Thursday in the .eighth Week of Ordinary Time, My 28, 2026

Mark 10, 46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.” And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me.” Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called the blind man, saying to him, “Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.” He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, “What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man replied to him, “Master, I want to see.” Jesus told him, “Go your way; your faith has saved you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.

Today’s Gospel Reading is taken from the middle section of St. Mark’s Gospel, which details the Lord’s last journey to Jerusalem.  As Mark tells it, Jesus has just spoken to his Apostles James and John about who would sit at his right and left in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Just after this, Mark abruptly declares, “And they came to Jericho” (Mark 10, 46).  Mark does not tell us what they did at Jericho but, in the very same verse when Mark says they came to Jericho he says, “As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd.”  So much we would like to know about what the Lord said and did in places like Jericho, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, the first city in the Promised Land to fall to the  Israelites under Joshua after their forty years in the wilderness!  We have to treasure all the more what we do have of the records of the Lord’s life and teaching!

But for St. Mark, the main event at Jericho was what the Lord did outside the city, and to highlight it he does not tell us what he did inside of it.  He begins very directly: “Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging.”  Since Luke, who also tells the story, does not name the beggar whereas Mark does, we can conclude that Peter, from whose lips Mark drew his Gospel, must have known him.  He probably came to know him after the Resurrection as he began to preach the Gospel in Galilee and that the former beggar was now a prominent Christian.  Mark clarifies the beggar’s identity by adding “the son of Timaeus” for his Greek speaking audience who would not have known that “Bartimaeus” meant exactly that.  “On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, ‘Jesus, son of David, have pity on me.’ ”  The beggar addresses Jesus as the Messiah, “the son of David” who was going to restore the kingdom.  At the same time, he believes that Jesus can heal him — the Messiah promised by the Pharisees was not a healer.  We should notice that Mark uses the phrase “he began to cry out and say”.  This is a Hebrew construction not normally found in Greek literature.  Mark is thinking in Hebrew and writing in Greek.  He makes no attempt at a smooth Greek style.  That may be because he does not have the skill to accomplish that.  But his rough Greek is a sign of his ancient witness and to the freshness of his testimony to us.

“And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more.”  The crowd may have rebuked him because they deemed it unfitting for the Son of David to mix with a common beggar.  We might wonder why the crowd did not simply ignore him.  But it is customary for those who have a certain opinion of their worth to push down other who do not measure up to their standards.  As the Lord had said before entering Jericho, “You know that they who seem to rule over the Gentiles lord it over them” (Mark 10, 42).  Mark, who sees irony throughout the Lord’s life among us, probably saw it here too.  The members of the crowd who thought themselves such perfect believers are actually acting like the Gentiles.  But we see the beggar’s persistence, his perseverance, which is one of the most notable signs of the Christian: “He that shall persevere to the end, he shall be saved” (Matthew 24, 13).  

“Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you.”  We see how fickle the crowd is, a trait common to crowds everywhere.  Or, not all in the crowd told the man to be quiet and these now encourage him.  It is like the devils who tell us to be quiet and not to pray, and the angels who urge us to do so and assist us.  “He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.”  Bartimaeus shows his readiness to follow Jesus by disposing of his one possession.  This contrasts with the rich man who would not follow Jesus because “he had many possessions” (Mark 10, 22).  He “sprang up” which reminds us of how the rich man came running up to the Lord.  Of course, the rich man slunk away from him when the Lord told him to follow him, but the beggar goes with Jesus.  “What do you want me to do for you?”  The Lord knows what he wants just as he knows what we want before we ask it.  But he wants the beggar and he wants us to cooperate in our own salvation and so he admonishes us to pray.  “Master, I want to see.”  The word in the Greek text is rabbouni, a transliteration of the Hebrew, meaning, “my master”, “my teacher”.  Mark does not translate the Hebrew word which Bartimaeus said into Greek but takes it directly into the text, just using Greek letters. “Go your way; your faith has saved you.”  The Lord replied in a similar way to the woman with the hemorrhage who thought only to touch his garment to be healed.  By quoting Jesus in these instances and not abridging his account, Mark shows the necessity of faith for salvation, of which these cures were signs.

“Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way.”  The beggar received his sight straightway with no time intervening between the words of the Lord and the reception of sight.  Mark does not tell us of the beggar exclaiming or of any reaction from the crowd, only that Bartimaeus  “followed him on the way”.  Just as Peter’s mother-in-law began to serve the Lord the moment he cured her from her fever, so now the beggar does not hesitate to follow the Lord.  He uses his health for the purpose for which it was given him.  When we use what we have for the purpose for which God has given it to us, then we too follow the Lord.

Wednesday in the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time, May 27, 2026

Mark 10:32-45

The disciples were on the way, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus went ahead of them. They were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. Taking the Twelve aside again, he began to tell them what was going to happen to him. “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the Gentiles who will mock him, spit upon him, scourge him, and put him to death, but after three days he will rise.” Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” He replied, ‘What do you wish me to do for you?” They answered him, “Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left.” Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” They said to him, ‘We can.” Jesus said to them, “The chalice that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized; but to sit at my right or at my left is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared.” When the ten heard this, they became indignant at James and John. Jesus summoned them and said to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

“Can you drink the chalice that I drink or be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?”  The question the Lord asks James and John and the answer they give amounts to a vow.  The two young Apostles have asked the Lord for a share in the rule of the kingdom of Israel, which they believe he, as Messiah, will reinstitute.  They do not seem to present any arguments to further their request.  Perhaps they make it on the basis that the Lord has included them with Peter as witnesses to some of his more powerful miracles.  The Lord, for his part, tells them that they do not know what they are asking, for they do not yet understand that his kingdom is not of this world.  The Lord’s words do not dismay them and they persist.  The Lord then asks them this question, whether they can drink of his chalice or be baptized with his own baptism.  The two brothers say right away that they can, without asking first what this means.  Now, the Greek text has the Lord asking, “Are you capable of drinking, etc.”  This is a little different from simply “can you”.  The Lord is asking them if they have the ability, the strength, with which to carry out this action, implying that the action itself will be a demanding one.  And, indeed, it is, for the Greek tells us that the “drinking” and “being baptized” is not a one-time action that is quickly done, but a continuous one that extends into the future.  This “drinking” of the Lord’s chalice and this receiving of his own “baptism” will go on for the rest of their lives.  Performing or undergoing these actions will, in fact, become their lives.

The Apostles may have understood that “to drink” the Lord’s “chalice” meant to fight at his side against the Romans.  Their fight, though, would be against the world, the flesh and the devil, as they endeavored to do the Father’s will in spreading the Gospel, even if it cost them their lives.  We know how the Lord himself suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, praying to his Father, “My Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me. Nevertheless, not as I will but as you will” (Matthew 26, 39).  It may be that the Lord prayed with these words, and allowed James and John, as well as Peter, to witness him praying in this way so that they might understand what this “chalice” would cost them.  

“The chalice that I drink, you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized.”  The Lord accepts their vow.  He will permit them to live his life.  This in itself is a great privilege, and in doing so, they shall reign with him in his kingdom.  Their particular role in this rule, however, is a matter of Divine Providence: it is “for those for whom it has been prepared.”  That is, each human person is free to choose to live the life of Christ, and the Lord will provide the graces needed for the person to do this.  At the same time, each person’s part in the work of salvation is foreseen from all eternity by Almighty God, who dispenses talents and abilities to each one accordingly, and places for them are prepared in heaven by God, who foresees how each one will fulfill his will.  The Lord Jesus is telling James and John that if they strive for sanctity they shall indeed become saints, but their places in heaven are not up to them.  He says that this is not his to give by way of emphasizing that their reward is given them by the Father.

“The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  The life of unconditional service to God is the chalice which the Son drinks and which he promises to those who desire to belong to him.  

Tuesday in the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time, May 26, 2026

Mark 10, 28-31

Peter began to say to Jesus, ‘“We have given up everything and followed you.” Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age: houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come. But many that are first will be last, and the last will be first.”

 The Lord Jesus has just told a man who has come up to him in earnest in order to ask him what he must do to be saved.  The Lord tells him to sell the property to which he is much devoted because it is a hindrance to his salvation and then to come and follow him.  So many recognize that the Lord alone is their salvation but when he gives them clear direction in answer to their prayers they bridle and refuse to go forward.  They want salvation, but they cannot or will not stop wanting something else more.  In this case it is covetousness, but for others it is fornication, worldly ambition, and pride.  We cling to these as though they were our very flesh and cannot imagine life without them.

In the verses before today’s  Gospel Reading the Lord had pronounced, “Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”  That is, we make it hard for ourselves to enter the Kingdom of God through our attachments.  The Lord particularly cites the rich, since the man who came to him had many possessions.  Peter, hearing this, is alarmed.  In understanding his alarm it pays us to keep in mind that at this point Peter and his fellow Apostles believe that Jesus is the promised Messiah who would restore the kingdom of Israel.  He has been taught from his youth by the Pharisees that that was the Messiah’s mission.  He was to be a latter-day Joshua, overrunning the strongholds of the Romans.  Thus, Peter and the others had their eyes on great prizes for following Jesus that they would receive when he was victorious.  These would be worth giving up the comparatively little that they had to begin with.  These words of Jesus then strike Peter as telling him and the others that no such rewards would be given them: those who are rich will not have a part in the new Israel.  We can hear the dismay and perhaps a touch of anger in Peter’s outburst: “We have given up everything and followed you.”  It is as though he feels he is being played for a sucker.

The Lord probably did not reply immediately.  Given Peter’s feelings, we should think that the Lord gave him a few moments so that he could hear his reply.  “Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the Gospel who will not receive a hundred times more now in this present age.”  The Lord assures his Apostles that they will indeed receive an abundant reward, and he does so in concrete terms they can understand.  No one wants to work long hours for many years for some vague or abstract reward.  Then the Lord adds, “With persecutions, and eternal life in the age to come.”  He does not hide how much they will have to endure for their reward, and also promises them eternal life for this, a prize far greater than any number of “houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands”.  In this way the Lord contrasts the response of the rich man with their own.  Of course the path to life requires sacrifice.  It does not fall into the lap as the rich man thought it should.  Neither should the Apostles think that, but recognize, accept, and resolve to endure persecution first so that they might truly enjoy the fruits of their labors later.

The Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church, May 26, 2026

Acts 1, 12-14

After Jesus had been taken up to heaven, the Apostles returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

The obligatory memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church, was ordered by Pope Francis in 2018. Its purpose is to highlight the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of the church.

In the First Reading we see the Apostles returning to Jerusalem after the Lord’s Ascension into heaven. The house of Mary, the mother of Mark has essentially become their headquarters — we might say, it became the first church, since Jesus had offered the first Mass there. The upper room where the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin gathered seems to have been a large room, but if 120 people were gathered in it, as Luke says in the Acts of the Apostles, conditions must have been snug.

Now, the naming of the Apostles and the Blessed Virgin proves significant. Luke named the Apostles in his Gospel. His naming them again here shows the continuity of his earliest followers, and especially of those Jesus himself had chosen. Judas Iscariot is not named, of course. But Luke is careful to name the Blessed Virgin and to mention members of the Lord’s family from Nazareth. Luke has shown the eminence of the Virgin in the life of Jesus at the beginning of his Gospel where he recounts the story of the Angel Gabriel announcing to Mary that she would be the Mother of God’s only-begotten Son, and of her Fiat to God’s holy will. He now places her by name in the midst of the Apostles where they “devoted themselves with one accord to prayer”. We might wonder why, given her importance, Luke does not name her first in his list. He does this in order to emphasize her presence and her role. Naming someone last in ancient times does not have the stigma it does in modern times (“last but not least”). In fact, the last person named qualifies the nature of the group. As Judas, always named last in the lists of the Apostles in the Gospels, shows the very earthly origin of the men whom Jesus chose as his heralds. Fallible, slow to understand, looking for worldly gain when the Lord restored Israel. The Apostles grew in their faith and understanding while Judas chose not to, and so he fell away and became the betrayer. The naming of Mary at the end of the list — in the place of Judas — shows how the Apostles have changed through grace, and through her example and prayers. They brim over with faith as they await the coming of the Holy Spirit, ten days after the Ascension.

The Blessed Virgin, in Luke’s telling, takes a quieter role with the Apostles after the Ascension. She has watched and helped the Apostles grow and now she watches and assists them with her prayers and words of encouragement on the eve of the beginning of their missionary work, fulfilling the Lord’s instruction to go forth to all the nations, teaching his commandments and baptizing them.

She remains with the Church as the best of mothers, continuously assisting the Church in the presence of Almighty God, and welcoming each of her children when they leave the earth behind them.

The Solemnity of Pentecost, Sunday, May 24, 2026

Acts 2, 1–11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.”

The Jewish feast of Pentecost, occurring fifty days after Passover, celebrates the giving of the Law, the Torah, by God to Moses on Mount Sinai.  He then brought the Law to the Hebrews, who were busy worshipping the golden calf they had made.  In his anger at seeing this, Moses smashed the tablets of the Law on the ground and destroyed the idol.  God later gave him new tablets of the Law, which were subsequently kept in the Ark of the Covenant.  It was at this feast that the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles.  They had already received the New Law from the Lord Jesus; now the Holy Spirit enlightens them so that they might fully understand and teach it.  While the Old Law was given to the unfaithful Hebrews, the New Law was given to the faithful adherents of Jesus Christ. 

The descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles was signified in three ways: through the hurricane-force wind that swept through the house where they were praying, the tongues of fire over their heads, and the ability to speak various languages.  We could also discern a fourth sign: the courage to preach the word of God in public, in a place where the Lord Jesus had so recently been condemned and killed.  The wind shows the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of grace, which forgives sin and makes us reborn in Christ.The fire shows the zeal imparted to the Apostles by the Holy Spirit.  It also shows their new ability to speak in other languages:  both the English word “tongue” and the original Greek word have the secondary meaning of “language”.  The gift of languages is not a haphazard one: the Apostles are speaking the languages of those Jews visiting Jerusalem for the feast, for the purpose of preaching the word of God to them.

Almighty God gives us, at our births and in our rebirth through baptism, all the gifts and abilities we have.  All come from him.  All have for their purpose the preaching of the Gospel for the salvation of souls and for his greater glory.  He gives each of us exactly what he wants us to have and to use.  It is for us to understand what these are, to cultivate them, and to use them in whatever way we can, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, to do good upon the earth.  In this way, we make a great harvest for him.

Saturday in the Seventh Week of Easter, May 23, 2026

John 21, 20-25

Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper and had said, “Master, who is the one who will betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about him?” Jesus said to him, “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus had not told him that he would not die, just “What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours?”  It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true. There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.

“Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during the supper.”  From ancient times the Church has understood this disciple as John, the son of Zebedee and the brother of James.  This John is mentioned by name in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and is included by the Lord Jesus in a privileged subgroup of the Apostles which consisted of him, his brother James, and Peter.  Jesus took these apart to witness some of his most astounding miracles, such as the raising of the daughter of Jairus from the dead and the Transfiguration.  Jesus also takes them with him apart from the others when he prays in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Mark tells us that Jesus had a nickname for James and John, calling them “the sons of thunder”.  And yet, in the Gospel of John, his never never arises, and the only time we are advised of his existence at all comes when, after the Resurrection, “the sons of Zebedee” go fishing with Peter and four other Apostles.  The Gospel according to John has been held since the days of the early Church to have been written by this John, the Apostle.  We might ask why John does not mention his own name in the Gospel.  But Luke, the author of a Gospel and a fellow missionary with St. Paul, never mentions himself by name even when he is part of the story.  When he writes of actions in which he takes part, he simply writes “we” did this.  He minimizes his part to the point of anonymity.  However, Theophilus, whom Luke addresses as the recipient of the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, knows who he is and so does not need Luke to point himself out by name.  And Luke, who is writing about the Apostles, does not make the story about him.  John seems to act in the same way.  The people for whom he was writing his Gospel originally knew very well who he was, and John is so unwilling to move the spotlight off Jesus that he mentions himself only as a witness to the truth about the Lord’s life and identity.  Because he wants his readers to know that Jesus could be touched, heard, and seen, he allows himself, without using his name, to tell that he had touched, heard, and seen him.  And this is what the true disciple does: “He must increase and I must decrease” (John 3, 30).  The disciple lets Jesus so shine forth from his words and actions that he himself disappears into him and the Lord alone is visible.  This is a work of grace.

“Lord, what about him?” John must have written his Gospel before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.  We might say that he wrote it after the martyrdom of the first bishop of Jerusalem, James the son of Alphaeus in 62 A.D. because the conversation John records between Jesus and Peter seems to deal with the question of whether the end of the world will come before the death of the last Apostle.  James the son of Alphaeus and John would have been the last Apostles left in Jerusalem and perhaps in both Judea and Galilee.  The other Apostles had already been martyred (Peter and Paul died in Rome around the time James died in .Jerusalem) or gone far abroad so that of the Twelve, only John was left.  John answered their question with the words of Jesus: “What if I want him to remain until I come?”  That is, the Lord does not say that the world would end before the last Apostle died, but neither did he say that it would: “You follow me.”  The disciple of the Lord should be aware that the world will end and he should prepare for it, but not be obsessed by the fact.  He should concentrate on following the Lord and doing his will on each day of life the Lord gives him.

“It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony is true.”  It was fashionable for nineteenth and twentieth century scholars to sniff at these words and declare that they prove John the Apostle did not write the Gospel because of the “we know” and “his testimony”.  These same scholars allege that the Gospels, as we now have them, are the result of intensive editorial work by communities of believers in the generation or two after the Apostles.  Yet, it does not seem to them that an editor could have added this to the Gospel John had written.  In fact, the person to whom John dictated his Gospel could have added these words.  This seems likely since the Gospels, once they were written, were quickly copied and recopied.  If this gloss had appeared only in a later copy, it would not have been found in earlier ones.  But the earliest copies we have contain it.  And the stamp of the Holy See affirms that these words are divinely inspired and canonical just as are all the other words in the Gospel.

“There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.”  This is a most marvelous way to end this Gospel and the collection of the four Gospels.  It opens up for us the broad horizon of the life of the Lord and his tireless campaign to bring eternal life to the people of this world.  When we read the Gospels, not only should we pay attention to all that they tell us of the Lord, but all that, out of necessity, they do not tell us: the story of how Mary Magdalene’s seven demons were cast out, and what the Lord said and did in Chorazin and Bethany, for instance.  So many powerful words, so many astounding works.  Of all that the Gospels could tell us, we have only that which is strictly necessary for us.  All else that we would like to know, we must wait for until it is revealed to us on the last day.

Friday in the Seventh Week of Easter,, May 21, 2026

John 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.”

The lectionary continues with St. John’s account of the Lord’s prayer for unity after the Last Supper.  “I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word.”  The Lord does not say, Who will believe in my philosophy or religious teachings, but Who will believe in me.  Faith includes belief that the Lord’s teachings are true, but this belief is based on our belief in him.  Faith is, firstly, a relationship between persons, in this case it is our supernatural relationship with Jesus: we believe in him because we love him, and we love him “because God first loved us” (1 John 4, 19).  Our response to his love is enabled by the Holy Spirit.  “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.”  The Church, then, is the sign of the fact that the Father sent the Son into the world.  The Church exists because Christ himself founded it and sustains it.  It could not have grown after the Death of Jesus unless he had risen and then sent the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles.  It could not have spread throughout the world except for the Lord’s working through it.  It could not have held on to its unchanging doctrine unless through divine protection.  “And that you loved them even as you loved me.”  The Creator loves his lowly sinful creatures as he loves his own divine Son, excelling in every perfection.  This is a stupendous statement, and a revelation, since no human mind could have come upon this truth through reason alone.  God’s love for us is almost madness.  “They are your gift to me.”  The Son loves us for ourselves and also for the sake of the Father who gave us to him.  You and I are gifts given by the Almighty Father to his Son.

“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.”  This is a most majestic passage.  The Son loves us and wants us earnestly to be in heaven with him so that they may see his glory — they may have eternal happiness in his glory, which comes from the love the Father had for him from before all time.  Before the creation of the universe, for uncounted ages, the Father loved the Son with his whole being, and the Son returned this love in full.  “Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me.”  The world does not know, that is, does not acknowledge his authority.  It takes a lot of work to be an atheist because the atheist is constantly bumping into clear evidence of God’s existence and love for people.  Most atheists know God exists and fight against him by telling themselves over and over that he does not exist.

“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.”  To know the name of God is to know him.  For the Israelites, a person’s identity was known from his ancestors and from the meaning of his name.  Names were not mere labels as they are today but expressions of identity.  God, having no ancestors, is known only through his name, but his name cannot be spoken or written.  Only the high priest was allowed to speak his name, and that was done only once a year.  God’s name, then, is unknowable, and so he is beyond our comprehension.  But we can know about him from what the Lord Jesus says, and what the Holy Spirit says through the Apostles.  St. John tells us the meaning of God’s name in human language when he tells us that “God is love” (1 John 4, 16).  If we read the Lord’s Prayer to his Father straight through, we see that this is what he is saying about his Father, that he is Love itself.  This love the Lord wishes us to experience to the fullest degree so that we can glorify him in our sharing it with others.