A Reflection for Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
Find today’s readings here.
“And I consecrate myself for them, so that they also may be consecrated in truth.” (John 17:19)
My oldest son graduated high school last month. His peers gave lovely speeches at the Baccalaureate Mass and at the graduation itself. Graduation marks the beginning of something new, but it is also an end. It is a mix of excitement and sadness, and seniors should choose their words carefully—even if it’s just the messages scribbled in each other’s yearbooks. After all, this may be the last time they see each other.
Something similar, I think, is happening in today’s first reading, where St. Paul addresses the leaders of the church of Ephesus in person for the last time. Guard against those who pervert the truth, help those in need, he says, and remember the words of Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Jesus’ prayer in today’s Gospel is also a kind of farewell, as it comes near the end of his earthly ministry. He asks God that his followers “may be one as we are one,” and Jesus emphasizes the importance of truth in contrast with evil. He prays that his followers be kept away from “the Evil One,” and instead be consecrated in truth.
The truth he speaks of is beyond philosophical definition. Whatever it is, the truth is something in which we participate, not something that we define for ourselves. Yet the truth, or at least our perception of it, can be corrupted. In the readings today, Jesus and Paul both express a concern that their words could be misinterpreted.
Oftentimes, what is evil is not obvious. Vice can be so close to virtue, and what is false can at times be mistaken for what is true. The promise of Pentecost, which the universal church prepares to celebrate this weekend, is that God will accompany us throughout our journey here on earth. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can faithfully follow Jesus, who is “the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6).
