The Gospel passage for this Sunday gives us the unique opportunity to hear Jesus and how he prays to the Father. There are two things that struck me in this Gospel.
First, Jesus prays that we may be one as he and the Father are one. In the past month, there has been a lot of discussion and analysis of the Papacy. During the Conclave, there was much discussion on what the new pope should focus on. Bishop Barron responded to these concerns at the time by saying, “The key task of the Pope, in his own person, is summing up the unity of the Church…. He is supposed to be someone where the entire Church finds its unity.” Jesus wants us (all Christians) to be one. How can we work, each day, to bring that unity into reality?
The second thing that struck me from the Gospel was when Jesus said, “Father, they are your gift to me.” I am not sure that we reflect on that fact enough. Jesus sees us as a gift! We are precious to him! When we are having good days, he sees us as a gift. When we are having bad days, he sees us as a gift. We cannot change how Jesus views us! We don’t have that power! (Thank the Lord!) The next step would be, how can we be a gift to others?
Today, at 2pm, Queen of Angels’ 8th grade class is having their Graduation Mass at Our Lady Help of Christians. They are moving on to their next step in their academic lives. They are going forth to work for that unity and be a gift to others. Congratulations to the QOA Class of 2025! We are so excited to witness all that you will do in the future!
