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| John 17: 20-26
St John’s Gospel is a beautiful work of writing, but every so often, we come across a passage that is very hard to follow. We read the words and get a sense of what he is talking about - but just would not be able to explain it very easily to somebody else. Today’s is such a passage. It really does repay a slow meditative reading if you have time - reading a phrase at a time and giving the words time to drip into your soul. You will still probably not be able to put your reflections into words but you will find that you sense some of its deeper meanings. There is a part of Faith that is always going to be beyond words and this was John’s problem - how was he to share what he knew about Jesus? How could he express the communion of love he had seen between Jesus and the Father? How could he express how that love poured out of Jesus into the world? How could he explain that someone who had been crucified, died, was buried, was raised from the dead, returned to the Father - is still with us? John’s Gospel is the one that "soars to heaven" and tries to carry back something of what it found there. Today, Jesus raises his eyes to heaven and the disciples witness something of Jesus’ prayer - of His great love for the Father and for those the Father has given Him. He longs above all for a unity - a communion - between His followers that will mirror the communion between Himself and His Father. This communion will be a living sign in the world of the love that God and Jesus have for the world. The words flow - as if John is trying to put into words what he sensed in those moments when he saw Jesus deep in Prayer - deeply in love with the Father. They are not easy to understand - but if you read them slowly and with passion (as if you were in love with God too) you may begin to feel something of what John felt as he witnessed Jesus at prayer. What does it mean for me? To get a feel for how difficult John’s task was - try to put into words how you feel about someone you love. Try to imagine a conversation where you let your words of love pour out over that person. At what point do words stop being enough? © 2001 Wellspring |
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