PRAYER POSTURE:
(In the Preaching Resources reflection on the Scriptures for the 7th Sunday of Easter, Patricia Sanchez shares some important thoughts about prayer -- for Jesus, for the disciples, etc. -- thus also for us. The bold sections are ours.)
Prayer is the motif that pervades the sacred texts today (Acts 1:12-14, 1 Peter 4: 13-16, and John 17: 1-11a). In the first reading from Acts, Luke offers us a glimpse of the nascent church after the Ascension of Jesus. Having retreated to the upper room, the Eleven, along with Mary and some other women, "devoted themselves with one accord to prayer." Before formulating a missionary strategy, before recruiting others to help them in their ministry, before determining how best to deflect the threat of Roman and Jewish opposition -- before all else, they prayed.
In today's Gospel, the Johannine Jesus is featured praying what has been called his High Priestly Prayer for himself as well as those whom God has given him as disciples. Jesus could have formulated a plan of action for his disciples or provided them with a list of helpful hints on how to conduct themselves. Instead, Jesus prayed. He stood before God with open hands and an open heart, and asked for God's tender care and compassion for those he loved. In so doing, Jesus taught his followers that the primary posture of a believer before God is one of prayer. Before any plans are made, before any agenda is set, before all else, those who continue the ministry of Jesus are to pray. This means that we consciously decide to live in the presence of God.
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