Acts 1:12-14; Psalm 27:1-8; 1 Peter 4:13-16; John 17:1-11
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he instructed his apostles not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which they would receive (Acts 1:4-5). The apostles obeyed. As we read in the first reading, “When they entered the city they went to the upper room where they stayed … and devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers” (Acts 1:13-14).
Jesus’ instruction to his apostles meant that they were not to leave the city of Jerusalem until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit. But for us, what does the instruction, “not to depart from Jerusalem” mean? It means to wait in faith and prayer until we receive divine visitation. Everyone who remains steadfast in faith and in prayer (and in good will) receives divine visitation in one form or another. Psalm 25:3 promises us, “No one who waits for the Lord will ever be put to shame….”
The apostles stayed in the upper room and devoted themselves with one accord to prayer. We ask ourselves: What is our prayer lives like? In addition to Sunday Mass, do we create valuable time to prayer? When we have time for God, God has time for us. Today’s Psalm advises us to “seek to dwell in the house of the Lord,” … and “… gaze on the loveliness of the Lord, and contemplate his temple” (Psalm 27). This is why we have Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament so that we can “gaze on the loveliness of the Lord.”
In today’s gospel, Jesus pleads to God on our behalf:
“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. Now they know that everything you gave me is from you, 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. I pray for them… I have been glorified in them” (John 17:6-10).
As we can see in the above passage, Jesus makes bold claims on our behalf. We are left to prove him right or wrong. We go through the claims again:
“I revealed your name to those whom you gave me.”
“They belong to you.”
“They have kept your word.”
“The words you gave to me I have given them, and they have accepted them.”
“I have been glorified in them.”
As we gather in this church, our upper room, to celebrate this Mass, we pray:
That we may know God more.
That we may belong to him completely.
That we may accept his word we have received wholeheartedly.
That Jesus may be glorified in us. Amen.
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