Glorify

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Glorify

Name     Works

Accept     Know     Persevere

The Hour Has Come

Redemption

(photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture:   John 17: 1 and 2

After Jesus had said this, he looked up to heaven and said,

"Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may also glorify you, just as you gave him power over all people, so that he may give eternal life to all you gave him."

Reflection

Jesus knows that the end is near. 

He is speaking to the Father and sharing from His heart. He knows that it is going to be difficult, but He puts that behind Him.

Jesus asks the Father for glory. He knows that He will need the strength that the Father can provide. He can not face this on His own.

With that strength from the Father, Jesus will be able to be faithful to the mission He received from the Father---the mission to proclaim the Kingdom of God.

When Jesus is faithful to that mission, He is glorifying the Father. He is spreading the message that God wants everyone to know that they are loved unconditionally.

Jesus comes to give. He wants to give us eternal life. 

It is a message that is difficult for us to accept sometimes. We wonder how God can love us to this degree. 

When people are nice to us, we become suspicious. We wonder what they might want from us. 

When Jesus offers us His Love, we wonder how it could be possible that Jesus could love us to this extent. It seems too good to be true.

This gift from Jesus comes with an invitation. If we say yes to Jesus, we can also glorify the Father.

We glorify the Father each time we share the Love that Jesus gives us with those the Father sends to us. 

Jesus accepted the mission and was able to glorify the Father. It is our turn now!

1. How was Jesus able to be faithful to His mission?

2. How does Jesus glorify the Father?

3. How can we glorify the Father?

4. What do you feel as you contemplate Kathy's photo?

(scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John J. McNamara)