The Gospel for Thursday of the seventh week of Easter is taken from St. John, 17th chapter, 20th, 26th verse. 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 love 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 does not know you, but I know you and they know that you sent me. I have 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. Jesus was not the only one that came and claimed that he was the Messiah. But he did have something that was working for him that wasn’t working for the others. And it was so clearly that he was not doing this because he figured out this mystery, but that he was told this mystery.

He was awakened to it as a human being so filled with it that he had to share it with people. So he says over and over in this passage, you believe that I was sent by God. It’s so important in our faith that we believe that this message of Jesus is directly revealing the heart of who God is and what he longs for us to engage in in this world. It has authority. It is authentic. It is the Trut Sam closing prayer.

Father, human beings have always believed in gods. They never expected a God like you. And when you came and revealed the intimacy you longed for us, it’s been difficult for us to grasp. So we take hope in the prayer of Jesus at the end of his ministry when he says, I know this is difficult. I want to pray that people will surrender to its mysterious qualities and and engage in it. Bless us with confidence that we are truly in touch when we’re in touch with Jesus, with the truth.

And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.