Fr Frank writes:
My Dear Friends,
Of this Sunday, Pope Emeritus Benedict writes:
In his Gospel, Saint John, more fully than the other three evangelists, reports in his own distinctive way the farewell discourses of Jesus; they appear as his testament and a synthesis of the core of his message.
Twice in the course of the priestly prayer (see today’s Gospel reading) Jesus speaks of revealing God’s name. Jesus thus means to say that he is bringing to fulfilment what began with the burning bush; that in him God, who had made himself known to Moses, now reveals himself fully. And that in doing so he brings about reconciliation; that the love with which God loves his Son in the mystery of the Trinity now draws men and women into this divine circle of love.
To give one’s name means to enter into relationship with another. The revelation of the divine name then, means that God, infinite and self-subsistent, enters into the network of human relationships, that he comes out of himself, so to speak, and becomes one of us, present among us and for us.
May our risen, ascended and glorified Lord bless you today and always,
Frank ofs
Sunday Smile:
An elderly Scottish preacher always thanked God for the weather.
Even when it was awful he would pray: “We thank you, Lord, that every day is not as bad as this one.”