FATHER – MAY THEY BE ONE
Entrance Antiphon Cf. Psalm 27: 7-9
O Lord, hear my voice, for I have called to you; of you my heart has spoken: Seek his face; hide not your face from me, alleluia.
Collect
Graciously hear our supplications, O Lord, so that we, who believe that the Saviour of the human race is with you in your glory, may experience, as he promised, until the end of the world, his abiding presence among us. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen!
First reading Acts 7:55-60
In those days: Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and stopped their ears and rushed together upon him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him; and the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And he knelt down and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 97:1-2,6-7,9
R. The Lord is king, the most high above all the earth. or Alleluia.
The LORD is king, let earth rejoice; let the many islands be glad. Justice and right are the foundation of his throne. R.
The skies proclaim his justice; all peoples see his glory. All you angels, worship him. R.
For you indeed are the LORD, most high above all the earth, exalted far above all gods. R.
Second reading Revelation 22:12-14,16-17,20
I, John, heard a voice saying to me, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay every one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. “I Jesus have sent my angel to you with this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright morning star.” The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let him who hears say, “Come.” And let him who is thirsty come, let him who desires take the water of life without price. He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!
Gospel Acclamation John 14:18
Alleluia, alleluia! I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord; I will come back to you, and your hearts will rejoice. Alleluia!
Gospel John 17:20-26
At that time: Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying, “Holy Father, I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory which you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to behold my glory which you have given me in your love for me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world has not known you, but I have known you; and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Prayer over the Offerings
Accept, O Lord, the prayers of your faithful with the sacrificial offerings, that through these acts of devotedness we may pass over to the glory of heaven. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon John 17: 22
Father, I pray that they may be one as we also are one, alleluia.
Prayer after Communion
Hear us, O God our Saviour, and grant us confidence, that through these sacred mysteries there will be accomplished in the body of the whole Church what has already come to pass in Christ her Head. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen!
Reflection
At the end of Jesus’ farewell discourse, Jesus pivots on a lengthy and heartfelt prayer in which He reaffirms the complete union that exists between Him and His heavenly Father. He then offers a prayer in which He expresses thanks and concern for all those who have come to believe in God and now follow Him. He asks that the unity He experiences with the Father be extended to all those who believe in Him, so that they may be one even as He and the Father are one. Given that Jesus Christ is the source of authentic Christian unity, all efforts aimed at opposing and frustrating the truths of salvation brought by Jesus, like those championed by Saul which led to the martyrdom of Stephen, are antithetical to this vision for unity, peace and progress for the Church. Thankfully, the inspiring examples of countless martyrs, heroes and heroines of faith who lived and died in defense of these Christian ideals abound. To us belongs the responsibility of preserving and promoting these truths of salvation in our time.
Blessing
“Father, may they be one even as we are one.” That’s the prayer of Jesus for all of us in the Church and our families. No time do we need this prayer for unity more than now. May the Lord unite his Church and our various families through the blessing of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!