Today's gospel reading is part of a long prayer of Jesus to His Father, on behalf of His disciples, interceding for them as He was about to enter His passover. It's sometimes called His "priestly prayer", His last will and testament, a spoken version of His self-offering at the last supper.

Reading this part of St John's gospel, I am aware that Jesus is praying for His close friends, those He chose to have with Him. But do I somehow think His words refer specially to the "twelve" and those others? That He's only talking about them? Isn't He also speaking to His Father about me? As a Christian, am I not also one of His 'chosen' ones? (After all, my faith is His gift, not because I first chose Him but because I accepted His calling me).

Surely, then, this gospel should be one of the most comforting and encouraging pages of the whole bible. Shouldn't I be overwhelmed to hear Jesus asking His Father to keep me true to His name, so that I might be one with Him and His friends? Why should I ever be fearful or anxious, when Jesus prays His Father to protect me even while I still live out my time and troubles in this world? And above all, have I really begun to appreciate that He spoke this prayer, these words, in order to share His joy with His friends, with me, "to the full"? As this year's Eastertime comes to an end, how much can I say I've felt His joy, to the full, in witnessing to Him in my world ?