SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER YEAR B – 4th / 5th May, 2024

This chapter of John’s Gospel comes at the conclusion of Jesus’ farewell discourse delivered to the disciples at the Last Supper. This entire chapter is a prayer by Jesus, commending himself to the Father and expressing his care and concern for his disciples. Several important themes appear in this prayer. First, Jesus’ prayer reaffirms the complete union between himself and the Father. We are reminded that Christ is the source of Christian unity and that it is through Christ that we are united with one another and with God Our Father. Reading this prayer of Jesus during the Easter Season, through the lens of his Resurrection, we know that the light of Christ has overcome the darkness of sin and death in our world. In the opening line of this prayer, we hear Jesus pray that his disciples will be kept in the name that he was given by God. We know that  salvation is given to us in the name of Jesus, and that his name—“God saves”—announces his mission on our behalf.