John 17:1-11a
1 When Jesus had said this, he raised his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you,
2 just as you gave him authority over all people, so that he may give eternal life to all you gave him.
3 Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
4 glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do.
5 Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began.
6 "I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
7 Now they know that everything you gave me is from you,
8 because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me.
9 I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours,
10 and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them.
11 And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.
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This is Christ on Holy Thursday, praying for the men whom He has just installed as the first priests of His Church.
I find this prayer very poignant. He's praying for the men that God has given Him, and that He is sending out to be His representatives. This prayer is for them. It's also for Msgr. Callahan, Fr. Martin, and Fr. Fleming. It's for Deacon Ochoa, who is about to be anointd. It's for our seminarians.
Christ is no longer in the world, but he sent them to us.
