Christ prays for us!

The Seventh Sunday of Easter (year C)

I wrote a song which we sang at Mass this morning. The text combines some of the second reading (I am the Alpha and the Omega) with lines from the last section of John 17, the section in which Jesus prays for us.

Whenever I read John 17 (which I encourage you to read today), I want to cry out with the Psalmist: Too wonderful for me this knowledge, too high, beyond my reach! To think of it! Before Jesus was taken away to be crucified, He prayed to His Father. He prayed for us. He prayed that we would be with Him, that we would see the glory He had from the Father before the foundation of the world! Considering the power of that prayer, what could possibly get to us that would be more precious or more filled with hope?

And by the way, this is the next section of Ephesians 1:17 that I’ve been commenting on the past few days. Paul prays that God grant us a spirit of wisdom and understanding that we might see (grasp) what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints. John 17 does a good job explaining what some of those riches may be.

Anyway, to get to the song. For what it’s worth, I’m giving you the text below. By next weekend I will have an mp3 (sound file) of the music, because I am having it recorded this week. For today, however, I think the text will provide you with adequate food for reflection. You’ll find it all included in the last part of John 17.

I am the Alpha and Omega.

I am the first and the last,

the beginning and the end.

I am loved by my Father.

He has given me glory

before the foundation of the world.

I pray for you, my faithful beloved,

to be with me and to see my glory.

before the beginning of the world.

The Father’s love for me

will be in you,

you and me, as one.

God bless you.