We are all included in this touching prayer of Jesus.
Aware that he must soon leave the ones he has loved and mentored, Jesus is pouring out his heart to the one he calls Father. Listening to the deep emotions in Jesus’ words, I found myself wondering about the nature of his prayer in those moments when he slipped away from the crowd for solitary prayer in the hills of Judea. Picture yourself present in the mind and heart of Jesus at that moment. In the timelessness of eternity, place yourself in the company of Jesus and his disciples.
Jesus asks to be given glory so that he may return glory to the one who sent him. What is glory? We speak the word often, sometimes casually. But have we thoughtfully considered the nature of glory? Brilliance! Shining Light! Luminosity! Radiance! Splendor! Beauty! All of these are words we might use to describe the brightness we call glory. It is a revelation of an inner quality that emanates from the source of one’s being. The glory Jesus speaks of is a glory that he shared with God from all eternity. This glory he also shared with his disciples and now desires to share with all of us.
The prayer ends with the promise of a perpetual indwelling presence. Jesus will continue to reveal God’s name to us. Divine love will keep flowing from the Father to Jesus and from Jesus to us.
