Gospel
John 21:20-25
Peter turned and saw the disciple following whom
Jesus loved, the one who had also reclined upon his chest during
the supper and had said, "Master, who is the one who will
betray you?" When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what
about him?" Jesus said to him, "What if I want him to remain until
I come? What concern is it of yours? You follow me." So the word spread among the brothers that that disciple
would not die. But Jesus had not told him that he would not die, just "What if I want him to remain until I come? What concern is it of yours?"
It is this disciple who testifies to these things and has written them, and we know that his testimony
is true. There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.

Reflection
It's interesting to me that this gospel is the final words of John. And it goes back to something that was obviously an issue among the disciples.
Who did He like more? Who was He closer to? It's pretty clear from the scriptures, I mean, that He was very close to John. And that gave John, I think, a certain ability to share His message, Jesus’ message, with the world in a way that maybe the other disciples couldn't. And it's like he’s closing his disciples by saying, yes, I was closer to Jesus than some of them.
And I really do want you to believe everything I said, because my insight is different. My insights are mine, and I give them to you freely. Believe in them because I believe in them. And I've shared them with you.

Closing Prayer
Father, each of the disciples have shared with us their memories of you and all that they saw and all that they heard. But each one has a different perspective, and without that, we wouldn't have the fullness of knowledge of who you are without all four gospels. Help us to honor them, honor their differences, honor their uniqueness as we learn in a special way from each of them. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Gospel
John 21:15-19
After Jesus had revealed himself to his disciples and
eaten breakfast with them, he said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I
love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." He then said to Simon Peter a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Simon Peter answered him, "Yes, Lord, you know that I
love you." He said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was distressed that he had said to him a third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Amen, amen, I say to you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and go where you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go." He said this signifying by what kind of death he would
glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him, "Follow me.”

Reflection
The image of the Good Shepherd is an image of the way Jesus has worked in the world and how we are to work in the world. We are to feed and to tend. In feeding is to give them information, to reveal the truth as is revealed through Christ.
But there's also the work of tending. And tending is different than teaching. It's a way of being close to listening to where someone is so that we know where their pain is and what they need to know and what they don't know. And then we continue to feed. It’s a beautiful image of the way God works with us, and the way we're invited to work with each other.

Closing Prayer
Father, there's no way that we can share your message with those that we love without entering fully into their experience of their life. Give us an openness, a nonjudgmental spirit as we listen to each other and learn where we struggle and learn how to speak the word of God to that struggle. It's a gift you've given us. It's a responsibility we have to use that gift for the good of those around us. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Gospel
John 17:20-26
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: "I pray not only for these, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. 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. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”


Reflection
Jesus was not the only one that came and claimed that He was the Messiah. But He did have something that was working for Him, that wasn't working for the others.
And it was so clearly that He was not doing this because He figured out this mystery, but that He was told this mystery. He was awakened to it as a human being so filled with it that He had to share it with people. So He says over and over in this passage, you believe that I was sent by God.
It's so important in our faith that we believe that this message of Jesus is directly revealing the heart of who God is and what he longs for us to engage in, in this world. It has authority. It is authentic, it is the truth.

Closing Prayer
Father, human beings have always believed in gods. They never expected a God like you. And when you came and revealed the intimacy you long for us, it's been difficult for us to grasp. So we take hope in the prayer of Jesus at the end of his ministry when He says, I know this is difficult. I want to pray that people will surrender to its mysterious qualities and engage in it. Bless us with confidence that we are truly in touch when we are in touch with Jesus, with the truth. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Gospel
John 17:11b-19
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. When I was with them I protected them in your name that
you gave me, and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I am coming to you. I speak this in the world so that they may share my joy completely. I gave them your word, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world but that you keep them from the Evil One. They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world. 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.”


Reflection
To be consecrated is to be empowered and to be set apart from the ordinary things of life, to do something that is essential, essential to our existence.
We are here in the world for a purpose. The purpose is not simply to be tested so we can see whether or not we're good enough to go to a place where God will be there with us. No, we’re to participate in the most intense, beautiful miracle of making God present to the world. And there is a reason why we should have confidence that that is possible.
It's not because of our goodness or our wisdom. It's about what's been given. And the fact that I can believe, as we are all called to believe, that this will be done for me. Jesus Himself, God, the Father prays for me every day. That we be open and receptive to such a great, mysterious miracle.

Closing Prayer
Father, open our eyes so that we can see the intention that you brought into the world. The intention that we become like you. Instruments of bringing light and truth and peace into a troubled dark world. We're not to run from it. We're not to be a part of it. But we are to be dedicated to those in it and long for them to be free of that which could destroy them. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Gospel
John 17:1-11a
Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, "Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began.
"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 do not pray for the world but for the ones you have
given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”

Reflection
There are not many passages in Scripture that are a conversation between Jesus and God. But this one is so important. He’s giving us a clear indication of what His ministry was about.
It was about putting people, not in touch with information, but the presence of God. He longed for them to enter into a similar relationship that He had with God, and that was one of intimacy where everything that Jesus has was from God. And everything that Jesus gives is from God. They are one. And in a way, it's really hard for us to understand that we have that inheritance, God can dwell in our humanity, as imperfect as it is, and manifest Himself.
That's the message of Jesus. We are to live as He lived, to minister as He ministered. And we have confidence because Christ Himself says to us, I'm praying for you. I am praying that you will allow the divinity in you to do the work you are meant to accomplish.

Closing Prayer
Father, keep us from reducing the beauty and the fullness of your message to something that involves earning our salvation by doing what we're supposed to do because we're told to. Open us to this amazing mystery that you're calling us to carry your presence, not just information about you, but your very presence into the lives of those who are ready, open, receptive. It's a work that we have total confidence in because it is, you. You've empowered us to do it. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Gospel
John 16:29-33
The disciples said to Jesus, "Now you are talking plainly, and not in any figure
of speech. Now we realize that you know everything and that you do not need to have anyone question you. Because of this we believe that you came from God." Jesus answered them, "Do you believe now? Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived when each of you will be scattered to his own home and you will leave me alone. But I am not alone, because the Father is with me. I have told you this so that you might have peace in me. In the world you will have trouble, but take courage, I have conquered the world.”

Reflection
These words were spoken toward the end of Jesus’ ministry.
And what He's distinguishing for us is two things. One is, do you believe that Jesus is who He said He is? And the other is, do you believe that you have become like Him? Filled with spirit, filled with truth. It seems to me that the disciples in this story, since they turn away and run when He's in trouble, means that they don't fully yet understand, what's the difference?
What happened? It’s that mysterious moment when after Jesus died, He entered into them. Belief is not just information, it's transformation.

Closing Prayer
Father, you and you alone are the source of the wisdom that we long to engage in. To be fully who you want us to be. Give us an open heart that we receive this gift and stop trying to achieve it or earn it. It is your gift to us and then to the world. And we ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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The truth can not found in individual bible versus, but in every word spoken and every promise made by Jesus.

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John 16:23b-28
Jesus said to his disciples: "Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
"I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you
in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father. On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father himself loves you, because you have
loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”

Reflection What does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus? No one has fully understood yet what the Kingdom of God is going to be like. But there were so many misconceptions of what it was that God would create for the Israelite people that no one really knew the real plan.
So to pray in Jesus’ name is to pray for a kingdom that Jesus has described. And when we're praying for that, we know that that prayer will be answered because the will of God will override every other force, every other power in the world. The kingdom will come.

Closing Prayer Before you came into the world in the form of Jesus, we never fully knew who you were, nor do we know your plans for the world. But now we have seen you, and Jesus has taught us who you are. And when we pray the same prayer as Jesus, when our intention is with Jesus’ intention, we know that what we're praying for will be accomplished. Give us that kind of conviction. And also give us the sense of responsibility we have to continue to pray that the kingdom come. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.

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John 16:20-23
Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief will become joy. When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her
hour has arrived; but when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”

Reflection Jesus is telling us his disciples, We need to have a response to the world in all of its horror and all of its pain, and its not to fall into the trap of being angry or doubting whether God is really in charge or having revenge.
No, it is simply a call for compassion and empathy. There's something value about feeling the pain that people are in and mourning it, which has something to do with accepting it as something that will bring about something new, a new birth. Growth. It's essential that we learn the power of weeping and mourning.

Closing Prayer Father, Sometimes we look at the world and we are frightened by its evil. And yet we know that there is a power in this world stronger than that evil and that, that evil will be conquered. Keep us in that hope and that trust that our role is not to fix the world, but to participate in your work of bringing it into the light. And we ask this in Jesus name, Amen.

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