Kept in the World, Sent into the World
June 4, 2025 - Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
John 17:11b–19
Jesus is preparing to leave. The hour of His Passion has come. But before He returns to the Father, He prays—for those He is leaving behind. He is not asking for their removal from danger, but for their protection within it. His disciples are not being taken out of the world, but sent into it—as witnesses, as servants, as bearers of truth.
“Holy Father, keep them in your name.”
Jesus knows the world is full of threats to their faith—distractions, temptations, hatred, and fear. He knows they will face opposition, and even death. But instead of praying for escape, He prays that they will be kept—rooted in God’s name, held in the truth, and united in love.
He prays for their joy—not a shallow happiness, but the joy that comes from knowing they belong to God. He prays for their sanctification, asking the Father to consecrate them in the truth. And He prays for their mission—that just as the Father sent Him into the world, He now sends them.
One of the most striking parts of this prayer is Jesus’ longing for unity among His disciples. “That they may be one as we are one.” This unity is not just functional—it is meant to reflect the love and communion of the Trinity itself. Unity is not a side note to the mission; it is the mission. Because when the world sees love, forgiveness, and communion among Christians, it begins to see God.
And yet, here is one of our deepest wounds: disunity. Throughout history, Christians have been divided—by doctrine, by pride, by misunderstanding. Instead of showing the world the beauty of God’s love, we often give the world a reason to doubt it. The greatest scandal of Christianity is not our weakness, but our refusal to live as one.
At the end of every prayer, we say “Amen.” It’s a word of trust, but also of commitment. We not only hope that the prayer will be heard; we promise to live by it. In that light, the only honest way to end today’s Gospel is not just with our lips, but with our lives. If Jesus prayed for our unity, then we must live in a way that makes that unity possible.
So today, let us ask:
Are we being faithful to the mission Jesus prayed us into?
Are we being sanctified in the truth?
Are we allowing ourselves to be kept in His name?
May our “Amen” be more than a word.
May it be a life.