Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Our Gospel reading today is part of Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” that spans all of chapter seventeen in John’s Gospel. In this prayer, Jesus prays for himself, his disciples, and all believers. The passage today is part of our Lord’s prayer for his disciples. As we know, we are his disciples, too, if we love him and seek to follow him. So, Jesus’ prayer is for you and for me. We can be 100% certain that Jesus prayed according to his Father’s will, and so let us join him in his prayer today, confidently inviting God to consecrate us in the truth.
Let’s focus on this part of Jesus’ prayer: “[Father,] Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.” The verb in Greek, hagiazó that is translated “consecrate” means “to set apart, to sanctify, to make holy, to regard as sacred, or hallowed.” Think about this word for a moment. In our religious lives, many things are consecrated: church buildings, chapels, altars, serving vessels, etc. We’re also familiar with the term “consecrated religious” – men and women who are called by God and set apart for unique and particular service in the Church and in the world. During the Mass, the priest consecrates the elements of bread and wine. He says, “make holy, O Lord, these gifts we bring to you for consecration . . .” Now think about yourself. Have you ever thought about yourself as consecrated? Well, you are! You are consecrated, sanctified, set apart because Jesus prayed that you would be. We simply need to surrender to the Father’s will that we live sanctified lives, becoming saints.
During each Mass, as the gifts are brought forward and placed on the altar, I place myself on the altar in prayer, asking God to consecrate me, to transform me, more and more into the image of Christ. Think for a moment about what Christ longs to accomplish in you. He prayed to his Father that you and I might be sanctified, consecrated, in the truth. That is his desire for you, that is God’s will for you. Alétheia, truth, is God’s truth summed up and personified in Christ. This truth embodies absolute certainty, it is universally true in all circumstances, it reveals the true nature of God and the working of his purposes through Christ. No falsehood or deceit exists within this truth. God’s Word reveals this truth – truth in the Divine Logos himself, Jesus, and in his Word, the sacred scriptures. God’s desire is for each of us to be “set apart” to be uniquely and intimately bound to and filled with God’s truth. Just as a consecrated item, a church, a serving vessel, or whatever is set apart for a sacred purpose, so too are you and I set apart for a sacred purpose. We are set apart to share the love of God in our daily lives and to witness to the truth. Just as there is no falsehood in Christ, neither should there be for those of us who are in Christ. Let us be mindful today, and every day, that we are set apart, we are holy, we are “different,” and let us shine the light of truth in every dark corner of our world.
God loves us so much that he wants to make us holy, to sanctify us. The goal of each of our lives is to become a saint. You are a precious, priceless “vessel” that God desires to transform and make holy in his truth and by the Holy Spirit. Let that amazing truth wash over you. Jesus prayed for us and continues to pray for us in his High Priestly Prayer. I invite you to deeply personalize his prayer today. Let us pray, according to the Holy Gospel, “Heavenly Father, consecrate [me] in the truth. Your word is truth.” By your grace, Father, help me/us to become a saint. Thanks be to God, Alleluia!
-Elizabeth Wells