
that the love with which you loved me
may be in them and I in them.”

NAB

DEV_MA12

Did you know that Jesus prayed for you while He walked this earth? It’s in today’s Gospel reading, in the High Priestly Prayer. “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.” Jesus is praying for every believer that ever was and ever will be. And because He is perfect and omniscient, and His love for us is infinite, I believe He was actually thinking of each and every one of us when He prayed those words.

And this is His prayer for us:

That we may be one. Unity is a prominent theme in Jesus’ prayer for us. The Trinity is the prefect model of unity—it is united in total love, and that’s the kind of unity Jesus desires for us, His Church.

That we may be in Him, and He in us. He’s not just praying that we would be united with one another, but that we would also be united with Him and with the Father.

That we may be brought to perfection. Jesus is sanctifying us, His church as a whole, and each of us individually. We receive forgiveness for our sins, and we are being made holy.

That we will bear witness to the world. Jesus is using us to build His Kingdom. When we are in relationship with God it shows to those around us. When people see us they will see the One who is in us, and they will be drawn to Him.

That we may be with Him. Jesus desires our salvation. It’s easy to picture God as a harsh judge, ready to condemn us the moment we mess us. But in truth He longs to bestow His mercy on us. He wants us to spend eternity with Him in heaven.

That we may be filled with the same love that the Father has for the Son. Do you know how much God the Father loves the Son? Infinitely, perfectly, unconditionally. The force of that love is so strong that it produces the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. And that’s the kind of love Jesus wants to fill you with.

Did you know that Jesus prayed for you while He walked this earth?Click to tweet