Basic HTML Version
Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Acts 20: 28-28
Psalms 68: 29-30, 33-35A, 35BC-36AB
17: 11B-19
S
UMMARY
In the Gospel today, Jesus prays for His disciples. He
asks God to unite them in His name, to protect them
from the Evil One, and to consecrate them in truth. Je-
sus is sending his disciples into the world, as God sent
Him into the world.
R
EFLECTION
In this passage, we are touched by Jesus’ heartfelt prayer to God on mankind’s
behalf. He knows he will be leaving the disciples behind soon when he ascends
to join His heavenly Father, and Jesus wants to make sure His flock is protected
in His absence.
Jesus handpicked the disciples. He educated them, trained them, traveled with
them, and lived with them 24/7. He entrusted them to carry on His mission
when His time here on earth was over.
For the disciples’ part, Jesus was like a father to them. These men left every ves-
tige of their old lives behind and committed themselves to following Christ.
They were mature adults, but they thoroughly relied upon Jesus for constant
guidance and spiritual fulfillment.
This passage shows the humanity of Jesus. While Jesus was with the disciples on
earth, He could “protect them in the name that You gave me.” But without Je-
sus, can the disciples survive? Will they spread the Gospel? Jesus is worried that
the world hates them and they may be vulnerable to attacks from the Evil One.
Understandably, He prays for their safety.
Jesus knows that it is impossible to remove the disciples from the world. In-
stead, He asks God to “consecrate them in the truth.” To consecrate means to
dedicate for a sacred purpose
. God’s word is the truth, and thus Jesus asks God
to dedicate the disciples to His word. Jesus feels that if the disciples stay com-
mitted to God’s word, and continue to preach the sacred truth, they will effec-