A Gospel according to Jn 17:20-26
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 loved 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 also does not know you,
but I know you, and they know that you sent me.
I 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.”
REFLECTION
"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"
Our Patron Saint, St. John of Vianney often said that "The Priesthood Is the Love of the Heart of Jesus". And what is this love but for all of us to be with Him in Heaven.
I'd like to share one of the many stories about our saintly Curé of Ars to show how much St. John of Vianney loved his brethren:
In 1818, St. John Marie Vianney received his appointment from his bishop to become the new pastor of the town of Ars, France. His bishop told him little about the town, other than the discouraging revelation that the people of Ars cared little about the practice of the Catholic faith.
It appears that he also didn’t know how to get to Ars. Given that he lived in a time before automobiles, Father John Vianney had to walk a great distance with all of his belongings to his new assignment. And he got lost along the way.
Providentially, a shepherd boy by the name of Antoine Givre caught sight of Vianney. After they greeted one another, Vianney told Antoine that he was on his way to Ars and he was lost. Antoine pointed him in the right direction and walked with him into the small town of about 200 people.
As the story is told, the future saint said to Antoine upon their arrival, “Thank you for showing me the way to Ars. I will show you the way to heaven.”*
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