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Gospel Reading for May 21, 2026 – John 17: 20-26
WE ARE THE CHURCH
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.”
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This is the final part of Jesus’ prayer before he was arrested. After praying for his disciples in yesterday’s Gospel reading, he now prays for all of us who would become his future followers. When he says, “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,” he is already envisioning the Church he entrusted Peter to build —not merely a church building, but the Body of Christ, where all of us, his followers, are united in him and he in us.
For many of us, when we think of the Church, what often comes to mind is a church building adorned with sacred images and flowers, where Masses and novenas are celebrated. Perhaps this is why some people, even those who go to church daily, tend to leave Jesus behind once they return home, go to work, or enter the places where they spend most of their time. As a result, we sometimes fail to become true witnesses of Christ in our daily lives.
But WE ARE THE CHURCH—One Body of Christ. All of us who follow him journey together, with him leading us to the Father. Our Christian journey is not confined within church walls; it is lived out in the very lives we lead, especially in the way we love one another as Christ has loved us.
Lord Jesus, help us to remain close to you as we journey toward the Father.
