With Christ In Heaven

The primary goal of our life should be to spend eternity with Christ in Heaven. There should be no other goal higher than that because any other goal we have will be of this world, and we were not created for this world. In his prayer for unity, we hear how Christ desires for us to be where he is. And we know he is in heaven, seated at the right hand of the Father.

With Christ In Heaven

Gospel - John 17:20-26

Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying:

"I pray not only for these,

but also for those who will believe in me through their word,

so that they may all be one,

as you, Father, are in me and I in you,

that they also may be in us,

that the world may believe that you sent me.

And I have given them the glory you gave me,

so that they may be one, as we are one,

I in them and you in me,

that they may be brought to perfection as one,

that the world may know that you sent me,

and that you loved them even as you loved me.

Father, they are your gift to me.

I wish that where I am they also may be with me,

that they may see my glory that you gave me,

because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Righteous Father, the world also does not know you,

but I know you, and they know that you sent me.

I made known to them your name and I will make it known,

that the love with which you loved me

may be in them and I in them."

Scriptural Analysis

Jesus opens this section of his prayer by noting that it includes not only his first group of disciples but also all who will come to believe in him because of them. In essence, all believers. This implies that the mission of the disciples will be to spread the message of Jesus, which will be seen in the Great Commissioning in Mathew’s Gospel. Jesus has given the disciples the Father’s word, which is himself.

Jesus then prays that his disciples may be one. This does not simply refer to the first disciples, but to all disciples, both present and future. That is because the communion that his disciples share in is the very communion of the Father and the Son. This invisible participation in this unity is manifested in the bonds of faith and love in the Church. A strong and vibrant Church united in faith and unity is the visible sign of the unity of the Father and the Son. The unity of believers stems from the unity of the Father and the Son, a unity that has been passed on to believers through Jesus. It is this participation of humanity in the divine communion that is the goal of salvation: the goal of the entirety of human history. It is the unity and love of the disciples that serve as a witness to the world of this transforming love of the Father through the Son.

Jesus longs for his disciples to spend eternity with him in heaven. The disciples, and indeed all of us, begin participating in this divine communion through baptism, but it will ultimately be fulfilled in heaven when we witness the beatific vision. The world does not know God because it does not know the Son, but the disciples do because they have received the message of the Son in faith. Jesus has made known to the disciples the Father and will continue to do so when the Holy Spirit is sent to them. Through the Holy Spirit, the disciples will come to know the Father, whom Jesus revealed to them, more deeply, and their participation in the divine communion will increase until one day they are in the Father’s house forever.

Daily Application

This Gospel passage is so rich that the Church gives it to us twice in the same week. We hear it both on the 7th Sunday of Easter and the Thursday of the 7th week of Easter. Often, the focus on this passage is on Christ’s prayer for unity, and rightfully so. That is a critical point of this passage, and indeed, given the fractured state of Christians today, it remains a critical point for us.

However, a secondary point of note is Christ’s desire that his disciples could be with him where he is. Christ knows what is about to happen to him, which will culminate in his Ascension into heaven. His desire for his disciples to be with him can be seen as a desire that they will spend eternity in heaven with him. The desire extends beyond just his first disciples and includes all of humanity.

That is the ultimate desire of Christ: that we may all be with him and the Father in heaven for eternity. This should be our deepest desire as well, and our lives should reflect this. We should live not as citizens of this world but as citizens of heaven. This means recognizing that to enter into Heaven, we must die in a state of grace. There must be no unreported Mortal sin on our conscience.

If it’s been a while for you, go to confession. Rid yourself of the baggage of sin that causes us to focus on this world. Make a firm resolve to attempt to sin no more. Focus your life not on the things of this world, but on the world to come. Realize that you were made for more. You were made to spend eternity with Christ in Heaven.