Thursday, May 28, 2020 - Seventh week of Easter Time - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 17, 20-26 - May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you, so that the world may believe that you sent me."

Dear brothers and sisters, this passage from the Gospel is the third part of the prayer of Christ the priest. As Christ emphasized in prayer his unity with the Father, the need for his disciples to become one. On this day, He looks ahead to the centuries that salvation history will have to pass through. "I pray not only for those who are there, but also for those who, through their word, will believe in me," He says.

The perspective here is broader because the message extends to those who will receive the words and preaching of the disciples and the Church. Christ in this prayer highlights the mystery of communion between the Father and Himself. This is the teaching that Christ wants to transmit to the disciples and that they in turn transmit it. Jesus wants the disciples and those who believe in their teachings to be one in this perfect communion.

But now we see that even the doctrines of those who call themselves Christians are different and even contradictory. Christ's desire, however, is communion. May the present work of the Church unite us and bring us into union with the Father. It is the life of love that Christ gives us that makes us one and in perfect communion. Amen!