Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter

Lectionary: 300

And I have given them the glory you gave me,
so that they may be one, as we are one,
I in them and you in me,
that they may be brought to perfection as one,
that the world may know that you sent me,
and that you loved them even as you loved me.
Father, they are your gift to me.

Which of us is not moved when they hear, "Father, they are your gift to me?" I may think highly of myself but to hear the Lord express such gladness and gratitude upon receiving the gift of myself from God the Father must overwhelm my self-esteem. It sends me into silent consideration. And if I am not given to self-admiration and assurance of my own worth, I hardly know what to think. 

This initial gift of which the Lord speaks -- fishermen, workers, and tax collectors -- has so far looked more like a bunch of bewildered hangers-on, and hardly impressive by the world's standards. And yet Jesus displays such appreciation and love for them, a love which he will prove on the morrow, far beyond all comprehension. 

What can we do but accept his affection? Psalm 18 recalls an astonishing demonstration: 

I cried out to my God.

From his temple he heard my voice;

my cry to him reached his ears.

The earth rocked and shook;

the foundations of the mountains trembled;

they shook as his wrath flared up.

Smoke rose from his nostrils,

a devouring fire from his mouth;

it kindled coals into flame.

He parted the heavens and came down....

and concludes with, "He saved me because he loved me." But the Lord's passion, death, and resurrection surpasses anything the Psalmist could imagine. 

So who am I not to embrace the same bewildered hangers-on, the Church? 

We have heard in John 17 the Lord's prayer that "they may be one," and we have seen how far he will go to insure the unity of the Church. He offers his life on the altar of the cross, and from that altar insists that we eat his flesh and drink his blood. We cannot be admiring onlookers. We cannot stand back and cheer for him, "You go, God!" 

Rather, we must eat and drink and prepare to make the same sacrifice. The Church's unity must be our passion as well. Facing any and every conflict in the Church we must pause, step back for a moment, take a deep breath, and discover within ourselves the Lord's own affection, admiration, and love for this person and these people. "...they are your gift to me."

This unifying impulse wants to be as generous, courageous, and far-reaching as the Lord's cross. It does not pause at the edges of any select group of human beings. They are all your gift to me.