Jesus Prays for His Disciples (John 17:1-26)
These were the prayers of Jesus during the final discourse of His earthly life. The human life that He had decided, as in the beginning of time/creation, to give up as a 'Living Sacrifice/Lamb of God', to the Father for the forgiveness of sin.
He prayed with His Human Spirit, united with His Divine Spirit, crying/pleading the Father, to protect and adopt mankind as His Children. To protect and sustain the work that He had finished as a human being. The rest shall be up to God, who shall manifests His presence, power and authority, through His Chosen Apostles.
He would no longer be present in this world as a mere human being, enclosed in a temporary flesh of the earth. God would later on glorify His human flesh, so that it would be Divinized, as the Mystical and glorified human body. He shall be the first among all man, to rise from the deathly sleep of sin, the outcome of the fall of Adam and Eve.
In this Mystical Body of His, it shall be uplifted into the status of God's dwelling 'House', or His Temple. In this Temple God shall be enthroned in the center of the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ. Jesus as Son and the Father, together in unity with God's ruling and empowering Spirit shall filled all those who dwell in this Temple with the Life of God.
After Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension into heaven, God, through Jesus Christ, re-establishes His reign on earth, through the Holy Spirit. From that 'day' forth, it shall be the glorified and victorious Spirit of Christ. The Spirit of love and freedom.
The anti-dote for the once deathly sin, which caused spiritual death had been established. The Blood of Jesus Christ, came about through His death, cleansed us from the deathly sin, which brought us into slavery and bondage. The result of sin, is spiritual and physical death. Christ died to restore, spiritual death, rather than physical death. Christ, manifest his power as God, by rising Himself from the death, to the great disappointment of the Devil. Jesus crushed the plan of the Devil, who enjoyed to see more souls die a spiritual or eternal death. God had a better plan, to restore the physical, of which Christ physical and glorified bodies, together with Mary, were among the first to receive the reward. We would have to wait patiently, till the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, when all the death, would rise to the sound of the Final Trumpet, signaling the end of 'time' and its limitation. It shall be the beginning of the 'New Earth' and 'New Heaven' of which were prophesized in the Book of Revelations. All shall receive a spiritual bodies, with its definite outlines and features.
Those who had died a spiritual death, would also receive theirs, but without any beam of light. They received a dark, bodily features, in contrast to Children of Light. They shall radiate, with the same brightness and likeness of Jesus Christ, glorified body.
What is the meaning of , 'A New Heaven and New Earth'?
In the beginning, when God created the earth, the sky was called the heaven. People thought of heaven as the sky and above, but Christ came to reveal the reality of heaven. Heaven is not a place but a state of being. It is God's dwelling zone, called spiritual realm. It is veiled, when the law of nature and physic, still apply to us. Once our flesh returned to the earth, like the removing of a veil, heaven and hell, is within our spiritual sight and apply to our spiritual senses. It became a reality to each one of us, who had died.
The Spirit where those who were once in bondage of sin, would set them free. God shall reign, in the Spirit of Jesus Christ on earth, until all purification of those who are bound to be saved are fulfilled and completed.
After the completion of Jesus unfinished work on earth, at His Second Coming, Jesus as a glorified human being, would be completely one with His brothers and sisters, on earth, purgatory and heaven. He would offer up all those God had chosen through His Son for His own, back to God the Father.
Why should we always give the highest glory, worship and praise to the Father, just like Jesus did?
Jesus as a human being called God, His Father and invited all of us, human being to call God thus.
Why?
Jesus Himself is God, why did He call His Own Spirit, the Father?
When Jesus called God, His Father, He Himself assumed the position and role as Son of God. This He rarely spoke of. He used to call Himself, 'Son of Man'. He represented Man and spoke on behalf of man. He humbled Himself, by not claiming equal with God, the Father. But God later, glorified Him as One with the Father. God, glorified His Son and made His human and Divine Spirit, equal with the Father.
In His Human Spirit as creature of the earth, He was unworthy, just like all the rest, but this creature that God set apart, to be a 'Living Sacrifice', shall be the first to rise from the deathly sleep.
God became a 'Father', when He begot Jesus Christ, otherwise, the invisible Father and Son, would continue to be the Almighty God, who sustained the whole creation with His Words, Love, Power and Mercy.
God offered Himself up, to be incarnated into a human being, a creature of the earth. A creation of God. God created a place for Himself to dwell. God enters into 'Time' to be One with us. Even though, He was incarnated into a human being, He was not what human understood. He was not of the material, whereby you cannot be every where at the same time. He was the source of activities and energies, that brought about matters or materials to exist, by itself, at the command of His Words. At the command of His Words, souls and spiritual beings continue to assume their roles and flows. Souls continued to arrive into 'time and space', by the actions of conception. Angels continues to fulfill their roles with enthusiasm and love. Nothing can obstruct, His movements and plans. Every Word that comes out of His will, was fulfilled, without any hitches. Every one of His plans, once put forward to those consecrated for that tasks, would be fulfilled.
Even when He was in Jesus Christ, as a human being, He was simultaneously everywhere. His Spirit, still continued with creation, sustained and overpowered, the seen and unseen works or creations.
He had to go through extreme agony of rejection by His fellow man. He was living a life as alien, different from the standard and values of this sinful world. He therefore calls those who followed Him, to live the same standard and values set forth by God. They shall live a life, called out of this world. Living a life with a mission of God at heart. They shall be the channels for God to manifest His love and presence in this world. They shall have the Spirit of Christ, to complete the unfinished work, that Christ had won for all of us.
"Father, the hour has come. Give glory to Your Son, so that the Son may give glory to You.
The hour of Jesus' death was approaching. He was counting on the remaining time, He shall be physical present in this world.
He was worried about His disciples and followers, they were like lambs and sheep without a shepherd to protect and guard them.
Jesus asked His Father to help Him to perseveres and endures all the agony, suffering and shame, in order to fulfill God's plan. God's plan was a glorious plan of salvation and love. The death of Jesus was for Him and all human being who depended on Him to save, was the 'Hour of Glory'. For Jesus ultimate purpose of His coming was going to be fulfilled in these hours of glory, as from the moment, He was convicted to death sentence by the Jewish authorities, till the hour of His death. That was what Jesus was preparing and looking forward to. He prayed pleading God that He would be able to fulfill the Will of God. He asked for strength from God for His glorification.
For human being looked forward to live our lives on earth to the fullness. Yes! Many on earth had achieved their plans, but only to the satisfaction of the flesh, not the Spirit and souls. They had lived their lives of great service to their offspring,/descendents and had given great honor to their ancestors, but will their labors be of value in the eyes of God? Jesus prayed that He would be able to live His human life, in self-denial and submission to God's will to the fullness and completion. He asked God for His Glorious Spirit to be present in His mission. Only through the indwelling and strength of God's Spirit in Him, can He accomplished God's will, to His(God's) satisfaction.
For you gave Him authority over all mankind, so that He might give eternal life to all those You gave Him.
And eternal life means to know You, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom You sent.
The fall of Adam and Eve, God knew it through and through, yet He was not discouraged. With all the great angels in authority, before Him God spoke of the fall and His plan of saving them.
Jesus said, "Here I am to do Your Will!". With these words of Jesus, He offered Himself to God, to be His Lamb, so to take away the sins of the world.
By baptism, we joined with Jesus in His grave, dying to our sinful selves and lives. In rising from the water of baptism, we rise with Him, to join in His Mystical Body. We are fed not with mere manna of the desert, but the Bread of Life, that is His own Human physical body of the flesh of the earth. Only through eating this Body of His, which nourishes, not only our spirits and souls, but even our physical. How?
For the physical bodies, by themselves are sustained by God's Spirit, as all living things are. The result of human decay and death was the outright cause of our sinful natures, with its inclination to sins. Even though we were baptized, but these natures were still alive and active in each one of us. The Bread of Life, which is the Lamb of God, continues to be offered up to God, in order to redeem us from sins, and its natural inclinations to it. Once through His bloody death, on the cross, after that this becomes a living sacrifice. Living Sacrifice means that, even though the physical bloody part does not take place any more, but the sacrifice of the same nature continues to be offered up to God, through and in the celebration of the Mass.
Inside our mere physical bodies, God gave us souls, which would be directly or indirectly affected by spirits presence. Human physical bodies, need material food, in order to give strength, energy, growth and health. When we feed our bodies with poor quality food, it would surely affect our health.
The souls, too need food, of which the physical, could not understand.
They need, God's love and mercy.
They need living water, of which Jesus offered to the Samaritan woman. This water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
For water is one of the most essential items, the body really need. Our bodies' composition, consist mainly of water.
For the souls, need God's Spirit. The whole of our spiritual being is composed of spirit. To replace God's Spirit, which is essential element, in the spiritual body, with other inferior spirits of the world, flesh and the Devil, is like giving junk food, or even poison to the physical body. The souls would be starved of basic food and nourishment. They may die of starvation or spiritual sickness.
After the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, He conquered death and rose up to the height of heaven, to be one with the Father. In their Oneness of Divine Love, they sent forth their Spirit, to all who were chosen by the Father. Jesus through His Spirit draws mankind to Himself. With the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, in our personal lives, was indeed heaven, even on earth for us all. Had we not able to truly experience His presence? Is the radio, not receiving the correct clear signal? Are our antennas pointing/facing the right direction or position?
Why are we not able to live as Christ truly wants us to live? It was possible with the Apostles, why not us?
Eternal life is within our reach, and we can experience heaven on earth too. Why, are we not able to do so?
Why are we complacent with the poor signals and sounds, we receive from the radio?
Why tell ourselves that heaven is only for those who had die? Well! For those who experience God, they are only a handful! A rare variety!
That was not the case. God never desires or wants His Children to be alienated from Him. Like the mid-day sun is shinning brightly, yet, why are we still groping in darkness?
Are we complacent to let the water flow by our house, and not scoop them up to quench our thirst. We are all like deer, that long for stream of living water, but why are we not drinking it to quench our thirst? Why can't we fill our cups with water, like many had done so?
But, if we drink of this water, we shall be like Him. We shall serve and love Him with our hearts, souls and our minds. Why was that so difficult?
Once, we have given these elements of our lives, to worship the world and the selfish selves, within us, can we now offer these to God?
No one who has sincerely, through the invitation of God's Spirit, responded positively was ever rejected before. God's love was overflowing and ever generous. The poor in spirit, weak, exploited and victims of various injustices, who had trusted God, have truly experienced the reality of God's presence and loving intervention in their lives. Had we who tried to please God with our insincere hearts, really done injustice to ourselves and God?
We may have given our time, energy, strength and material to the needy in spirit and material, but have we ever question ourselves, by what spirits and desires, we are offering them?
Most of us do God's work, out of sincerity of our hearts, through the desires of the human spirits, caused by certain inspirations in lives.
God is indeed very please to receive these sincere offering. Jesus said, "Put my yoke on Your shoulder. My yoke is light and easy." Yes! Indeed, the yoke that Jesus put on our shoulders were light and easy. Even though they are light and easy, none can truly carry it with great joy and love in their lives. All of us, irrespective of races and beliefs, had to carry these human yoke. Without God, these yokes, does not carry hope of imminent reward. Most of us would not be sure, whether our words, actions and as a whole our lives are pleasing before God?
If Jesus, is your best friend, would He keeps this as a secret? Jesus is a very open person, who is upright and sincere in His words. When He knows that there is a dark pit, He will tell us, before we approach. If our words, actions and lives are displeasing, He would not keep it a secret, until it is too late. He would send forth His Spirit, to prompt us. He would prepare all, to make sure that we are all safe and happy.
Eternal life is a life, living in unity and union with God's Spirit, through Christ Jesus. Through the Holy Spirit, we experience the reality of the communion of saints. We are members of 'the family' of God. 'The family', here means that, it is the only eternal family, that comes about since the beginning of 'Time' or creation. God created us to be members of this only family of God. Earthly family lasted only as long as material exists, not spiritual family. Earthly families are God's plan to reveal His unique and perfect master plan. Parents are providence of the family. Providence of love and all necessities. It is also to act us domestic churches of God. Together in unity among all domestic churches, there existed only One Church, that is Christ Jesus Mystical Body, His Temple, where Christ is enthroned in the heart of the Temple. In unity with the Father, He empowers the whole 'House'.
I have shown Your glory on earth;
I have finished the work you gave Me to do.
Father! Give me glory in Your presence now, the same glory I had with You before the world was made.
Jesus incarnated as a human being, lived a simple life, experiencing poverty, which to Him was a great blessing and privilege, in contrary to the values and wealth of this world.
As at twelve, He hastened to the Temple to reveal to the Jewish elite groups of religious authorities, God's plan of salvation. The Jewish was a chosen People, but their lives were far from pleasing before God. Jesus was 'impatient', to wait till His official anointing, that would happen, after His baptism, which He would receive the empowerment to prepare Him for the mission of redemption and salvation. This 'impatient' was not what we human thought as sin, but rather it was out of His pure human nature and spirit, that worked in cohesion with God, could not bear to see His own people being enslaved by the world and their sinful human spirits.
Jesus prayed very hard for these people, especially the religious leaders and those in authorities.
God had offered them food, but they cruelly bit the hands that tried to feed them. The food was not offered only once, but continuously. Every time Jesus condemned the Jewish leaders, they were offered spiritual food, but they rejected.
To them the state of lives that Jesus was in, they could not accept. His lifestyles were to them sinful. His words and actions were blasphemies.
God had blessed Abraham, King David and other great and honorable prophets and kings, with great wealth and power. This Jesus, who was He? He was to them a false and self-proclaimed prophet. They rejected Him, without compromise. Even if God was to speak aloud from heaven to say that Jesus was His Son, they would fearlessly rejected Him too.
The Jewish people, had experienced the great interventions in their lives. God had sent plagues after plagues, in order to punish Pharaoh, so that he would let His People go. Yes! Finally God, with mighty power and manifestation, killed the First-born son of Pharaoh, in his disarray and fear, he let God's people go, only to gain conscious later on, and run after them with his armies.
God told us not to kill, did He really kill, by taking away the life of Pharaoh's son?
God, in His intense love for His chosen people would fight all odds, in order that His plans, be fulfilled.
Every children of God is given spiritual weapons, in our will and conscience, to fight a spiritual battles, with the Devil. The Devil, together with his temptations is everywhere. God, through his Archangel Michael, filled with the Spirit of God, is empowered to defend the Kingdom of heaven, which includes all the hearts, of those who are still alive and those under intensive purification in purgatory.
God gives life and He had every right to take it back to himself. Sometimes, we wonder, why innocence children were taken back? Why dreams of people were still unfulfilled, yet was terminated by withdrawing of life from the earth? Why, it seemed that God is so cruel and unconcerned?
The questions would continue, unceasingly? Yet that was man, enclosed in physical flesh, was blind to the plan of God. We cannot be too attached to what does not belong to us. Spiritual or physical lives are under the direct control and will of God. They are not ours. Not even the babies, that we participated with God to bring lives into this world. They were all just a passing matters?
God possesses and destines, their beings and survivors.
If we only take what is necessary, hold on only to fulfill our roles, that God gives us to participate, concerning our children and assets, we would not be hurt or crushed, when these are withdrawn from us. In heaven, where everything spiritual last for all eternity, is the only place to store our treasure and relationships.
God manifested His protection and love, like a mother hen, shielding its little chicks with her wings. The mighty power that brought about the un-resisted departure of the Red Sea, in order to made way for God's beloved people to go unhurt, was a clear sign of God love and presence, yet their complains, numbed the ears of Moses.
After Moses took the Ten commandments from the Mountain, of which God offered His love, mercy and protection, on the basis of mutual agreement, sealed in a covenant. A covenant is a marriage of self-giving. Both give each other heart, soul and mind, in order to enter into this contract. Tied to a knot and sealed with blood.
The Man, Moses acted as mediator between his people and God. They sealed their pledges with blood of animals, but had they and their descendents stood faithful to their pledges?
No! The Jewish leaders, had deviated, so were the ordinary Jewish. The Messiah, they had long prepared for had came to past, yet have not affected their lives. They observed the Passover Festival and its rituals, in a very strict manners, which was in fact pointing to Jesus, who would be the Anointed Lamb of God, the only one that would die, in order that His people would live.
His job was finished, when He offered Himself as a living Sacrifice for the redemption and salvation of Man.
With this living sacrifice, all others would be of no value at all.
As the Gospel of St. John stated that Jesus was the Word of God. In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwell among us. Yet, His own people did not recognize Him.
Before He came into this world, He was God without a human flesh or figure. He incarnated, into flesh of which He received from a perfect creature of God, that was Mary, a young virgin. From that moment forth, He developed a human feature, with human spirits. Inside every cells and fluid were life and nature of God. God grew along with this tiny fetus. Jesus grew in body and wisdom, together with God. God was Light and Life to this human Jesus, all the way till He succumbed, at the Cross.
Jesus, who received from this earth, a human feature, together with human spirits, of which is like a 'clothing', for God. The Son of God, who is God, brought along a perfect man, Jesus Christ into Heaven. It was for our own good that Jesus was taken up to heaven, so that we could visibly see our representative, who is like one of us in heaven. God loves us with the same measurement of love, even before Jesus took a human figure.
I have made You known to those You gave me out of the world.
They belonged to You, and You gave them to Me.
They have obeyed Your word, and now they know that everything You gave me comes from You.
I gave them the message that You gave me, and they received it; they know that it is true that I came from You, and they believe that You sent me.
Jesus spoke these words as a human being consecrated for God. He was the Instrument for the manifestation of God's presence in the world.
All the disciples and followers of Jesus were indeed drawn to Jesus, through the power of God's Spirit. They would not have follow Jesus faithfully, if not for the presence of God's Spirit.
For ordinary fishermen, like Peter to recognize Jesus as Divine, is impossible, if it was not for the grace of God. Even if a person was to manifest extra-ordinary power, it would not be possible to believe firmly, through one's inner spirit to recognize the God, inside this man. Peter once said, when paused with a serious question, by Jesus, "Who do you said, I Am?". Peter was quick to respond with great faith and conviction. "You are the Christ. The Son of God!". Peter was convinced of the identity of Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God.
In this world there are great magicians, that can perform extra-ordinary, amazing acts, of which to ordinary people, were impossible, yet they were not recognized as divine.
Children of God, who truly wished to experience God's presence needed to live a life 'out of this world'. We cannot have both. It is either Spirit or material that we chose to worship.
Either the material we decided to treat as mere passing things of which, we would not get too attached to, or the Spirit, passing by as Living water, which we refused to drink.
The disciples and later Apostles of Christ put God first above all other things. Their whole missions were about worship of God, at the service of their fellowmen. Not so much, about how to acquire riches and material, but more on how to be rich and powerful in the Kingdom of God. To be rich and powerful, is to be 'little' in this world. As Jesus said about John the Baptist, whom He spoke of as the greatest of all prophets, yet the least of them all, who was Jesus, is the greatest in the Kingdom of God.
Disciples of Jesus were called to be spiritually filled in order to be apostles, may it be consecrated to the line of St. Peter or lay apostles, which St. Paul was the greatest of them all.
I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but those You gave me, for they belong to You.
What did Jesus mean by, 'I prayed for them, and not for the world'?
These were the prayers of His departure into the Kingdom of God in heaven. These prayers were a serious matter, of which Jesus was very concerned about His flock, having to bear without a shepherd, who truly love them. They would have to defend themselves, without Him. So Jesus was very concerned and asked God to take over from there. Jesus also knew that before faith is strengthened, they would be greatly weakened, until they had to lie and swear, in order to save themselves from possible persecution and death.
He was very angry with the people whom, He came to save. The Jewish people, God's Chosen race, had rejected Jesus without showing any sympathy and mercy. His right as a mere human being, was not even considered. He was treated worse then outcaste slaves and gentiles. Justice was not granted to Him. He had no say, in whatever decision they had made. His humble voice was not heard.
Yet at the final moment of His human life, He forgave them from the depth of His heart. That forgiveness had pierced Him deeper than the soldier's lance. That forgiveness, had shattered and cracked His most inner spirit. He came for the Jewish people, who were in fact waiting for this moment, yet it just passed, without them, receiving any grace. The moment, He breathed His last, was the breaking of that bond that Abraham, Moses and all the Prophets, had sealed with God. That was the most painful and cruel moment, for man to have done this. The greatest Gift, of which all the rituals and the troubles they had gone through to practiced had gone to nothing. One of the greatest sin, beside the Sin of Adam and Eve.
The veil of the Temple that enclosed the Holiest apartment in the Temple was torn into two, from top to bottom. From that day forth, gentiles, once called pagans, prostitutes, sinners and outcastes, were acceptable to God. The veil was no longer there to divide God and His people. The door to the Kingdom of God, now rests in Jesus Christ. The key of Heaven, once belonged only to God, had passed to His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ passed that heavenly key to St. Peter. He had every right to allow whoever he pleases, but he must exercise his Gift of Wisdom, Discernment, Divine Justice, Love and Mercy. He cannot make decision based on human wisdom and judgement. He has to seek God, in all spiritual decisions. Jesus gives St. Peter and his successors, called Pope, the role, He once took upon Himself. The role of Shepherd to the flock that God had formed.
Popes are mere human being. In his human nature, he too like all of us has the pure and sinful nature, but when God who is enthroned in his life, spoke through him, the decision is divine. Those Cardinals, Bishops and Priests, who were given the Gift of Wisdom and Discernment could judge, whether the words were divine or mere human decisions and words. They must use the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, in their confirmation of decisions, made by the Pope and those in authorities, for the good of the whole church.
All I have is Yours, and all You have is mine; and my glory is shown through them.
Whatever Jesus had as a human being, be it His mother Mary, foster father Joseph, relatives, friends, disciples and neighbors who stood for Him or against Him, were gifts and blessings from God.
His disciples, would be the Instruments to represent Him on earth. Jesus knew that for them to stand alone, without God's spirit, they would surely succumbed to the trials and temptations, that they are bound to face. When Jesus was around, He was the one who shielded them from any persecutions. He stood before them, when the Scribes, Pharisees and religious leaders, condemned God, in Jesus Christ.
'All You have is mine!'
Yes! Indeed, whatever God possessed belongs to Jesus, as God. God, in Jesus Christ glorified the human Jesus. God crowned human Jesus with glory and splendor. After all the pain and agony that He had gone through, like the pain of childbirth, He would receive His glory and reward. God, the Son and the human Jesus, united as One, would possess the kingdom of Heaven.
How marvelous and generous was God's plan of salvation. God is willing to share heaven with His fallen creature, by saving them through Jesus Christ.
'My glory is shown through them'.
The disciples, who would later be consecrated, by the Holy Spirit, to become Apostles, would be the sign of God's presence in the world after Jesus was ascended into heaven. Their faith, words and actions, would be the fruit of the work of Jesus Christ.
And now I am coming to You; I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world.
Holy Father! Keep them safe by the power of Your name, the name You gave me, so that they may be one just as You and I are one. While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power of Your name, the name You gave me.
I protected them, and not one of them was lost, except the man who was bound to be lost-so that the scripture might come true.
Was Judas betrayal of Jesus, willed by God?
Does God build and then destroy?
Jesus called Judas, to be one of His disciples. Was Jesus ignorant that he would be a traitor?
Is Judas, an instrument of the Devil, to destroy Jesus?
Was it just a weaknesses in the plan of God, that one among the twelve, was lost?
Will Judas, be condemned to imminent torment of hell-fire?
God gives every human being a freewill. To choose to obey or disobey God. To participate in God's plan of building God's Kingdom or vice-versa.
God never forces on each one of us. God respected the freewill that our first parents and all their descendents demanded from God.
Should the words of Jesus, 'accept the man, who is bound to be lost', was lost, to be taken literally?
Indeed, God knew us through and through. From the beginning of 'Time/creation', God knew that Adam and Eve, would fall into the tempter's hand, yet He created them. Was there any urgent pressure on Him to create 'time' and creations, especially creature?
Was God indeed lonely without us?
No! God can do without any of His creatures. Why then He creates us?
The mysteries of God's love, no man could grasp and understand.
God, knew that we are 'bound' to be lost, yet he had great hope in a single Man, who would be His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. God would anoint this physical, material flesh to become His dwelling place on earth. He knew that this Man, called Jesus would not succumbed, even to extreme agonies and trials. God shall be one with human beings, through this one man, called Jesus.
Was Judas, an instrument of the Devil to destroy Jesus?
Even if that was so, still by his action, he had indeed brought about the 'hour of glory' that Jesus came and looked forward to.
Jesus would be able to manifest the power of God working in cohesion with his pure human spirit.
By this unity, He brought about the triumph of human race.
The Devil, once humiliated God's plan of creation, had to swallow his own words.
Judas was indeed, used by the Devil to destroy Jesus, yet the Devil was ignorant that by this action, he had destroyed his own plan. The fact was that they are 'bound to fail', so they failed.
Will Judas, who became an instrument of the Devil to destroy Jesus, which was indeed God's plan of salvation, be doomed to perish in the fire of hell?
Judas, regretted his action, to the extend of killing his own body. He was in the depth of sorrow, for having traded Jesus for material gain. He knew from the depth of his heart, Jesus was innocence, yet he brought Jesus to trial. He thought that he was indeed the hero for the Jewish people. The presence of Jesus, which brought about turmoil and confusion to the Jewish people needed to be put to permanent rest. For him, the trial, would at least clear the confusion, so that both parties, would be able to speak their minds and hearts out. Judas did not think that his employer (Jewish religious authorities), would bring about injustice to this innocence man. Yet what he did not predict come true. Great injustice was done to Jesus. His words, were not even taken into consideration and studied. Jesus knew that the 'hour' had arrived for Him to hand Himself over to the hand of His own people, so that they may offer Him up as Lamb of God.
Most of us, with or without knowledge, had been in certain events or time, made instrument of the Devil, to destroy God's plan of salvation, yet we, who had repented, was reconciled, to God, through the love and mercy of Jesus Christ. The Jewish people, were of no exception. They were forgiven, by Jesus as He was hanged on the cross. They were the one, who allowed the forces of darkness to cover up the truth. Yet Jesus forgave them. Those Jewish people who repented, would also be reconciled to God, through Jesus Christ. Love, mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation are for all human being, irrespective of the material origin of race and background.
Will Judas, not benefit from this divine love?
And now I am coming to You, and I say these things in the world so that they might have joy in their hearts in all its fullness.
I gave them Your message, and the world hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.
I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but I do ask You to keep them safe from the Evil One.
We, Christians have to live like sheep among the wolves and wheat among the weeds, until the end of time, for each of us or at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, when the power of darkness had no power over us. The Devil is after our physical bodies, together with its souls. The Devil, takes our souls through the physical. He wants to cover our face from God. He hated God and drags us into his battles. He only has the world and material things, which he stole from God to be used as baits, to trap the children created by God. Our souls want to take spiritual food from the 'table' of God, but the Devil tried to drag us into his 'table' with all the 'stolen physical food'. He wants us to indulge excessively, so that we would not desire for the spiritual food set at the 'table' of the Lord.
When our physicals returned to the earth, we do not need any material things, but only spiritual. What they offer, would not be tempting any more. But when our souls, once were dragged to enjoy indulging in the 'table' of the Devil, dared not come near God's 'table' anymore. They would have to be satisfied with the Devil's 'food', for all eternity. When the physical degenerates and disappears, at the command of God, the Devil, together with his angels and slaves that accompanied him, would be 'hungry' for all eternity.
The enslaved souls, that were so used to the company of the Devil, could never get themselves fit into the Kingdom of heaven.
After earthly life is over, comes the phrase of purification for the faithful of God.
Condemnation for those who are 'bound to be spiritually lost'. Spiritually lost is eternal separation from God, in this world and after, of which were their choices, not God. They were so immune to the serpents' bite, that they seemed to enjoy their company.
In the final line of Jesus' prayer, 'Do not bring us to the test, but deliver us from evil!', became our prayer through Jesus, to God the Father. That is what Jesus prayed for, will He not grant us what He Himself asked for, if we prayed out of the sincerity of our hearts?
Deliverance from the evil one is a continuous process. Temptations are every where. Like traps set up by the devil. We, like a young toddles, learning how to walk, would experiences continuous falling. Like our parents who knew that we are going to fall, would wait patiently, for us to succeed. God is our Father, who guides and protects us from the evil ones. When we fall into sins, God waits for us to raise our hands up to His. He would lift us up over and over again. God waits patiently with great hope on everyone of His child, that Christ died for, to mature and succeed.
The 'day', we can 'walk' perfectly, without any fall, is when we through the grace of God reached sainthood.
Just as I do not belong to the world, they do not belong to the world.
The life of Jesus was contradictory to that of the world. Like a 'damping ground', full of 'garbage' and 'waste products', of which Jesus came to 'clear'. They were so used to be 'damped' with these 'waste products' and living among them too. Jesus came to clear that 'dirty corner of the world'.
From the time when Abraham was given the 'Light', till John the Baptist, who was the last prophet, before the concluding of the Old Testament (Covenant), between God and Man, was a preparation period, for the arrival of the Messiah.
All the prophets that came before Christ, were bearers of His 'Light'. They were not the 'Light'. When the 'Light' came into the world and shone into the hearts of man, their once dark and sinful hearts felt the pain and shame. Like a 'malnourished plant', that stayed in 'shade' for too long, was brought out into the 'mid-day sun'. This 'plant' would be 'burned' to death. So they decided to stay out of the 'Light'. They hated the 'Light', because it revealed their sins. They crucified the 'Lamp' that brings out the 'Light', and thought that was the end of it all. They were shock to find that there were more 'lamps', bringing out the same 'Light'. That happened at Pentecost Day. The people that had enjoyed darkness, continued to try and destroy the 'lamps', so Jesus prayed to the Father to preserve them from harm, until each had fulfilled their parts in God's plan of salvation.
Dedicate them to Yourself by means of the truth; Your word is truth.
Jesus said, "I am the Way, Truth and Life!'
What is the word, 'Truth' means?
'Truth' and 'Word', is another way to present Jesus Christ.
Jesus is the 'Word' of God, as written in the Gospel of St. John.
Divine truth, is the only Truth. God is the source of all truth, of which He reveals, since the beginning of 'time', through the Spirit of Truth.
Knowledge of The Truth, would truly set us free, because The Truth is God. Knowledge of God and given the ability to accept and love Him, would really make us into true children of freedom.
I sent them into the world, just as You sent me into the world.
And for their sake I dedicate myself to You, in order that they, too, may be truly dedicated to You.
First and foremost, the mission of Jesus, was God's plan, of which Jesus was anointed for this purpose. In the beginning of creation, God knew that human being would fall away from Him. Jesus, who had not been conceived into the womb of Mary yet, volunteered to be the dwelling place of God, on earth. Mary, before her birth and conception, would do her part, in conceiving God made man.
This plan was only implemented after, all the procedures of enlightenment went well as God planned. The Devil did put hitches, along the path of God's plan, but they had no final say in all things.
Jesus finally arrived in this world, into time and space, through the empowerment and overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, over the young Virgin Mary.
Her human spirits and soul, were looking forward to this auspicious occasion, when the angel of the Lord, visited her. Her human nature, as a young virgin was still developing, so she acquired, how this could happen to her as she was not married yet.
But her spirits, and soul knew it through and through, how this would be fulfilled.
When her human part was informed, she yielded to God, to allow the conception of Jesus to take place in her womb. That was the day, God, became man. The day of Divine Incarnation, in the womb of a young lady, Mary.
She was given her role to play, as she allowed herself to be consecrated as Mother of her Lord and God. She conceived, the human nature of Jesus. Jesus took her untarnished, spotless, pure, yet strong flesh of His mother.
That was the element of the earth. God filled the ovary, with the Holy Spirit. Not merely the empowerment but the core of the Godhead arrived in her womb.
Like the sun, and the moon, with its light. God is the Sun, but we are the moon, who receives light from the Him. In the womb of Blessed Virgin Mary, was the Sun, together with its Light. Mary was the moon, which the sunlight that dwells in her was shinning brighter than any other human being.
This was another way to say that she, consecrated for God, was closest to God and holiest among all human being.
'I dedicate Myself to You, so that they may be dedicated to You, through Me!'
We cannot pray for others and expect positive result, unless, we ourselves are truly offered up to God. Our guidance and teaching, would not be pure, without ourselves consecrated to God, as His Instrument. As His Instrument, we are trained to drain ourselves of all worldly values and wisdom, and replace them with what is God. This would enable God to be powerful as His Instrument. Like a terminal of light, 'torch'. If the batteries are weak, how much light it can give out? If that weak batteries are connected with direct electrical current, how much effective would the power of the light? What about removing the batteries all together, and get connected to the electrical current, given the right amount of voltage, how much light would it channel out?
There are so many ways to consecrate ourselves to God, but the most pleasing is the last one, whereby God is given the fullness of worship and glory.
The Apostles of Jesus, like St. Paul and Peter, were never perfect human beings, in the roles they were to play. Paul was an elite Jewish Pharisee, who was well verse in the Holy Scripture. He was persecuting the new founded religion, which had caused a lot of confusion to his religion, which came directly from God. He was later sent to the Gentile world, with little knowledge of their backgrounds and how to duel with this group of people. God sent him there. He took the first lesson, step by step with great humility, contradicting what he once was so expert in. He therefore had nothing to boast about. Nothing wise came from his human body, with its worldly wisdom. He therefore gives full praise and glory to God.
St. Peter, was just a fisherman, who knew a lot about the techniques of good fishing. He was consecrated in the roles to replace the religious leaders, lawyers, expert in Sacred scriptures and those who were so used to offer up sacrifices in the Temple of Jerusalem. Who was Peter?
He took religion for granted, in comparison to the elite groups of Pharisees and religious teachers and lawyers.
God gave, that humble and uneducated fisherman, a role that is greater then the chief priests and holy men of that century.
He was to take charge of not only earthly and material affairs of the new founded religion, Christianity, but he was given the 'Key', into the Kingdom of heaven. He took over Jesus role as Shepherd for His people on earth, as He departed from 'time and space'. After St. Peter, knew that Jesus would not end 'time and space', before he died, so he appointed someone to take over his place and it continues, till today's Pope.
I pray not only for them, but also for those who believe in me because of their message.
The prayer of Jesus had indeed affected the lives of those who listened and believed in the messages of the Apostles. We can see, as today the Universal Church, had stood strong and ever growing, with great blessings and energetic life, being offered to the members of this Mystical Body of Christ.
More people with spiritual gifts need to bravely come forward, to give their testimonies of the presence of 'Light', inside their lives and the lives of those whom they personally witness, as the intervention of God. Many more faithful with spiritual gifts, must not put their 'lights', which was the transmission of God's 'Light', under their beds, but lift them high on a lamp-stand so that darkness, may receive light and warm.
Those consecrated Shepherds of God, must see that those who claimed to be consecrated by the Spirit of God were genuine, and when found so, they ought to pray for them continuously, so that the evil one, would not be able, to brings about their downfall, in faith. That they may courageously resist all forms of temptations. Those Spiritually anointed must pray for one another. For we are like a group of people running on a racing track. When one fell, the others need to raise him/her up. If it was not done, more would stumble on the fallen one and finally brought about a great congestion. We, us members of God's family, needed, to do our parts, in order to see that all go well, in co-ordination and harmony.
God is the source of all human and spiritual Fatherhood. He is the source of life and love. Everything that appeal to our human senses, comes from God. He willed and He allowed. He willed means, that was what God wanted and planned. He allowed, is what God do not want it to happen, but out of the respect for our demanded freewill, He has to allow, but God's Children would be given all opportunities to return to the right path and do God's will, instead of ours.
I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as You are in me and I am in You.
May they be one, so that the world will believe that You sent me. I gave them the same glory you gave me, so that they may be one, just as You and I are one: I in them and You in me, so that they may be completely one, in order that the world may know that You sent me and that You love them as You love me.
Jesus was very concerned about what happen, in His time, when the groups that do not belong to the twelve caste out demons and works miracles, using Jesus' name, were not united with them.
Yet Jesus told the Disciples to allow these to happen, as they were not against the twelve and Jesus.
These continued, till today, with so many 'shoots sprouting out from the main stems'. Jesus prayed that all of them be one, and recognized that they all shared the same 'roots', where 'nourishment', is being channeled. They shared the 'same main stem' of which were covered with 'soil'. St. Peter was entrusted with the 'key' into the Kingdom of heaven. The rest of the denominations, that sprouted, receive blessing from God, through the working, empowerment and unity in the One Body of Christ of which Christ gives to us through the Holy Eucharist. Those who do not receive the physical, Sacramental bread and wine from the altar, consecrated by Christ, receive spiritual union, through the Holy Spirit, in this One Body of Christ.
Jesus never willed this to happen, but He allows this to happen, because He respected our demanded freewill, which was indeed, to the great advantage of the Devil. See how much damages had resulted from our manipulation, exploitation and abused of freedom given by God?
This would only end, when Jesus finally comes the Second Time around to separate the righteous and the evil ones. The Light from the darkness. God's possessions from the devils.
Freewill would be officially returned to God, with human being bowing down to the lowest points of their hearts. They would grope in agony and shame to have misused and tarnished God's Goodness and Love, by their abuse. We would all officially hand over to God, the once cherished and priced 'Freewill', which is no longer needed, by then it would be greatly hated and despised. We shall all enter into God's glory as saints to love and serve Him unceasingly. That shall be the glorious and victorious Day, for man, who treasured God's will. The shout of 'Hosanna and praise the Lord', would be greatly heard, everywhere, the 'loudest shall be from the depth of our hearts'. Each person would be directly responsible to make our final vow of 'digging of our eyes and cutting of our hands'. A complete detachment from the ,'I, myself and mine, deathly syndrome'. "Digging of eyes and cutting of hands', here means that; as the eyes and hands are part of our bodies, but they do not serve good purposes, instead, they were abused and misused, to serve the Devil. We are so attached to these sins, that we are not capable of detaching them from our pure human nature. The pure human nature, together with the souls, cried out to God for help. God therefore compromised with us, and says, "Yes, my daughter/son. I love you very much. I know your weaknesses. You, my beloved daughter/son, cried out to me, I cannot resist to help you. But I want you to give me your will. If you give me your will, the Devil is powerless, to snatch this 'treasure' from me. It shall be very painful. My daughter/son, please bears with me as I put the 'yoke' on your 'shoulders', as we 'plough the field together', until all works are done. It is a very painful process, but at the end of the day, my daughter/son, you shall triumph with me".
Father! You have given them to me, and I want them to be with me where I am, so that they may see my glory, the glory You gave me; for You loved me before the world was made.
Righteous Father! The world does not know You, but I know You, and these know that You sent me. I made you known to them, and I will continue to do so, in order that the love You have for Me may be in them"
The only element of Divine Nature, that God put on each one of us, who belongs to Him is the Victorious Spirit of the Son, who would cried out 'Abba Father! Abba Father!', to the Glorious Father and Lord, who created and love us. The Holy Spirit, filled the whole being of Jesus, Mary, angels and all saints would also fills us all. The Holy Spirit sanctified, purified and reconciled us with God, through Jesus Christ. In the One Spirit of God, we shall be completely one, after all sanctification, purification and reconciliation are completed in each one of us. Like the ray of sun, shinning to each particles of the earth, of which all receive the same light, so shall all who were filled and engulfed in the Spirit of God. We all journey with God, in God and through God, in the Spirit of His Son, Jesus Christ, called the Holy Spirit.
Praise the Lord. Amen.
Website Address: http://www.oocities.org/wee_lily/
Please exercise your Gift of Discernment. Thanks.
Written By: Lily Wee.