Reflection for June 4 Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter: John 17:11b-19

Gospel: John 17:11b-19

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your son, so that your son may glorify you, just as you gave him authority over all people, so that your son may give eternal life to all you gave him. Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.  

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.”

+ + + + + + +

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