Thursday 2 June 2022
Ss Marcellinus and Peter
Acts 22:30; 23:6-11. Keep me safe, O God; you are my hope – Psalm 15(16):1-2, 5, 7-11. John 17:20-26.
Father, may they be completely one
The Last Supper has taken place. Jesus has washed the disciples’ feet, he has eaten with them and predicted his own betrayal. It’s night. Judas has gone. Jesus speaks to his disciples at great length about who he is and what he requires from his followers: namely, that they love one another. Jesus often went alone to pray. Here, he stayed close by, and prayed aloud so his disciples could hear what he said. The verses before this prayer function as a lengthy farewell to his followers. But this verse is unique because here Jesus is praying for believers at a future time who had not yet heard the Gospel. He is praying for us, presenting a vision for unity after he is gone, reminding us of who he is, who God is, and who we are as followers and recipients of divine love. These words were meant as a comfort to disciples then, and a comfort to disciples now, and is the last thing Jesus does before he walks with his followers to the Garden of Gethsemane and is arrested. It’s a comforting thought that before his arrest, all future believers – you included – were his final prayer.
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