Chapter 17 of John’s Gospel harkens back to a great liturgical hymn. In it, Jesus appears in all His glory as the Son, conversing intimately with God, whom He calls “Abba,” a term rarely used in Judaism. “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you Jn 17:1). “The Son came to reveal the Father to the world, it is for those who accepted Him in the faith that He prays. Those who believed have become the children of God” (Jn 1:12)“I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.” (Jn 17: 9-10)

Each of us can appropriate these words of Jesus, applying them to a husband or a wife or children and friends — all those the Lord has entrusted to us. This is what St. Therese of the Child Jesus did. She was an instructor to novices without actually possessing the title and a devoted sister to two missionaries with whom she corresponded. With a certain degree of boldness, she prayed to the Father paraphrasing the words of Jesus:

“I’ve brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. I revealed your name to those you gave me. They were Yours and You have given them to me. They know that everything You have given to me comes from You. For I gave them the words You gave me. They accepted them and they believed that You sent me.” (Manuscript C, 34 r).

Jacques Gauthier