Sunday May 16, 2021 - Seventh Sunday in Paschal Time - I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord; I come back to you, and your heart will rejoice - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to John 17, 11b-19

We are still in Paschal Time, the seventh week from this Sunday, the one before the feast of Pentecost. Thus, we are in the midst of the novena which precedes the descent of the Holy Spirit. In this case, the second part of the prayer of Jesus, the eternal High Priest, is offered to us on this day.

First of all, Jesus is for us a model of piety, because even in his divinity, he did not stop praying, and his prayers are addressed to the Father who sent him, and we are already concerned with it. In other words, his prayer is open to others, to others; unlike those selfish, self-centered prayers. And ours, what are they like? Praying is not the only prerogative of priests and religious. Of course, for them, it is a priority, but it is also a duty for everyone. Our time needs prayer, let us do this with great and persevering fervor. Jesus himself, in his greatness and power, prayed, all the more so, we who are so insignificant, we must pray a lot.

Then Jesus says in this prayer that the Father will keep us in his name. It is not about putting ourselves away because we are so precious to him that we should not be wasted. So, once well guarded, we will live in communion of life with him, what more could we ask for? Isn't that what we're looking for? However, let's be careful not to let ourselves get moldy or rot. Let us always remember that we belong to God. Also, in the face of trials and difficulties, he always protects us: he protects us from evil, persecution, disease, from the enemy who seeks to take us. It is the proof of his love.

Moreover, as it has been said, he does not keep us to let us rot, but he sends us, just as the Father sent him. In other words, he passed on the mission to us, of which he is the model to follow so as not to err unnecessarily. So when you are sent on a mission, the goal is to get the message across. Let us be careful not to omit, distort or pervert the message. He has placed his trust in us, let us be worthy.

Finally, the fulfillment of the mission in righteousness sanctifies us, as he said: "I sanctify myself, that they too may be sanctified in the truth". In other words, the baptism that we have received does not allow us to remain in idleness, it is what we do to live this baptism which sanctifies us and Christ is our model. Let us be careful not to come out of this mold and to scatter ourselves. Thus, it is not enough to be a Christian, but to be engaged in the field of God. Let us therefore redouble our zeal, for we serve the Lord. Amen.