Daily Gospel Reflection for May 21, 2015

Today's Gospel: John 17:20-26

Optional Memorial of Saint Christopher Magallanes, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs

Once on a silent retreat, I was given this Scripture passage to pray with for an entire week--one hour every day, for seven days. I was intimidated. How could I sit in silence for an hour each day, always reading the same paragraph, and not get bored?

God showed me how, a little each day. On the last day of the week, as I read over the familiar words once again, I surprised myself by hearing my own name in place of “them” for whom Jesus prays. I was a little shocked at first, since the Word of God cannot be changed to suit me. On the other hand, Jesus speaks to each of us as intimately today as he spoke of his friends recorded in John’s Gospel.

If we use our imagination (a favorite technique of St. Ignatius of Loyola), we can hear Jesus praying for us. Try praying with these verses today, inserting your name into the phrases:

v. 20: I pray not only for [your name], but also for those who will believe in me through her word.

v. 24: Father, [your name] is your gift to me. I wish that where I am she also may be with me, that she may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

v. 26: I made known to [your name] your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in her and I in her.

Ponder:

What is Jesus like in this Gospel passage? How does he sound? What happens when you gaze at each other as he prays for you?

Pray:

Jesus, may my time with you in prayer help me see you, love you, and follow you.

We thank our friends at The Word Among Us for providing our gospel reflection team with copies of Abide In My Word 2015: Mass Readings at Your Fingertips. To pray the daily gospels with this wonderful resource, visit The Word Among Us.

Copyright 2015 Grace Mazza Urbanski