Commentary on Sirach 15:1-6; Psalm 118; John 17:20-26

The Gospel reading is from the long discourse of Jesus at the Last Supper from John. The last part of chapter 17 containing the discourse consists of Jesus’ long prayer. In today’s reading, Jesus prays for those believers who will come after his own disciples.

After a prayer for his disciples’ fidelity to his word and his mission, Jesus goes on to pray that those who come after them will be marked by their unity:

As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

That will be the most effective sign of the truth of Jesus’ message – his followers living in the unity of that love which was the central commandment he left them both by his teaching and by his own example.

Again he says:

I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Unfortunately, Jesus’ followers have not succeeded in maintaining that level of unity. Over the centuries and down to our own day there have been deep divisions, even to the point of violence and war. Not surprisingly, it has been a source of disedification and disillusionment for outsiders.

Bernard worked very hard for unity within the Christian community. He was a major agent in putting an end to a schism caused by more than one claimant to the papal throne. In our day, too, the unity of the Church needs to be a top priority. It is the most effective proof that our lives are guided by that universal and unconditional love which should mark every disciple of Jesus.

The First Reading is from the Book of Sirach (also known as the Book of Ecclesiasticus). It speaks of the gift of wisdom to the one “who fears the Lord”:

She will come to meet him like a mother,
and like a young bride she will welcome him.
She will feed him with the bread of understanding
and give him the water of wisdom to drink.
He will lean on her and not fall,
and he will rely on her and not be put to shame.
She will exalt him above his neighbors
and will open his mouth in the midst of the assembly.
Gladness[b] and a crown of rejoicing
and an everlasting name he will inherit.

All this was true of Bernard. In addition to being an effective administrator in reforming monastic life and being active in Church politics, he was also a person of deep spirituality who wrote works which are still regarded as classics in our own day. It is not often that one sees such disparate gifts united in one person.

While our own gifts are likely to be far more limited, let us pray that we may recognise the particular gifts that God has given to each one of us and that we may use them for the good of the Church and for all our brothers and sisters wherever they are.