3M Reflection & Hymn:

Details

Description

One in Your Love (Gentle) - John 17: 20-26
C Wk 20 Wednesday

0:00 Begin
2:26 Hymn

For more Gospel reflections and hymns: https://patricianbrothers.org/patrician-music/

To contribute to the Delany Foundation with supports the Patrician Brothers missions and schools in Papua New Guinea, Ghana, and Kenya: https://www.bpoint.com.au/payments/delanyfoundation/

A reflection on the Gospel of St John, Chapter 17, verses 20 to 26.

In the final moments before His Passion, Jesus lifts His eyes to the Father and prays—not only for His disciples, but for all who will believe in Him through their word. This prayer stretches across time and space to embrace every Christian who has ever lived. We are directly in the heart of Christ’s intercession. His deepest desire is that His followers may be one, as He and the Father are one.

This unity is not a uniformity of opinions, culture, or expression, but a profound communion rooted in divine love. The source of this unity is God Himself—the love that has existed from eternity between the Father and the Son, now shared with us through the Spirit. When Christians live in this unity, they bear witness to the truth of Jesus’ mission: “so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.” Our love for one another becomes the most persuasive proclamation of the Gospel.

Jesus’ prayer also reveals His longing for us to be with Him where He is, to see His glory. This is more than an eternal hope; it is a present reality. Even now, we are invited into the life of God, drawn into His love, and called to reflect that love in our relationships. Division, rivalry, and bitterness have no place in a community called to mirror the divine unity.

In this passage, we hear the heartbeat of Christ: a desire for unity that springs from love, a mission rooted in witness, and an eternal invitation to dwell in the presence of God. Our task is to receive this prayer, allow it to shape our hearts, and to make choices that foster reconciliation, compassion, and peace. In doing so, we become living answers to the prayer of Jesus, signs to the world that God’s love is real and transformative.

Let us pray.

Lord Jesus, You prayed that we might be one as You and the Father are one. Draw us deeper into Your love, that our hearts may be conformed to Yours. Heal the wounds of division in Your Church, our families, and our world. Let forgiveness replace bitterness, understanding replace suspicion, and peace replace hostility. Fill us with the unity of the Spirit, that our lives may bear witness to the Father’s love. Keep us faithful until we share Your glory in eternity. We ask this through You, our Lord and Saviour, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Hymn: “One in Your Love”
Verse 1
Before the cross, You bowed to pray,
That we be one in love today;
Your heart’s desire, Your holy plea,
That we reflect Your unity.
Verse 2
The world will see and then believe,
When we Your love and peace achieve;
Through every word, through all we do,
May we give witness, Lord, to You.
Chorus
One in Your love, O Lord we stand,
Bound by the grace from Your own hand;
Father and Son, forever one,
Make us in You, Your will be done.
Verse 3
Your glory shines, Your truth is light,
You draw us to Your Father’s sight;
To dwell with You, our hope, our song,
With saints and angels all day long.
Chorus
One in Your love, O Lord we stand,
Bound by the grace from Your own hand;
Father and Son, forever one,
Make us in You, Your will be done.
Bridge
Your love has called us by Your name,
Your Spirit sets our hearts aflame;
Through every age, Your Church shall be
One body in eternity.
Verse 4
So bind our hearts in mercy’s chain,
Till only love and peace remain;
Through every trial, make us one,
Till heaven’s work on earth is done.
Chorus
One in Your love, O Lord we stand,
Bound by the grace from Your own hand;
Father and Son, forever one,
Make us in You, Your will be done.
Father and Son, forever one,
Make us in You, Your will be done.