Posted on 05/16/2026 10:36:25 PM PDT by fidelis
Seventh Sunday of Easter
(See the separate post if your diocese celebrates the Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord today)
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him.” John 17:1–2
The entirety of Chapter 17 of John’s Gospel is traditionally referred to as Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. This prayer concludes the Last Supper Discourse, which we have been reading for the past two weeks... With His teaching completed, Jesus begins His prayerful offering of His life to the Father. The prayer can be divided into three sections:
1. Verses 1–11a: Jesus’ intimate prayer to the Father focuses on their mutual glorification through the completion of His sacrifice. This “hour” of sacrifice and glory is now at hand.
2. Verses 11b–19: Jesus prays for the disciples who accompanied Him during His earthly ministry, asking for their protection, sanctification, and perseverance in their mission.
3. Verses 20–26: Jesus’ prayer extends to all future believers, the Church throughout time, including us today. He prays for unity among believers, rooted in the love of the Father and the Son.
Today, in liturgical Year A, we read the first section of this prayer, when Jesus speaks of His divine mission and His imminent return to the glory He shared with the Father before creation. This prayer highlights a central theme in John’s Gospel: Jesus’ “hour.”
The theme of the “hour” was introduced at the wedding at Cana, the beginning of Jesus’ signs. When the Blessed Mother intercedes for the couple, saying, “They have no wine,” Jesus replies, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:3–4). From that moment, Jesus references the concept of His “hour” throughout His ministry, pointing to the appointed time for His Passion and glorification.
In today’s High Priestly Prayer, Jesus makes His final and definitive reference to His hour: “Father, the hour has come…” (John 17:1). The hour of His sacrifice, the pinnacle of His earthly mission, has now arrived... Rather, He did so with eager resolve, knowing that everything He had done throughout His life and public ministry pointed to this moment, which had finally come.
Jesus’ human disposition while praying at this pivotal moment offers us an invitation to approach His Sacrifice in the way He did. His “hour” continues in our lives every time we are invited to embrace His Cross. Therefore, every opportunity for sacrifice—no matter how small—must be prayerfully embraced in union with Jesus’ prayer.
Jesus’ prayer teaches us that sacrifice is not something to resist or begrudge. Instead, every sacrifice becomes an opportunity to glorify God and receive a share in His glory. When we embrace sacrifice with generosity and trust, we unite ourselves to Jesus’ perfect Sacrifice, participating in His work of redemption and giving glory to the Father.
Reflect today on the interior disposition Jesus manifested as He faced His imminent suffering and death. He did not cower or hesitate. He looked at His Cross with divine eyes, seeing His Sacrifice as the pinnacle of His life’s mission and the source of glory for Him and His Father. As we strive to embrace our own sacrifices, turn to Christ in prayer, asking for His grace and strength to offer His prayer as He offered it to the Father.
Most glorious High Priest, when Your hour of suffering had arrived, You embraced that Sacrifice with unwavering resolve. That resolve revealed the glory You shared with the Father. Please draw me into Your sacrificial love and help me to prayerfully choose every sacrifice to which I am called with the same determination modeled in Your High Priestly Prayer. Jesus, I trust in You.
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The Month of May is Dedicated to Devotion to Mary, the Mother of God.
“And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:41-43)
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for the month of May, 2026:
That everyone might have food
Let us pray that everyone, from large producers to small consumers, be committed to avoid wasting food, and to ensure that everyone has access to quality food.
First Reading:
From: Acts 1:12-14
The Apostolic College
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[12] Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away; [13] and when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. [14] All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
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Commentary:
13-14. St Luke mentions the twelve Apostles by name, with the exception of Judas Iscariot.
This is the first passage which tells of the spiritual life and devout practices of the disciples. Significantly it places the emphasis on prayer, in keeping with our Lord's own practice and with his constant recommendation to his followers (cf. Mt 6:5, 14:23; ctc).
"Prayer is the foundation of the spiritual edifice. Prayer is all-powerful" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 83). It can truly be said that prayer is the bedrock of the Church, which will be made manifest with the coming of the Holy Spirit. The prayer of the disciples, including the women, in the company of Mary would have been a supplication of entreaty and praise and thanksgiving to God. This union of hearts and feelings produced by prayer is a kind of anticipation of the gifts the Holy Spirit will bring.
"We are told this time and again in the passage narrating the lives of the first followers of Christ. 'All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 1:14). [...] Prayer was then, as it is today, the only weapon, the most powerful means, for winning the battles of our interior struggle" (St. J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 242).
Here we see Mary as the spiritual center round which Jesus' intimate friends gather: tradition has meditated on this "tableau", and found it to depict our Lady's motherhood over the whole Church, both at its beginning and over the course of the centuries.
On 21 November 1964, at the closing of the third session of Vatican II, Paul VI solemnly proclaimed Mary Mother of the Church: "Our vision of the Church must include loving contemplation of the marvels which God worked in his holy Mother. And knowledge of the true Catholic doctrine about Mary will always be the key to correct understanding of the mystery of Christ and of the Church.
Reflection on the close ties linking Mary and the Church, so clearly indicated by the present constitution ["Lumen Gentium"], allows us to think this is the most appropriate moment to satisfy a desire which, as we pointed out at the end of the last session, many council Fathers have made their own, calling insistently for an explicit declaration during this council of the maternal role which the Blessed Virgin exercises towards the Christian people. To this end we have considered it opportune to dedicate a title in honor of the Virgin which has been proposed in different parts of the Catholic world and which we find particularly touching, for it sums up in a wonderfully succinct way the privileged position which this council has recognized the Blessed Virgin to have in the Church.
"And so, for the glory of the Virgin and for our consolation, we proclaim Mary Most Holy to be the Mother of the Church, that is, Mother of the entire people of God, faithful as well as pastors, who call her loving Mother, and we desire that from now on she be honored and invoked by the entire people of God under this most pleasing title."
The text makes reference to Jesus' "brethren", an expression which also appears in the Gospels. Given that the Christian faith teaches us that the Virgin Mary had no children other than Jesus, whom she conceived by the action of the Holy Spirit and without intervention of man, this expression cannot mean that Jesus had blood brothers or sisters.
The explanation lies in the peculiarities of Semitic languages. The word used in the New Testament translates a Hebrew term which applied to all the members of a family group and was used for even distant cousins (cf. Lev 10:4) and for nephews (Gen 13:8). See note on Mt 12:46-47. In the New Testament then; the word "brethren" has a very wide meaning--as happens, also, for example, with the word "apostle."
At one point Jesus describes those who hear and keep his word as his "brethren" (Lk 8:21), which seems to imply that, in addition to meaning belonging to the same family group, the word "brother" in the New Testament may be a designation for certain disciples who were particularly loyal to our Lord.
St Paul, for his part, uses this term for all Christians (cf., for example, 1 Cor 1:10; etc), as does St Peter, according to Acts 12:17.
From: 1 Peter 4:13-16
The Christian Meaning of Suffering (Continuation)
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[13] But rejoice in so far as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. [14] If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. [15] But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or a wrongdoer, or a mischief-maker; [16] yet if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but under that name let him glorify God.
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Commentary:
12-19. St Peter now returns to the main theme of this part of the letter (3:13-4:19)--the trials Christians unjustly suffer on account of being followers of Christ (cf. 1:6-7; 2:18-25; 3:13-17). They should not be surprised or ashamed by this; rather, it should make them happy and lead them to glorify God, for if they share in Christ's suffering it means they will also share in his exaltation. St John of Avila wrote: "God wants to open our eyes and have us realize what favors are being done us in things the world regards as disadvantages, and how honored we are to be scoffed at for seeking the honor of God, and what great reward awaits us for our present depression, and how God's gentle, sweet and loving arms are opened wide to receive those wounded in doing battle on his behalf' ("Letter", 58).
Moreover, the "spirit of God" will rest on them (v. 14): our Lord promised the special assistance of the Holy Spirit to persecuted Christians hauled before courts on account of their faith (cf. Mt 10:19-20); St Peter here calls him "the spirit of glory", because his indwelling in the Christian is a guarantee and an anticipation of eternal glory (cf. 2 Cor 1:22).
Before the divine judgment which lies ahead (it is one of the frequent themes of the letter) no one can be complacent (vv. 17-18). The Apostle's severe warnings are reminiscent of those Jesus gave the women of Jerusalem on his way to Calvary: "if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" (Lk 23:31). However, if one has suffered on Christ's account in this life it is clear that one can approach the judgment with greater confidence (cf. Mt 5:11-12; 10:32).
13. "To the prospect of the Kingdom of God," Pope John Paul II teaches, " is linked hope in that glory which has its beginning in the Cross of Christ. The Resurrection revealed this glory--eschatological glory--which in the Cross of Christ was completely obscured by the immensity of suffering. Those who share in the suffering of Christ are also called, through their own sufferings, to share in glory" ("Salvfici Doloris", 22).
16. This is one of the three places in the New Testament in which Christ's 'disciples are described as "Christians" (cf. Acts 11:26; 26:28). As St Luke explains in Acts, they were first given this name in Antioch, the capital of the Roman province of Syria (cf. Acts 11:26).
Being a Christian should never cause one to be cowed or ashamed; it should be a motive for gratitude to God and for holy pride: "Christians who become cowed or inhibited or envious in the face of the licentious behavior of those who have not accepted the Word of God, show that they have a very poor idea of the faith. If we truly keep the law of Christ--that is, if we make the effort to do so, because we will not always fully succeed--we will find ourselves endowed with a wonderful gallantry of spirit that does not need to look elsewhere to discover the full meaning of human dignity" (St J. Escriva, Friends of God, 38).
From: John 17:1-11a
The Priestly Prayer of Jesus
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[1] When Jesus had spoken these words, He lifted His eyes to Heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son that the Son may glorify Thee, [2] since Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom Thou hast given Him. [3] And this is eternal life, that they know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. [4] I glorified Thee on earth, having accomplished the work which Thou gavest Me to do; [5] and now, Father, glorify Thou Me in Thy own presence with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was made.
[6] "I have manifested Thy name to the men who Thou gavest Me out of the world; Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me, and they have kept Thy word. [7] Now they know that everything Thou hast given Me is from Thee; [8] for I have given them the words which Thou gavest Me, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from Thee; and they have believed that thou didst send Me. [9] I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom Thou hast given Me, for they are Thine; [10] all Mine are Thine, and Thine are Mine, and I am glorified in them. [11a] And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to Thee."
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Commentary:
1-26. At the end of the discourse of the Last Supper (Chapters 13-16) begins what is called the Priestly Prayer of Jesus, which takes up all of Chapter 17. It is given that name because Jesus addresses His Father in a very moving dialogue in which, as Priest, He offers Him the imminent sacrifice of His passion and death. It shows us the essential elements of His redemptive mission and provides us with teaching and a model for our own prayer. "The Lord, the Only-begotten and co-eternal with the Father, could have prayed in silence if necessary, but He desired to show Himself to the Father in the attitude of a supplicant because He is our Teacher. [...] Accordingly this prayer for His disciples was useful not only to those who heard it, but to all who would read it" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 104, 2).
The Priestly Prayer consists of three parts: in the first (verses 1-5) Jesus asks for the glorification of His holy human nature and the acceptance, by His Father, of His sacrifice on the cross. In the second part (verses 6-19) He prays for His disciples, whom He is going to send out into the world to proclaim the redemption which He is now about to accomplish. And then (verses 20-26) He prays for unity among all those who will believe in Him over the course of the centuries, until they achieve full union with Him in Heaven.
1-5. The word "glory" here refers to the splendor, power and honor which `belong to God'. The Son is God equal to the Father, and from the time of His Incarnation and birth and especially through His death and resurrection His divinity has been made manifest. "We have beheld His glory, glory as the only Son from the Father" (John 1:14). The glorification of Jesus has three dimensions to it. 1) It promotes the glory of the Father, because Christ, in obedience to God's redemptive decree (cf. Philippians 2:6), makes the Father known and so brings God's saving work to completion. 2) Christ is glorified because His divinity, which He has voluntarily disguised, will eventually be manifested through His human nature which will be seen after the Resurrection invested with the very authority of God Himself over all creation (verses 2, 5). 3) Christ, through His glorification, gives man the opportunity to attain eternal life, to know God the Father and Jesus Christ, His only Son: this in turn redounds to the glorification of the Father and of Jesus Christ while also involving man's participation in divine glory (verse 3).
"The Son glorifies You, making You known to all those You have given Him. Furthermore, if the knowledge of God is life eternal, we the more tend to life, the more we advance in this knowledge. [...] There shall the praise of God be without end, where there shall be full knowledge of God; and because in Heaven this knowledge shall be full, there shall glorifying be of the highest" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 105, 3).
6-8. Our Lord has prayed for Himself; now He prays for His Apostles, who will continue His redemptive work in the world. In praying for them, Jesus describes some of the prerogatives of those who will form part of the Apostolic College.
First, there is the prerogative of being chosen by God: "Thine they were...". God the Father chose them from all eternity (cf. Ephesians 1:3-4) and in due course Jesus revealed this to them: "The Lord Jesus, having prayed at length to the Father, called to Himself those whom He willed and appointed twelve to be with Him, whom He might send to preach the Kingdom of God (cf. Mark 3:13-19; Matthew 10:1-42). These apostles (cf. Luke 6:13) He constituted in the form of a college or permanent assembly, at the head of which He placed Peter, chosen from among them (cf. John 21:15-17)" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 19). Also, the Apostles enjoy the privilege of hearing God's teaching direct from Jesus. From this teaching, which they accept with docility, they learn that Jesus came from the Father and that therefore He is God's envoy (verse 8): that is, they are given to know the relationships that exist between the Father and the Son.
The Christian, who also is a disciple of Jesus, gradually acquires knowledge of God and of divine things through living a life of faith and maintaining a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
"Recalling this human refinement of Christ, who spent His life in the service of others, we are doing much more than describing a pattern of human behavior; we are discovering God. Everything Christ did has a transcendental value. It shows us the nature of God and beckons us to believe in the love of God who created us and wants us to share His intimate life" (St J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 109).
11-19. Jesus now asks the Father to give His disciple four things--unity, perseverance, joy and holiness. By praying Him to keep them in His name (verse 11) He is asking for their perseverance in the teaching He has given them (cf. verse 6) and in communion with Him. An immediate consequence of this perseverance is unity: "that they may be one, even as We are one"; this unity which He asks for His disciples is a reflection of the unity of the Three Divine Persons.
He also prays that none of them should be lost, that the Father should guard and protect them, just as He Himself protected them while He was with them. Thirdly, as a result of their union with God and perseverance they will share in the joy of Christ (verse 13): in this life, the more we know God and the more closely we are joined to Him, the happier will we be; in eternal life our joy will be complete, because our knowledge and love of God will have reached its climax.
Finally, He prays for those who, though living in the world, are not of the world, that they may be truly holy and carry out the mission He has entrusted to them, just as He did the work His Father gave Him to do.
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