Meeting 2 — “That they may know You”

Tags: Prayer, Truth, Spirituality, Text work, Sharing questions, Prayer meeting

Introduction for the Animator

We are now entering the topic of the High Priestly Prayer on the retreat. There is little in the outline about unity between us - this is intentional! There will be no unity and life between us if we do not go out to it from the answer to the most important question of this meeting: “What do Jesus’ words mean to me, that eternal life is to know God and Him?”. An honest and true answer to this question will make unity become an “inevitable consequence”.

Presence of eternity

Let’s start with a question that we often reflexively bypass turning it into a joke, irony, grotesque. Let’s try, however, to answer it honestly and allow ourselves to see where it leads us:

  • What is the meaning, essence, content of life for us?

We often see the meaning of life in doing something good, valuable, in short, in action. There is nothing wrong with this, because our “here and now” largely consists of this.

Let’s read:

When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

—Jn 17:1-5

The utterance of the High Priestly prayer by Jesus is placed at the culminating moment of His life. Jesus is very aware of this, so it can be assumed that he “values time” and focuses only on what is most important.

  • Does what is life for me bear the marks of eternity? In what way?

In eternity the fruits of our efforts will last, but the action itself will no longer be there. So it is not the content of eternal life. That is why it is so important that we be able to notice references to “marks of eternity” in what we are, what we do and what happens.

  • What life am I looking for? Does this life reach beyond the boundaries of time? What does this mean to me?

What is life?

Jesus answers extremely directly: “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent”. These are crystalline, unambiguous words; a moment when Jesus’ mission seems to be at the apogee of clarity. St. Paul, delighted with this clarity, makes his profession of faith:

Let’s read:

But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

—Phil 3:7-11

This “simple” definition of life by Jesus “demands” an answer. It is not enough for us to be delighted with the answers of others, even St. Paul!

  • What do Jesus’ words mean to me, that eternal life is to know God and Him?

Warning

Key question of the entire outline

What is God’s glory?

In the fragment of the High Priestly Prayer read at the beginning of the meeting, Jesus said: “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed”.

What role does “glorifying” play in my spiritual life? How do I understand this term?

Let’s read:

You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him.

—Ps 22:23-24

  • What does God consider his glory? What does he boast of?

God’s glory is to give eternal life to all! God “boasts” of being non-excluding, the life of all. That is why He is Father.

What is man’s glory?

Let’s read:

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

—Jn 10:14-18

  • What does Jesus consider his glory?

For Jesus, glory is to do the works of the Father. Jesus accepts the Father’s glory as his own.

  • What is/should be our glory?

Probably the same as was glory for Jesus. So, together with the Father, to give eternal life to all. Delight in God is a natural and first reaction to realizing who He Is. In adoring the One God, however, there is nothing of passivity.

  • In what way together with the Father do I give life to all?

  • What does “all” mean in my case?

Application

Everyone can choose any application from this meeting. We allow ourselves, however, to propose an idea.

Variant for people liking electronics:

Open your calendar on your phone and set yourself an event in half a year/a year with the topic “I am from prayer”. In the description of this event write (even a short!) answer to the most important question of today’s group meeting: - What do Jesus’ words mean to me, that eternal life is to know God and Him?

Variant for people liking electronics less:

Write the same thing only in your notebook/calendar and remember to return to it someday.

Alternative:

Think if you know a person who lacks life, or one for whom you would desire that their life became fuller? Ask God in prayer if you can do something to give them life?