Make It Known
Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
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.”
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“I pray…also for those who will believe in me…”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
Jesus prayed for us…not just for Christians in general, but for us in the sense that He prayed for each one of us in this room. Jesus has a divine intellect, and He had this intellect while He was on earth. This means He knew everything, and everyone. That means He knew us, individually. Jesus considered each of us, and loved each of us, from the Cross. There are many things to specifically reflect on in this passage, and we should spend time reflecting on what Jesus asked of His Father for His whole Church and for us, as its individual members. But one particular thing that Jesus prays for is unity among believers.
Jesus asks His Father that we would be one “as you, Father, are in me and I in you….” The Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father, because each of them completely gives Himself to the other as a gift. If we have this kind of relationship with each other, if we give our entire lives away for the sake of each other, Jesus says three things will happen: 1) we will be in God, 2) the world will understand Jesus’ relationship with the Father, 3) the world will understand that God loves them. If we as a married couple and we as a family treat our lives as gifts to be given to each other, we will share in God’s Life, and we will change the world. In prayer, consider how we can treat our lives as gifts to be given to one another.
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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