I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, 21 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. 22 And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 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. 24 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. 25 Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. 26 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.”
Jesus now prayed for all who will come to believe through the word of the disciples and their successors so that the two great commandments, love of God and love of neighbor, may be fulfilled by the faithful in a unity that cannot be experienced outside of God’s love as revealed to us in Jesus. Jesus prayed that he may remain in the disciples just as the Father remained in him so that they may be brought to perfection as one. The result of which would be the disciples sharing the glory Jesus had with the Father from the beginning. This will not happen until the disciples are with God as Jesus is. The disciples will be recognized as being sent by Jesus by the love they have for each other in Christ Jesus.
Almighty God, out of love you sent your Son to teach us how to love you and one another. Help us to remove the hardness and selfishness that keeps us apart from you and to embrace the Gospel of salvation that fills our hearts with the love of Christ. This we pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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