If you can, I want you to try and imagine the scene. It is the legendary night of our Lord’s betrayal. He has already gathered with His disciples to celebrate Passover. They have come together to go through the rituals of a sacred meal they have practiced all their lives. They know the movements by heart, the meaning of each part of the meal, the metaphor of the cups, and the weight of the word of remembrance. It is a remembrance of God’s terrifying deliverance. This meal, however, was different, in almost every way imaginable. Under the headship of our Lord, this meal transcends its usual significance. He is the Lamb of God. He is the body and the blood. He is the gift that delivers from the Angel of Death, and He demonstrates the depth of His sacrifice through service. He kneels down, and to the shock of all, Jesus begins to wash the feet of His disciples. He says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”  The tension is mounting. They can all feel it. The whole night is filled with language of sacrifice, body, and blood, of betrayal, love, and sacrifice.

Then, with all these crazy and powerful events swirling around in their minds, our Lord begins to pray. He prays to His Father for the sake of His disciples. He prays an earnest, heartfelt prayer of intercession for those whose feet He has just washed. He prays they might be cared for, that they might endure, and might not be lost to the terrors of this world. Have you ever prayed like that? Have you prayed for someone you love; someone you know who is going through hard and challenging times? You cannot fix the situation. You cannot change the obstacles set before them. So, you turn your eyes toward Heaven, and you pray. You cast all your hope on God. Perhaps, He will intercede. Maybe, He will give the strength necessary for the road ahead. Accordingly, Jesus prays for His followers, He prays for you, and He prays the Father will care for you and guide you through the days that are coming.

“Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one.” This is a prayer for unity, for strength to endure. It is necessary because, as followers of Christ, you live a life which is no longer in unity with the world. It is separated and disjointed, with different aspirations, identities, hopes, and security. Because of your faith, as a result of the call of God, you ought to consider yourselves in the world but not of the world. So, Jesus prays saying, “I have given them Your Word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

To be in the world but not of the world is to be viewed as an outsider, to wear a target of sorts. Your very existence will cause reflection in others, and that will bring rejection and opposition. Therefore, Jesus prays for you. He says to His Father, “I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the Evil One.” This reminds me of what we pray at the end the Lord’s Prayer: “Deliver us from evil.” Your catechism teaches you this is prayed as a summary of the whole prayer. That is to say, if God’s name is kept holy, if His Kingdom comes to you, if His will is done in your life, if you give thanks for your daily bread and forgive as you have been forgiven, if you are preserved from temptation, then you are delivered from the Evil One. This is the life of discipleship, life in the world but not of the world, and He prays for He knows the Evil One is on the prowl.

Now, we may think the Evil One will do his work through persecution and the belittling of the faithful. He will do what he can to bring scandal to the Church and make our faith seem weak and foolish in the eyes of this world. And certainly, we can recognize endless examples of just such things. But perhaps the greatest attack is the one which has continued since the Garden. It is a question regarding truth: “Did God really say?” Where does truth reside? How do we get to it? Can we trust it? Is it one thing, or are there multiple realities? These questions shape the way in which we seek understanding and will shape our identity, security, and meaning in this world. Today, as we watch the news or scroll through our social media feeds, it seems clear the source of truth is found within the individual. It is seen as being based on how they feel, and their struggle to understand themselves is the most important thing.

Truth, then, is rooted in experiences, in emotional responses to the things of our world. Instead of asking, “Did God really say?” the questions are about how you feel. Are you being true to yourself? If you are being true to yourself, then who can say you are wrong? This, I think, is a much more successful attack of the Evil One than outright persecution, for it robs us of a unifying truth to rally around. I mean, if the Church was actually under real, physical attack, we know where the lines are, where the battle is being fought, and who is on our side and who stands in opposition. But now, it does not matter if the Church is faithful to the Word of God, as long as it meets my needs at the time. It is no longer relevant if the Church stands with the ancient practices of the faith, as long as I get the experience that makes me feel justified.

How incredibly appropriate this ancient prayer of Jesus is for us today. For the attacks on the faithful are not from the outside-in, but from within us, spreading out, and bringing separation and disunity. It seems clear Jesus is saying, if we are to endure and receive all the promises He has given, we must have one another. You cannot do this alone. I cannot do it alone. The key is to remain united. “Holy Father, keep them in Your name, which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one.” He prays that we are one. This is echoed by Saint Paul, who will earnestly write to the church in Ephesus saying, “There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

This unity is rooted in the Word, the revealed divine Word of God. The Word who became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word who bore our sins, died in our place, and rose again for our salvation. The Word of God, which comes from outside our desires, feelings, and emotions, is the source of our unity. Jesus says to His Father concerning you, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your Word is truth.” Sanctify them, set them apart from this age, apart from this world. Set them apart in the truth, and Your Word is truth. And what does this Word of truth reveal? It shows you your sin. It calls you to repentance. It is a guide for how you ought to conduct yourself as the people of God. And though you fail, stumble, and fall, the Word of truth is not finished with you. No, you are given hope and life in the proclamation that Christ has made satisfaction.

Our unity is in Him, in His Word. Our standing together in this Word and our receiving of this Truth is His prayer. This is how we endure. This is how we are kept from the attacks of the Evil One. We stand together in repentance, and we stand together in the humility of receiving this Word. We are one, one in the Word of Christ’s forgiveness.