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Sentence

Jesus prayed, “Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.’ John 17:11  

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Collect

Almighty God, 

your blessed Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ,

ascended far above all heavens that he might 

fill all things: mercifully give us faith to trust

that, as he promised,

he abides with us on earth until the end of time;

through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

 

 

Readings

• Acts 1:15-17, 21-26
• Psalm 1
• 1 John 5:9-13
• John 17:6-19

next week

• Acts 2:1-21
• Psalm 104:26-36
• Romans 8:22-27
• John 15:26-27, 16:4b-

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A Thought to Ponder

Easter 7 – John 17:6-19  

“Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one . . .

“Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”

In John’s account of the Last Supper, after his final teachings to his disciples before his passion, Jesus addresses his Father in heaven. Today’s Gospel is from Chapter 17 of John’s Gospel, the “high priestly prayer” of Jesus in which he prays for his disciples, that they may be united in love, persevere despite the world’s “hatred” of them for the Word that they will proclaim, and be “consecrated” in the “truth.”

The Gospel challenges us to recognise the prejudices, biases and ambitions that exist within each one of us and to realise how they affect our perception of the “truth” and the decisions we make based on that perception. We are called to uphold, regardless of the cost, the holiness of “truth” – truth that is rooted in the reality of God’s love and in the sacredness of every person as created in the image and life of God.

Jesus’ call to discipleship demands the courage and integrity to be willing to embrace the “light” of truth – to recognise the hand of God in all things, to embrace the life of God “breathing” in every human interaction, to realise the sacredness of every human being as created in the image and life of God. 

The empty tomb of Easter speaks to the simple yet profound truth of God’s great love for us. Christ calls us, his Church, to speak the joy of that truth to a world hungry to hear it.

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Sermon

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