Gospel: John 17:11b-19
I glorified you on earth by accomplishing the work that you gave me to do. Now glorify me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began. “I revealed your name to those whom you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.
Now they know that everything you gave me
is from you, because the words you gave to me I have given to them, and they
accepted them and truly understood that I came from you, and they have believed
that you sent me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones
you have given me, because they are yours, and everything of mine is yours and everything
of yours is mine, and I have been glorified in them. And now I will no longer
be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.”
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Reflection:
There is a story told about a man known for being
prayerful. But the irony was this: though he prayed often, his prayers were
always only for himself.
When the man died, an angel welcomed him and led him into
a beautiful room filled with everything he had ever prayed for. Overwhelmed
with gratitude, the man thanked the angel for granting his desires. But then he
noticed something unsettling—he was completely alone.
He turned to the angel and asked, “Why am I alone?”
The angel gently replied, “Because you always prayed only
for yourself. You never lifted up anyone else in your prayers. And now, you are
surrounded only by the things you asked for—but not by the people you could
have prayed for.”
As Jesus prepared to leave His disciples, He did not pray
for Himself. Instead, He prayed for them. He interceded for their protection,
their unity, and their strength. His heart was turned outward, filled with love
and concern for others.
What about us?
When we come before God in prayer, is our focus always on
ourselves? Are we the constant star of our conversations with God? Or do we
sometimes set aside our own needs to pray for those we love—trusting that God,
who knows all things, already understands our hearts and our needs?
God is all-knowing. He sees every joy and every burden we
carry. And because He already knows what we need, perhaps we are called to lift
up others more often in our prayers.
This does not mean we stop bringing our personal petitions
before God. Not at all. But it does mean we learn to pray with the heart of
Christ—placing the needs of others before our own. For God doesn’t want us to
be people who live only for ourselves. He calls us to be people for others—just
as Jesus was, and still is, for us.
So today, reflect on this simple but profound question: Am I a person who prays only for myself, or am I becoming a person of prayer for others? — Marino J. Dasmarinas
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