Seventh Sunday of Easter
Why we were Chosen
John 17:11-19
“Keep those you have given me true to your name” are today’s lines from the Last Supper. By this time Jesus had some idea that he had few hours left on earth and wanted to give a last farewell to his disciples.
But the form is very strange …. almost like a death-bed speech but at the same time different because it is given in the form of a prayer, often called ‘the priestly prayer of Christ’. In prayer Jesus gives his disciples a commission. He wants them to be dedicated to the truth in a world of many hostile voices: the jealous Pharisees .. the Imperial Romans .. the greedy merchants.
They all controlled the public dialogue in a way that made it difficult for a word of peace or forgiveness to cut through. That's why Jesus prayed: “Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth”
It is our call to be consecrated to that truth today. A tough call today when newspaper & media outlets and all who control the public conversation, answer to billionaires and their best friends!
So why did he choose people like us to carry the truth?
The answer is that our very weakness is our strength. We know from our personal record of sin & failure that only mercy can make the world turn. And only a power greater than ourselves can bring healing to a world in turmoil. So our faults can become stepping stones to the Kingdom, a truth no media mogul could ever grasp. And for this humble truth we give thanks to God.
Fr.Austin scj