Glorify Your Son

June 3, 2025 - Tuesday, Memorial of Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs

John 17:1–11a

The Gospel of John chapter 17 is called the “High Priestly Prayer.” Jesus, the Son of God and our eternal High Priest, offers this prayer to the Father on the night before His Passion. He prays that His suffering and death on the cross will bring glory to the Father—and that through it, He Himself may be glorified. Jesus consecrates Himself for the sacrifice of His life, in which He is both priest and victim. Then, He turns to intercede for His disciples—those present with Him, and all those who will come to believe in Him.

This prayer is a prime example of intercessory prayer. St. Paul, in his letter to the Romans, writes that Jesus intercedes for us before the Father (Rom 8:34). The Lord is our advocate, pleading for us not just once but forever. As the Letter to the Hebrews puts it, Jesus “always lives to make intercession for” us (Heb. 7:25). And St. John echoes this in his letter: the risen Christ is our Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1).

In our Catholic spiritual tradition, we often associate intercessory prayer with Mary and the Saints. We ask them to pray for us, to present our needs to Jesus or to God the Father. For many, the Blessed Virgin Mary is the first to turn to. But today’s Gospel reminds us that the source of all intercession is Jesus Himself. The power of the prayers of the Saints comes from their deep communion with Christ, the great Intercessor.

At the heart of this prayer is Jesus’ longing for glory—not the glory of fame, success, or praise, but the glory of the cross, where divine love shines brightest. He says, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you.” In the Gospel of John, “glory” is another word for the self-giving love of God, revealed fully in the passion and resurrection of Jesus. The hour of suffering is not a tragedy to be avoided, but a moment where the true nature of God is revealed.

Glory, in this sense, means revealing the truth of who God is. And who is God? The One who so loved the world that He gave His only Son. Jesus gives glory to the Father by doing His will—even when it leads to death. And the Father glorifies the Son by raising Him up—not just from the tomb, but into the hearts of believers who now see in Him the face of God.

In a world hungry for recognition and self-promotion, Jesus shows us a different way. To glorify God is to love, to serve, to be faithful. And when we live this way—quietly, humbly, truthfully—we also share in Christ’s glory.

So today, let us ask ourselves:

Whose glory are we living for?

Are we seeking to make God known, or simply to make ourselves seen?

Let us join Jesus in His prayer:

“Father, glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.”

And may our lives—our words, our actions, even our sacrifices—become a reflection of that eternal glory.