Come into My Love
June 1, 2017 – Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter
A reading from the holy Gospel according to 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.”
Reflect: That the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them. There is no greater love than that which is experienced between the Father and his Son, Jesus. That is the same love that Jesus wants for us as he prays to the Father. He came into the world so that we might know that love. Jesus came into the world so that we might learn how to be united with him and the Father and to not seek a selfish love, but rather a generous love that is at the root of life, of mercy, of healing and forgiveness. A generous love is characterized by sacrifice for the other. At the same time, we need to take care of ourselves so that the love we receive from God can be shared and given generously to others. The challenge we have is to not squander the love through which we were made and that is inherent in our very being. As we approach Pentecost, we can ask God to pour out his Holy Spirit upon us so that we can receive the gift of a pure heart that is always receptive to God’s love and is always generous in sharing that love with others through every encounter in our lives.
Questions: Am I receptive to an encounter with Christ so that his love might fill every aspect of my life? Do I desire to be a disciple who generously brings the love of Christ to others in every situation of my life? How might God be calling me to lay aside a selfish love for a more generous, life-giving love – beginning with those closest to me?
Pray: Loving God, send out your Holy Spirit upon me. Take my stony heart and give me a heart that lives and thrives in your love. Give me the grace to desire to generously share your love with others. I pray this in the powerful and perfect name of Jesus. Amen.
I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. Alleluia, alleluia!
Saint Justin was born is Samaria and converted to Christianity at about the age of 30. He was a philosophy and debated vigorously about the truth of Christianity. As a result, he was killed in the persecution under Marcus Aurelius in the year 165. Justin authored the classic works Apology and Dialogue with Trypho. He was a layman and apologist who gives one of the earliest descriptions of the Mass. Justin is the patron of philosophers and apologists.
