Oblates of St. Francis de Sales

New DeSales World Newsletter - Summer Edition

7TH SUNDAY OF EASTER (May 28, 2006)

Readings Acts 1: 15-17, 20 a, 20c-26 Ps 103: 1-2, 11-12, 19-20 1 Jn 4: 11-16 Jn 17: 11b-19

Suggested Emphasis

"I consecrate myself for their sakes now, that they may be consecrated in truth."

Salesian Perspective

For the past six weeks we have been observing the great Sunday of Easter, which lasts fifty days, culminating in the feast of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles and our Blessed Mother and upon us, in our present day.

Christ is praying to his Father in the Gospel narrative for this 7th Sunday of Easter (John 17: 16-19) with the hope and the desire that we may remain one. He prays that God may protect us and guard us from the evil one: "Consecrate them…I consecrate myself for their sakes now, that they may be consecrated in truth."

In his Treatise on the Love of God, Francis de Sales observed: "Truth is the object of our intellect, and consequently the intellect finds its entire satisfaction in discovering and knowing the truth of things. In proportion as truths are more excellent, the intellect applies itself with greater delight and attention to their consideration." (Book III, Chapter 9)

He continued: "When our mind is raised above the natural light of reason and begin to see the sacred truth of faith, O God, what joy ensues…If divine truths are so sweet even when proposed in the obscure light of faith, O God, what shall those truths be when we contemplate them in the noonday light of glory! (Ibid)

Francis concluded: "Ah, how beautiful and dear to us are the truths that faith reveals by hearing."

We have indeed heard the truth: the truth embodied in the Good News of Jesus Christ, the "Word Made Flesh" who not only speaks the truth, but the one who, ultimately, is the Truth. As beautiful and dear to us as the truth of Jesus that we hear is, Jesus' truth in our lives is even more delightful when we put it into practice!

Jesus prays in today's Gospel that his disciples will see through the world's illusions. By arming themselves with the truth that is God's Word, they will outwit the evil one who seeks to separate them from the Father's protection and from each other. As modern-day disciples and followers of Jesus, our primary responsibility as Christians is to name and embrace the truth of God's love for us today. The truth is that we must not merely hear it but we must also live this truth in our relationships with one another: we must see beyond the ways of the passing world and remain faithful to God's eternal plan and God's eternal way for us in ways that draw us more closely together rather than drive us apart.

Rev. Michael S. Murray, OSFS, is the Executive Director of the De Sales Spirituality Center.