Focusing the Gospel
Key words and phrases: in the world, do not belong to the world, Consecrate them
Connecting the Gospel …To the point: In this Gospel Jesus prays that his Father consecrate the disciples (and us) to be his continuing presence in the world We cannot avoid the tension this consecration engenders: we will be at odds with the world, but one with each other; we will be hated by the world, but share in the joy of Christ; we will be confronted by the evil one, but be protected from the evil one. In the midst of this tension we are assured of Jesus' prayer and protection.
… to the Second Reading: The tension of living in the world while not belonging to the world would paralyze us if we were not given God's Spirit who, through our struggle with the tension, brings to perfection God's love in us.
… to experience: We wish that committing ourselves to Christ would eliminate tension in our lives. It doesn't! If anything, it heightens the tension.