Commentary on the Gospel of
Prayer of Jesus
The gospels repeatedly tell us about Jesus leaving his disciples to spend entire nights in prayer to his Father. We are given no clues as to what and how exactly he prayed. Now, in the “Priestly Prayer” of Jesus in John 17, we have a glimpse to his style of prayer. And, how beautiful it is! Several features strike me: the absence of any litany of his own needs; overflowing sense of intimacy and familiarity with the Father; deep concern and care for his own disciples and everyone who will come to believe in him, asking the Father to protect them, consecrate them, and bring them to the kind of union that he shares with the Father…. If this prayer is any indication, can we imagine how central we and our concerns are for Jesus in his “daily conversation” with his Father? And to know that he has prayed for us—what greater security we need to let go of all our fears and anxieties!
