We need to call on the presence of the Spirit, for the topic I wish to present to you is rather complex, and I am aware of my own inadequacy even in just approaching it. We need the Spirit’s assistance, His inspiration. Because of the priestly consecration which took place last evening and which filled this place with the presence of the Holy Spirit, I believe this to be the perfect milieu for such a complex yet gentle and delicate topic: understanding the face of the Father.

We all can relate to Philip*, for we all desire to see the face of the Father as he did; we all wish to know Him and to enter into a relationship with Him. Yet, if we were to be granted the grace to see Him, we would exclaim: "Lord, it is too much!"

As you recall, last year we focused on the Son a phrase from the Letter to the Hebrews as a starting point: "Christ yesterday, today and forever" (Heb 13:8). Christ is central to our spirituality—He is a reality we cannot ignore. However, to contemplate Jesus’ face, to hear His word and give heed to His teaching is not sufficient. We need to keep in mind that Jesus is both God and man, and that as such He not only has a face but a heart. Our question here is: "Does Jesus’ heart have favorites?" Of one partiality we know: His mother. It is a partiality easy to imagine and rightly so. Along with His mother, we can imagine His partiality for Joseph, even though in the Gospels this is not so obvious. At the core of the heart of Jesus, however, there is another reality: His love for the Father, which surpasses all other loves, including His love for Mary and Joseph. Recall the finding of Jesus in the temple; Mary complains: "Why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been searching for you in sorrow."(Lk 2:48). Jesus’ answer was: "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house?" (Lk 2:49).

We see that in the heart of Christ there is a classification of values that differs from ours. We think of His mother first, then Joseph, and then all the rest. But no, Christ’s first and foremost priority is the Father and His love for Him. This concept will help us understand the reality, the psychology, and life of Jesus. To emphasize this may seem trivial, for, of course, it is logical that Jesus loves His Father first and foremost. However, it is one thing to think this and another thing to make it the reality of my own life.

We tend to think of the Father, of God, as a supreme Reality out there and not at all as a Reality pulsating within our very being. On the other hand, my simple observation is that even in our profession of faith, in our Creed, Christ is placed on center stage. References to the Father appear only at the beginning of this prayer, and the Holy Spirit is left for the end. The entire body of the Creed is Christological and, in a sense, this is understandable since the Creed was historically an "identity card" for the first Christians. Most of the issues at that time were about Christ. Debates were raging about His divinity and humanity, and there was a need to define and understand their unity in the same Person.

In the two fields of pure theology and spirituality, the figure of the Father has not always been a strong one, nor has He always received due emphasis. We, too, are more prone to state that we love Mary and we love Jesus, and it almost feels strange to say that we love the Father. But if we wish to enter into the heart of Jesus, if we wish to be in union with Him and have our hearts beat with His, we must learn to love the Father. This is my earnest wish for us, as the fruit of this encounter in preparation for May 1^st: to come to know the Father, to contemplate His face, to love Him and feel the closeness of His presence within us.

Even in revelation, this process of knowing the Father is difficult. From the beginning it is stated that no one could ever see God and live. This highlights the absolute transcendence of God in relation to His human creatures: the Invisible God; the eternal, unreachable and unutterable God. What is this mortal creature? This creature which, like the grass of the field, springs up in the morning but by evening withers and is thrown into the fire? What is this human creature that it should dare to fix its gaze on God, on the Father?

This gives way to a gradual revelation from God. This process emphasizes the various stages of God’s revelation of Himself to His creatures by pointing out three different dimensions of rapport: rapport with the world; with Israel, His chosen nation; and with Jesus. We find our place within this last rapport.

With the world. Elohim is the term indicating God (El). It is also the plural term signifying all deities, all gods, but especially God, who is above all other gods, who has dominion over all and is the Master of creation.

With Israel, whom God considers His own creature. Recall the passage from Exodus: "I found him in the desert—where only howling beasts existed—and I took him; as an eagle takes its nestlings and places them on high peaks, so God has taken you, raised you and hidden you in the shelter of his rock to protect and defend you." For Israel the Father becomes Yahweh; that is, the "One Who Is." The conversation of God with Moses may appear somewhat strange. Moses asks God:

"When they will ask: ‘What is his name?’"—to speak of a name is to speak of a reality – "what shall I tell them?" "What shall I tell the Hebrews that when they ask, ‘Tell us his name, his reality, his looks and his power;’ what shall I tell them?" "You will tell them, ‘I Am’ sent me." This answer should leave us dumbfounded, for what does "I Am" mean? It is an expression used by God, meaning the reality of a presence, of power and of magnificence—the reality of a God so wonderful that the Hebrew people could only describe and praise, invoke and exalt Him with a Psalm (Ps 150).

I have chosen two of the psalms – not the most significant either – that describe the power of God, the power of the Father. When we speak of the Father, we are not speaking of Someone weak, weary, incapable, but rather of a Father who is all-powerful, a Creator whose amazing action we see all around us in nature, other people, and events.

Now we see a deeper dimension of creation. All of it speaks to us of God: the mountains, the valleys, fields and meadows below, birds and grass – all speak of a "goal" God has in mind for us, His creatures.

As I mentioned at the beginning, this was mainly in relation to Israel and summarized in the words, "I Am." It is amazing that Jesus claims this identical name, "I Am," in the Gospel of John. Thus everything we have said of God’s Providence, His power and wisdom, we are also saying about Jesus, who likewise says, "I Am."

In John we find some very surprising statements: "Jesus replied: ‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father too.’ Again Jesus told them: ‘I am going away.

You will look for me but you will die in your sins... You will surely die in your sins unless you come to believe that I AM.’ Then they asked: ‘Who are you, then?’ Jesus answered: ‘Just what I have been telling you from the beginning.’(That is, I AM).

‘I could say much more about you in condemnation; but no, I only tell the world what I have heard from him, the truthful One who sent me.’ They did not grasp that he was speaking to them of the Father. Jesus continued: ‘When you lift up the Son of Man, you will come to realize that I AM and that I do nothing by myself. I say only what the Father has taught me. The One who sent me is with me. He has not deserted me since I always do what pleases him.’ (John 8:19-30). In another passage from John, He says: ‘Your father Abraham rejoiced that he might see my day. He saw it and was glad.’ At this the Jews objected, ‘You are not yet fifty! How can you have seen Abraham?’ Jesus answered them: ‘I solemnly declare it: before Abraham came to be I AM.’" (John 8:56-58). This is a marvelous statement by Jesus who, like His Father, is happy to stress the I AM, to manifest His power and His identification with the Father. This is the second aspect.

The third aspect is the intimate rapport of the Father with Jesus – the Father whom Jesus calls "Abba." How often we have recalled that Abba is the familial and intimate term used in the Hebrew family; however, no one had ever thought of calling God "Abba" before. But Jesus does and in so doing, He reveals to us the deep and intimate rapport He has with the Father. A great Protestant biblical scholar suggests that every time we read the word "Lord," in the Gospel, we should change it into "Father." He says to read the Gospel with this approach, and you will experience a delightful depth and richness.

If you also do this with the Psalms, you will experience their meaning more deeply, for the relationship between us and God will be transformed into a rapport of affection, of intimacy and familiarity. In addition, this will give us a glimpse of the rapport between Jesus and the Father. This is, in fact, what we are trying to understand now: the relevance that the Father has in the life of Jesus and vice versa.

The place the Father has in the life of Jesus is the place He must have in our lives. We must love the Father like Jesus loves Him. Conversely, we must recognize that the Father loves us like He loves Jesus. If only we would translate all this into life, our spiritual life would really be changed; the Father would enter totally into our existence – an existence that, as we know, is already rooted in His heart.

It is in this light that we can explore what Jesus is for the Father and vice versa. From a theological perspective, we can understand this by reading the first chapter of John’s Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word; the Word was in God’s presence, and the Word was God." (Jn 1:1). (This is the mystery of the Trinity.) "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, yet his own did not accept him. Any who did accept him he empowered to become children of God." (Jn 1:14). This is what we must keep in mind: Christ has configured us to Himself so that we might have the same rapport with the Father and the Father with us. However, Jesus loves the Father in a unique way which we cannot expect to duplicate, for He is the only Begotten Son of God.

When Jesus addresses the Father, He does not say "Our Father", as in the prayer He will teach the apostles. For Himself, He always says "My Father" and "your Father," thus stressing the special rapport that exists between Him and the Father - a rapport which, somehow, we should try to realize in our own lives. Following the example of Jesus, we, too, can and must turn to the Father and say "my Father, Abba." Although we continue to say "Our Father" – since we are united as a community and as the Body of Christ – we must also establish a personal relationship with the Father and say: "My Father, I love You; I adore You; I think of You; and I know that You love me and think of me." We need to make this a deep reality in our hearts and in our lives, not only in those awed moments when we speak of or to Him, but always. It is no wonder that sometimes when I speak of the Father, I feel deeply moved, for this paternity is the greatest reality Jesus could reveal to us: the Father loves me and is with me moment by moment.

The Father reveals himself audibly at least three times during the life of Jesus. First, at the moment of Jesus’ Baptism, the Father makes His voice heard: "You are my beloved Son, in You my favor rests," (Lk 3:21). Secondly, at the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor, the voice of the Father is heard from the cloud: "This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to Him" (Luke 9:35). Then in Matthew: "This is my beloved Son on whom my favor rests. Listen to him." (Mt 17:5).

We see, therefore, the rapport Jesus has with the Father and the Father with Him. What trust and serenity we should find in the fact that we abide in the Father’s Son and that, as sons and daughters of the same Father, the words to Jesus are addressed to us as well: "This is My beloved son in whom I am well pleased!" "This is My beloved daughter in whom I am well pleased!"

Let us try to grasp the twofold dimension of the Father’s voice: His rapport with the Son and His rapport with us. Not only His rapport with me, but also His rapport with all who live around me. Thus, we should respect, love and, I’d say, even venerate one another. When we fall short in charity, we are lacking respect and kindness for the children of God. This is why this rapport of love is so often repeated in Scripture: we are children of God, and the Father loves us all.

SECOND MEDITATION

We have been speaking of the mysterious yet beautiful rapport of the Father with the Son and vice versa and how we find ourselves in this rapport, as we experience the need to love the Father and live in the certainty that He loves us and hovers over us. This is a paternal, fatherly love which Scripture also describes as a spousal love – like a spouse who forgives the infidelity of his beloved (Israel) – and like a maternal love, like a mother stooping over her creatures. I hope all this is conducive to an attitude of intense interiority and spirituality, not as an abstraction or theory, but as a practical aid to our soul.

Allow me a simple analogy. After you use perfume from a bottle, you want to make sure that the cap is back on so that the perfume will not evaporate. Well, I would like to say that this inner spirituality, too, needs special attention so that it will not vanish with time. In our methodology this is best ensured by silence and recollection. If we wish to profit from this moment of grace, we must try to maintain an atmosphere of silence. There are many other days for talking! We do need to dedicate time and attention to this interiority and spirituality. End of remarks; now we can go on with our reflections.

The voice that came down upon the Jordan River and on Mt. Tabor was indeed heard by the Apostles. Surely this voice, so clear, convincing and direct – together with Jesus’ constant references and prayers to the Father – stirred the curiosity of the Apostles. This is how we understand the Gospel of John when Jesus says:

Jesus’ answer is pertinent: it encompasses the intimate human need every creature has for contact with God. We all feel the need and have the desire to come into contact with God, not only at the level of hearing but of seeing and touching as well. We have the desire for contact with the Power that overwhelms us. Yes, we feel ecstatic before the words of Psalm 104; that is, before God’s providence manifested in the ocean, in the sea, in the clouds, in the rocks and rivers, and in the animals, yet this is not enough! As human creatures we feel the need to hear, to see, and to touch God. So we understand Philip’s psychological quest: "Jesus, show us the Father." We want to see the face of the Father! What a marvelous thing it would be! Of course, we will see Him, but for now we are waiting – a waiting that is not just of today but of all ages. This was also Moses’ desire, though it seems a somewhat strange desire, since Moses was speaking with God and did see the splendor of His face; he saw lightning coming from Mt. Sinai. Yet even this was not sufficient for Moses. We find a passage in Exodus which describes the desire Moses has to see God: "The Lord said to Moses, ‘This request, too, which you have just made, I will carry out because you have found favor with me, and you are my intimate friend.’ Then Moses said, ‘Do let me see your glory!’ He answered, ‘I will make all my beauty pass before you, and in your presence I will pronounce my name, LORD. I who show favor to whom I will; I who grant mercy to whom I will. But my face you cannot see, for no man sees me and still lives.’ ‘Here,’ continued the Lord, ‘is a place near me where you shall station yourself on the rock. When my glory passes, I will set you in the hollow of the rock and will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand, so that you may see my back; but my face is not to be seen’" (Exodus 33:17-23).

Notice the gentle love of God for this Moses who would speak with God as "a friend to a friend," both in the meeting tent and on Mt. Sinai. Nonetheless, Moses is not allowed to see God’s face, for God is infinite, unutterable, and a mystery. We, too, who have the desire like Philip, Moses, and Elijah, to see God, to see the Father, must humbly accept just seeing His back. We can’t always see the face of the Lord in our daily lives. At times, everything seems so strange, corrupted, and messy that we can only see the back of the Lord, while we should have the courage to look for the face of the Lord.

I was mentioning Elijah: He enters into a cave to spend the night there, and the Lord comes to him thus: ‘Why are you here, Elijah?’ He answered: ‘I have been zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts, but the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to the sword. I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.’ Then the Lord said, ‘Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord; the Lord will be passing by.’ A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains and crushing rocks before the Lord—but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake—but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire—but the Lord

was not in the fire. After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound. When he heard this, Elijah hid his face in his cloak (He did not want to see the face of God.); he went and stood at the entrance of the cave." (1 Kings 19:9-16).

God is present to Elijah not in the big events but in the peace, in the serenity and gentleness... When we wish to feel close to the Lord, we must be able to find Him in the interior peace and interior gentleness, as much as possible, without letting all that surrounds us disturb us, whether it be wind, fire, or storm. We must make it a habit to create an interior cave in which we nestle next to the Father, without becoming disturbed by events or people. We should remain tightly united with God, to see Him somehow, even though not in the way we would like to, but in the answer Jesus gives to Philip, which is also an answer to our quest. We should make every effort to see the Father in Jesus. In this way the Christological centralization, which has existed from the beginning of Christianity and throughout the ages, will find its true meaning. For, while we have this interior need, this longing, as did Philip, to see the Father, we also know that – although He is the invisible, the unutterable, the all-powerful, the greatest and the immense – He chose to come among us, to become visible flesh so that, unable to see Him directly, we could see Him in Jesus. Thus our desire to see the Father finds an answer in our listening to the Son. What is Jesus telling us of the Father, since He sees and knows Him? We don’t want to speculate now on how Jesus, who is both God and man, can visibly see and actually know the Father. We can be certain that He knew Him, for He explicitly tells us so. Therefore, we should ask Jesus to help us see the Father; a seeing based on knowledge not vision; a deep interior seeing of the marvelous reality of the Father, with the desire to make this reality a part of our lives and vice versa.

What is Jesus’ answer to all this? "Look at Me," He says. "Look at what I have revealed to you of the Father." Today icons are very popular, but the Icon we are looking at is not a mere artistic painting—without demeaning the value of paintings. The Icon we are looking at is One of mystical, spiritual relevance, for it is not a photograph, a painting or a portrait, but rather, a human and supernatural reality meant to somehow visually represent a divine reality. In order to represent the intuition he or she has of the divine, the author or artist of an icon prays, fasts and uses blessed colors to bring about his or her masterpiece – even though technically imperfect and artistically incomplete. In the Icon we are talking about, we almost see the reproduction of that mysterious Icon that is Jesus in the womb of Mary. There, too, (in the womb) and in a way that is transcendent and unique, we find this perfect and harmonic blending of the divine with the human: the Holy Spirit overshadows the human (Mary) and the Icon that is brought to birth is Jesus. Therefore, whenever we see an icon, we should think of the miracle of the Incarnation, when the divine Artist, the Father, through the action of the Holy Spirit and the cooperation of Mary, brings about the marvelous Icon that is Jesus.

Both the Letter to the Hebrews and the Book of Wisdom have tried to present us this image, this Icon that is Jesus. Hebrews defines Jesus: "This Son is the reflection of the Father’s glory, the exact representation of the Father’s being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word..." (Heb 1:13). The face of the Father is resplendent and full of glory, resplendent as the sun – we cannot stare at the sun without going blind; we can look at its life-giving rays, though. In the same way Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God, the radiance of His face.

Moreover, He is the seal with which the Father marks our lives. The passage from the Book of Wisdom (which, according to many exegetes, refers to Christ more than to the Holy Spirit) defines this Icon thus: "For she is an aura of the might of God and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty; therefore, nothing that is sullied enters into her. For she is the refulgence of eternal light, the spotless mirror of the power of God, the image of his goodness." (Wis 7:25-26). I believe that there could not be a more accurate, more beautiful and complete description of the face of Jesus, as this one in Wisdom.

How can we come to know Jesus as the Icon of the Father? (I would like to think—and I am sure I am not too far from reality—that any time an artist – a poet, a painter, or a writer – tries to portray an image of Jesus, the Holy Spirit is particularly close to him so that his work may indeed represent the face of Jesus as the face of Father. Think of the sixteenth-century sculptures of Michelangelo or Raffaello.) So let us try to know Jesus, for by knowing Him we will also come to know the Father. Let us try to listen to Jesus’ descriptions of the Father, the marvelous things He says of Him. God knows how many times we have read the Gospel passages. Yet it is one thing to read them and another thing to integrate them to form a complete picture.

The Father is Providence. (Matt 6:25-34). Some people have a particular passion for birds, for the non-rational creatures, for cats or dogs. If these animals get sick, there isn’t much one can do, other than taking them to the veterinarian. Pet owners have no control over these creatures. It is not the same with the Father, who has counted every hair on our heads, and no bird falls and dies without His being aware of it. Such is the Father’s providence: He cares for all His creatures, animate and inanimate; not even a blade of grass escapes His love, nor does a sparrow die without God’s presence to it. Think of us and how we are continually under the Father’s care. If we could only see our lives as "smiles" of the Father! Many times we rebel and are unable to accept the difficulties that come our way. We rebel because we separate the reality of our lives from this great reality of God’s love. It is the Father who allows all this: my illness, the illness of other people. But if all this comes from the Father—from a Father who loves us—how can we not accept everything from His hands? Behold, this is what Jesus teaches us.

The Father is forgiving. "If you forgive the faults of others, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours. If you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive you" (Matt 6:14). We need to feel the presence of this Father in our poverty. When we sin or go wrong – and it happens many times – people judge and condemn us... Not so the Father; He understands. You see how these descriptions already give us an image of the Father: a Father who is providence; a forgiving and generous Father, a Father that "makes the rain fall on the just and the unjust" (Matt 5:45-48). We want justice at any cost, though. (I still have to understand what justice is, anyway); we are the ones who would like to see that all goes according to our criterion – as if our criterion were infallible. The Father, instead, is good and generous; if only we could learn from His generosity!

The Father is aware of all our needs. Jesus said: "When you are praying, do not behave like the hypocrites who love to stand and pray in synagogues or on street corners in order to be noticed. I give you my word; they are already repaid. Whenever you pray, go to your room, close your door, and pray to the Father in private. Then your Father, who sees what no man sees, will repay you" (Matt 6:5-6). This is how the Father knows us! Perhaps, at times, we may feel abandoned by the Father, especially when things do not go our way. But He knows and loves us; He leads our lives toward perfection – for He is perfection. But, of course, we need to cooperate. "Be you, therefore, perfect as your Father is perfect" (Matt 5:48).

Another description of the Father given by Jesus is: His very life. If we believe in the unity of the two natures of Jesus with the Father, we must conclude that what we find in Jesus is in the Father also. This concept opens a vast chapter, so to speak, for it reveals the interior richness of Jesus’ goodness, gentleness, and serenity rooted in the gentleness and will of the Father. When Jesus embraces the little children, it is the Father who, through Jesus, embraces them. We feel tenderness for little children; so did Jesus and therefore the Father – Jesus sternly reproaches those who scandalize one of these little ones! Jesus’ love for the children, the sick, and the sinners, His looking after the lost sheep, whom He does not beat up but rather carries on His shoulders back to the stable, are all expressions of the Father’s care. But there is one parable that is specifically related to the Father: the parable of the Prodigal Son.

In this parable we find a marvelous theology – a theology we should study in depth. When the son says, "Father, give me the share of the estate that is coming to me," the Father divided up the property. We, in our mentality, would have replied, "What property? Not now! You must wait until I die!" Not so with the Lord, with the Father. He gives the son the property that does not belong to the son, knowing that he will go off and sinfully squander everything. The father accepts the possibility of a son that may go wrong. We, on the contrary, do not accept the eventuality of a person who may err. In this parable, we see the Father who is waiting – this is the most moving aspect of the story. The text says: "While he (the son) was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him..." So every day, perhaps, the father spent a long time on the housetop, waiting in the hope that his son might return. Think of the anguish he was going through. Yet that father is God. What need does God have of us lowly creatures? And yet this is the reality: God loves us and He waits for us. As soon as the father saw the son, "He was deeply moved; He ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him." The father gives the son no chance to speak. He calls the servants: "Quick! Bring out the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and shoes on his feet..." The father not only forgives but restores all that was lost. When the so-called "good son" complains: "When this son of your returns after having gone through your property with loose women, you kill the fatted calf for him," the father answers: "My son, you are with me always, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice! This brother of yours was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and is found" (Luke 15:1-ff). You see, this is the Father’s reality. We are still looking for something that will show us the Father. Behold, let us contemplate Him in all these realities, and we will be able to say that we have seen Him.

We have come to the last meditation that will conclude this day of preparation for May first. Our topics are Jesus’ response to the Father’s paternity; how He prayed; how Mary prayed to the Father; and how we must pray. These are not easy topics mainly because we do not know much about Mary’s prayer to the Father. However, we can and must come to understand this reality.

Without a doubt, Jesus’ prayer to the Father is the most obvious, for it is presented to us in the Gospels. How much time did Jesus spend praying to the Father? We don’t exactly know; however, in Luke we find an indication. "Erat pernoctans in oratione Dei." "Then He went out to the mountain to pray, spending the night in communion with God" (Luke 6:12). "Erat pernoctans" indicates that He did this on an on-going basis. He was used to spending the night in prayer to the Father. Thus He must have spent the night in prayer before choosing the Apostles, calling the twelve one by one, even though He knew that one of them would betray Him. (Think of His interior struggle in having to call the one who, in the end, was going to be the catalyst of His tragic death.) But more than just that one night, habitual and frequent nights of prayer is indicated. What was Jesus saying to the Father? We do not know exactly; we only have some examples from the Gospels. We know, for example, that in the garden He prayed: "...not my will but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). Again, after an interruption, He returns to pray in the garden: "Eundem sermonem dicens." He repeated the same words: "...He went down to his knees and prayed in these words, ‘Father, if it is your will, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done.’" (Luke 22:42). This indicates the basic attitude of Jesus’ prayer to the Father: not me but You; not my will but Yours.

Jesus, as a good Jew, would begin His day with the recitation of the "Shema". We recite the "Shema" in the evening; the Hebrews recite it in the morning. At least once a day Jesus prayed this prayer to the Father, to the Holy One, the Perfect One. But there is a prayer which – (I say this approximately, since I do not have explicit documentation) – Jesus recited for Himself and for the whole body, the body that would become the Mystical Body, and which would encompass all humanity: the "Our Father." Perhaps, adapting it, Jesus would not pray "Our Father" but "My Father, who are in heaven...." On the other hand, however, thinking of the entire human race, He must have also prayed, "Our Father, who are in heaven... ." In the intimacy of His contact with the Father, perhaps sometimes He might have used this mystical plural. In any case, the most beautiful prayer is undoubtedly the prayer of Jesus to the Father presented by John in his Gospel, chapter 17. It is the conclusion of His talks in the Cenacle and a beautiful invocation to the Father.

Allow me to read this prayer to you without comment, for it is self-explanatory. It isn’t improvised or "out of the blue." This prayer expresses the fundamental thoughts of Jesus. The adjectives and the invocations expressed in this prayer are the most beautiful, exquisite things a son approaching death and self-immolation could tell his father. Jesus says the glorification of the Father is the salvation of humanity. Jesus is essentially a giver, for the Father sent Him into the world to be self-giving. "Father, the hour has come! Give glory to your Son that your Son may give glory to you, inasmuch as you have given him authority over all mankind, that he may bestow eternal life on those you gave him. Eternal life is this [Let us reflect on this, my daughters]: to know you, the only true God, and him whom you have sent, Jesus Christ." To know the Father! If only this brief retreat would enable us to know the face of the Father a little better, we would have fulfilled Jesus’ prayer. This is God’s will; "this is eternal life, to know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent." "I have given You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave me to do. O You now, Father, give me glory at Your side, a glory I had with You from the beginning of the world." "Give me Your glory"; perhaps give me the gift, the joy of the Spirit, the glory of the Spirit – even though Jesus had it, as the Incarnate Word, from all eternity.

"I have made your name known to those you gave me out of the world." Here we see Jesus’ rapport with the world. When the Word became Incarnate, the Father entrusted to Him those whom He loved. "These men You gave me were Yours; they have kept Your word." Although this obviously refers to the Apostles, it also relates to the reality of all humanity as it journeys toward the Father. "Now they realize that all You gave me comes from You. I entrusted to them the message You entrusted to me, and they received it. They have known that in truth I have come from You; they have believed it was You who sent me" (John 17:1-8).

This is the great reality not only of Christ living among us but of Christ given to us as a gift from the Father. We recall the first verses of the Letter to the Hebrews: the Father makes every effort to speak to humanity; He sends the prophets as His representatives and, in the end, He sends His Son as His Word to humanity – His last letter to humanity. Like Hebrews we, too, should see this reality of Christ and consider Him as the "One sent" by the Father. Moreover, in our relationship with Him, we must not forget the Source by which He is begotten. "For these I pray – not for the world but for these you have given me, for they are really Yours." Here we find Jesus praying for us since we dwell in Him as Christians. "Just as all that belongs to me is Yours [notice the intimacy], so all that belongs to You is mine. It is in them that I have been glorified." How beautiful it would be if, once in a while, we would pray this prayer personally, as a peaceful and gentle invocation and communication with the Father! We have nothing; we live in a state of poverty; yet all that the Father possesses is ours, and all that we have we entrust to Him as His own possession.

"I am in the world no more, but these are in the world as I come to You." This is somewhat strange: Jesus, in his ecstasy, feels as if He is already out of the world, almost as if the tragedy of Golgotha is already over and He is at the Father’s side. "I am in the world no more but these are in the world as I come to You. O Father most holy [Jesus’ first invocation: "most holy"], protect them with Your name which You have given me, that they may be one as We are one." This is a remarkable reference to Trinitarian unity: May they be one in charity, in unity, just as Jesus is one in the unity of nature with the Father. Again, sometime, we should reflect on this Trinitarian, sacramental unity and see how united we are in love, as Jesus is united in love with the Father and vice versa.

"As long as I was with them..." Listen, "as I was," He speaks again as if He were out of time, "I guarded them with Your name which You gave me. I kept careful watch, and not one of them was lost, none but him who was destined to be lost in fulfillment of Scripture. Now, however, I come to You; I say all this while I am still in the world that they may share my joy completely." This contact with the Father fills Jesus’ heart with joy, and He desires that this joy be communicated to them and be spread everywhere. We, too, should have hearts filled with joy, filled with serenity – a joy and serenity that should spill over and affect others.

"I gave them Your word, and the world has hated them for it." Here is a lesson for us in our rapport with the world. We may rightly be called a Secular Institute, but we are not of the world any more than Christ is of the world. Therefore, we must not be influenced by trends and fads and by what belongs to the world. We know how John describes the world: "the evil one." No, we are not of the world. "I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You guard them from the evil one. They are not of the world, any more than I belong to the world." We should be grateful when the world is hostile towards us, for this is a sign that we are not possessed by it, but rather that we belong to the Father.

"Consecrate them in truth—Your word is truth. As You have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world; I consecrate myself for their sakes now that they may be consecrated in truth. For them I sanctify myself that they may be sanctified in truth." Then Jesus’ prayer becomes broader: "I do not pray for them alone; I pray also for those who will believe in me through their word, that all may be one as You, Father, are in me and I in You." We, too, who come after the Apostles and have been evangelized by them, are included in this prayer. Jesus is praying for us. "I pray that they may be one in Us; that the world may believe that You sent me."

The greatest witness we can give the world of the Father and of Christ’s divinity is our sacramental unity – unity among ourselves with Christ and with the Father. When others can say, "See how they love each other; see how united they are," then we have given witness to Christ and the Father. On the other hand, when we show division, dissension, lack of understanding, or separateness, we give witness neither to the Father nor to Christ. "I have given them the glory You gave me that they may be one as We are one" – [see how Jesus insists on unity and on being one] – "I living in them, You living in me – that their unity may be complete." One of the prerequisites for sanctity is unity. We, who speak of sanctity and perfection, must become perfect in unity. "So that the world may know that You have sent me, and that You loved them as You loved me." Here Jesus’ prayer reaches its climax; He doesn’t just communicate to us the love of the Father but says, "As the Father has loved me, He has loved you." Jesus is the Father’s only begotten Son; He is the natural Son of the Father, the Eternal Word, the image of the Father’s substance, the beloved Son – "This is my beloved Son" – and the Father loves us in the same way. Each of us should feel this personal love of the Father.

"Father, all those You gave me I would have in my company where I am, to see this glory of mine which is Your gift to me, because of the love You bore me before the world began." In the next world, we will see the glory of Christ – the glory He had even before the creation of the world. "Just Father, the world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You have sent me. To them I have revealed Your name, and I will continue to reveal it so that Your love for me may live in them, and I may live in them" (John 17:1-26). I can’t imagine a prayer more awesome than this prayer of Jesus to the Father.

As I already mentioned, the first prayer of Jesus is the prayer in the Garden. It lasts approximately three hours, during which Jesus repeats the same plea: "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup from me; yet not my will but Yours be done." We can imagine the love with which the Father listens to this prayer and how logical it is that He sends an angel to comfort His Son in the most critical moment of His passion. According to some medical experts, Jesus suffers heart failure at this point. Indeed, according to medical understanding, in the Garden Jesus suffered a heart attack. This explains how he why he sweat blood. The rest of the Passion is suffered by an already-injured Man, one impaired by the interior stress He had to endure: My heart is filled with sorrow to the point of death" (Mark 14:34). This is the initial prayer in Gethsemane. Exegetes think of Jesus’ concluding prayer not only as His invocation to the Father but as the beginning of Psalm 21, continued during His agony on the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 16:34). These are some aspects of Jesus’ prayer to the Father.

We now wish to explore Mary’s prayer to the Father. Think of the feelings Mary must have experienced as she was living her life with that Son who, even from an early age, was constantly speaking of the Father. Mary feels compelled to turn to the Father each time she turns to Jesus, since she knows that Jesus is indeed her son, but He is also the Son of the Father. When found in the temple, we hear these words from Jesus: "Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house?" Jesus is only twelve, and yet He asks, "Did you not know..." This indicates that there is already something going on between Him and the Father, and in His dialogue with Mary about the Father.

Imagine how tender Mary’s prayer was to the Father, whenever she looked at the Son with her heart filled with gratitude: "Thank you, Father, for you have given me the gift of Your Son." The joy she must have experienced because she could repeat the words of the Father: "You are my Son; today I have begotten you." The difference is that the "today" of Mary is in time and space, while the "today" of the Father is from eternity. How did Mary live this marvelous reality? Mary’s canticle, the Magnificat, helps us understand. Faced with these marvelous realities which begin with the Annunciation and Incarnation, we wonder at the light that must have pervaded Mary’s soul, so that she can say: "He who is mighty has done great things for me" (Luke 1:49). And if Mary is says this from the beginning, that is, during her visit to Elizabeth, who knows how many more times she repeated her Magnificat to the Father? And who knows the love that united her to Jesus in His prayer to the Father during His deepest suffering: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 16:34).

Now we explore our prayer to the Father. We should become aware of the deep, marvelous and awesome rapport that exists between us and the Father. We are not only creatures of God, creatures of the Father, we are His project of love. As I wrote in one of my songs sometime ago, "The Lord thought of us; in His heart He cradled us even before the stars were made." From all eternity God cradled us in His heart. We should always be oriented toward the Father, always in tune with Him. So many times during the day we pray, "Our Father;" so many times we make the sign of the cross, saying "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit;" but what resonates within us? How do we live our rapport with the Father?

Perhaps our prayer is just a formal way of turning to the Father, and we do not feel aflame with the reality of our rapport with Him. We need to ask the Spirit to stir in us love for the Father; ask Christ to inspire us with some of His love for the Father; ask the Father to help us know Him, love Him and see His face, not through exceptional events but through our day as it unfolds. How steeped are we in the prayer Jesus taught us? During this prayer we should customarily savor and mull over the words, syllable by syllable, and contemplate the face of Jesus. In this way we will be better able to understand this invocation to the Father. I have felt this for a long time and I have needed to speak of Him to you:

I conceived this invocation in my heart, out of the abundance of love I feel for the Father. Yet there is still another prayer which we do not perceive as a prayer to the Father, though it is exactly that. At the moment I understood this, it was for me like a discovery. That is, I had before always thought of the Mass as a sacrifice, the unbloody, mystical sacrifice of the Cross, with the focus on Jesus. At one point, however, I realized that it wasn’t only that; rather, the Mass is a dialogue with the Father, a prayer to the Father in the name of Christ, with the Father as the focal point. We address the Father – through the power of Holy Orders, the priest addresses the Father. He repeats Jesus’ words of Consecration and makes present in a mystical way the sacrifice of the Cross, which is always offered to the Father. Although it is true that after the Consecration the Body and Blood of Jesus are elevated for the faithful of the Body and Blood of Jesus – whether this is being done in a large cathedral or in a small chapel – we can’t imagine the congregation to be the focus rather than the Father. It is primarily to the Father that the sacrifice of the Cross is offered and invocations directed. When I raise the host and the chalice, although I think of all those around me, I think primarily of the Father to whom I speak of the mystery of the Cross.

We should be aware of this contact with the Father in the Mass. We ask Jesus to forgive us for the impression we give of placing Him second; however, He will be happy, for all our prayers are prayed "in nomine Christi," "in the name of Jesus." We are Jesus’ voice and the priest is Jesus’ mouthpiece, who raises to the Father the marvelous prayer that is the Mass. We know that the priest is the sole agent designated to raise this prayer to the Father. The Eucharistic Prayers (of the Mass) are a continual invocation to the Father, especially the fourth Eucharistic Prayer. The Preface, in particular, is from beginning to end a prayer to the Father: "Father in heaven, it is right that we should give You thanks and glory: You alone are God, living and true. Through all eternity You live in unapproachable light. Source of life and goodness, You have created all things to fill Your creatures with every blessing and lead all to the joyful vision of Your light. Countless hosts of angels stand before You to do Your will; they look upon Your splendor and praise You night and day. United with them, and in the name of every creature under heaven, we too praise Your glory as we say: Holy, holy, holy..."

Here we stop. It is my desire that you begin to look at the Mass with this new vision and that, along with the Christological vision – which is essential – you catch this aspect of the love of the Father, this dialogue with Him, this invocation to Him, remembering that the Mass is the prayer that the entire Church continually raises to the Father. Across the globe the Eucharist is continually celebrated and, therefore, prayer to the Father is continually raised. It is the entire Church elevating its invocation to Him.

Lastly, let us unite our voices to this choral symphony that is raised to God, to the Father in whom – as St. Paul says, quoting an ancient poet – "In Him we live, move and have our being" (Acts 7:28). AMEN.

MEDITATION AFTER COMMUNION

Jesus, when You were among us You spoke to the Father, continue to speak to Him on our behalf. Raise once again Your prayer to Him and make my words a faithful echo of Your invocation to Him.

Father all holy, You who have loved Me from all eternity and from eternity have glorified Me; the world has refused to heed Your words spoken through creation and the prophets. Thus I have come into the world to speak to it of Your goodness, of Your kindness, of Your paternity and maternity. I have spoken to the world and – to give witness to all I said – I have accepted the sacrifice, the suffering, the immolation and death on the Cross. However, many have not listened to My words, and to this day they do not seek Your face, Father. Conversely, there are many, many souls, who have followed Me and love You. Father, I ask that You increase their love for You, and that You love them as You have loved, and still love, Me.

We thank You, Father, for having given us Your Son, who spoke to us of You. We thank You because You have made us understand that the most important thing is to love You and the One who is in Your glory and who is the hallmark of Your very Being. Grant that we may truly love You always and in every circumstance, so that our very lives may be like a lively heart that pulsates with love for You. May everyone, seeing this, say, "See how they love the Father," and through our example come to know You, our all-holy and gentle Father. AMEN.