HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 7TH WEEK OF EASTER (1)

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 7TH WEEK OF EASTER

THEME: JESUS PRAYS FOR ALL CHRISTIANS TO BE UNITED AS ONE .….. “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word”

BY: Fr. Joaquim PETIT Llimona, L.C.
(Barcelona, Spain)

HOMILY FOR THURSDAY JUNE 2 2022

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 17,20-26.

Today, we find a solid basis for trust in the Gospel: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word…” (Jn 17:20). It is Jesus’ heart, which, in the intimacy of Jesus with his disciples, opens up the inexhaustible treasures of His Love. He wants to strengthen their hearts overwhelmed by the sense of farewell that, during the Last Supper, the Master’s words and gestures have left them with. It is Jesus’ unfailing prayer that goes up to the Father, pleading for them. What a confidence and strength will they find in this prayer throughout their apostolic mission! Amidst all the difficulties and dangers they have to face, this prayer will go all the way with them to become the source where they will find the strength and courage to give the final testimony of their faith with the offering of their own life.

We should let the reality of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples to reach our lives, too: “I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me…” These words travel through time and centuries to attain, with the same intensity they were once said, the hearts of every true believer.

In the living memory of St. John Paul II’s visit to Spain back in 2003, we find in his words the echo of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples: “With open arms I will hold you all in my heart —said the Pontiff before more than a million people—. The memory of these days will become my prayer as I ask for peace in fraternal coexistence for you all, encouraged by Christian hope that never disappoints.” St. Leo the Great, another Pope far in the past, also made an exhortation that, after many centuries have reached our heart too: “There is no ailing one whom the victory of the cross be denied to, nor there is anyone whom Christ’s prayer does not help to. For, if it was so profitable for those who treated him so cruelly, how much more will it not be for those who are converted unto him”.

Fr. Joaquim PETIT Llimona, L.C.
(Barcelona, Spain)