John 17: “That They May All Be One”
1. “Father, the Hour Has Come”
“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.’” (Jn 17:1)
The discourse now becomes prayer.
The Son, having comforted His disciples, communes directly with the Father.
His “hour” — so often deferred — has finally arrived: the Passion, the Cross, the revelation of divine love.
St Augustine writes:
“He who prayed was not inferior in nature but obedient in love. To ask the Father’s glory is to seek the manifestation of His own divinity through the Cross.”
(Tractates on John 105.2)
Christ prays standing between heaven and earth — one hand lifted to the Father, the other stretched toward mankind.
His priesthood is intercession born of love.
St Bede the Venerable notes:
“He lifts His eyes not as one seeking what He lacked, but as one recalling His origin. The gaze of the Son is the prayer of eternal union.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.23)
2. “Glorify Your Son, That the Son May Glorify You”
“Since You have given Him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom You have given Him.” (v. 2)
The Cross is not humiliation but glorification.
Christ receives authority “over all flesh” — not domination, but the power to give life.
St Ambrose comments:
“Power over all flesh is not tyranny but healing; He has power to save, not to subdue.”
(On the Faith II.7)
Here we glimpse the economy of salvation:
The Father gives the Son the mission;
The Son glorifies the Father by obedience;
The Spirit later reveals that glory in the Church.
3. “This Is Eternal Life”
“This is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (v. 3)
Eternal life is defined not as duration but communion — to know the Father through the Son.
“Know” (ginoskein) means intimate union, not mere intellect.
St Augustine remarks:
“To know God is to be known by Him; knowledge here is love, and eternal life is participation in the Light.”
(Tractates on John 105.4)
St Bede adds:
“He calls the Father the only true God, not to exclude Himself, but to include Himself as His Word; for truth known without the Word cannot be known truly.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.23)
This verse, misused by Arians, actually affirms the Son’s divinity: eternal life consists in knowing both the Father and Jesus Christ.
4. “I Glorified You on Earth”
“I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work that You gave Me to do.” (v. 4)
The “work” is not merely miracles or teaching, but the revelation of the Father’s love — completed on the Cross.
St Augustine says:
“He calls His Passion work, not because He lacked power to avoid it, but because obedience is the perfect work of love.”
(Tractates on John 106.2)
Christ’s mission is complete in intent though not yet in event.
The prayer anticipates Calvary as already victorious.
5. “Glorify Me in Your Own Presence”
“And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory which I had with You before the world was made.” (v. 5)
This verse opens eternity before us.
The Son prays not for what He did not possess, but for the manifestation of His eternal glory now veiled by flesh.
St Ambrose writes:
“He who prays to be glorified as man declares that He was glorified as God; the same Lord who emptied Himself now asks to be clothed again with the majesty He never lost.”
(On the Faith I.15)
The pre-existence of Christ is unmistakable: He speaks as one who shared divine glory before the world was.
This is the eternal Logos, consubstantial with the Father.
6. “I Have Manifested Your Name”
“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world.” (v. 6)
To manifest the Father’s Name means to reveal His nature — mercy, truth, and love.
The “Name” in Scripture signifies presence: Christ is the visible revelation of the invisible God.
St Bede comments:
“He manifested not by sound but by sight, for the Name of the Father is the Son made flesh.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.23)
Those “given” to Him represent the Church — believers drawn by grace from the world to divine intimacy.
7. “They Have Kept Your Word”
“They have kept Your word. Now they know that everything You have given Me is from You.” (vv. 6–7)
Christ praises the disciples not for perfection but for faith’s beginnings.
Their keeping of the Word is their acceptance of His revelation.
St Augustine notes:
“He sees not what they are, but what they shall be; He praises grace begun, not nature attained.”
(Tractates on John 107.2)
Christ’s intercession interprets His followers through mercy, not merit.
8. “I Am Praying for Them”
“I am praying for them; I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours.” (v. 9)
This is the particular prayer of priestly mediation.
He does not yet pray for the world because the Church must first be sanctified to intercede for it.
St Bede the Venerable explains:
“He prays for His members, that they may live in unity; through them He will later pray for the world’s conversion.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.23)
St Augustine writes:
“He excludes the world that He may include it later; for the world must be reborn from those He sanctifies.”
(Tractates on John 108.3)
9. “All Mine Are Yours”
“All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.” (v. 10)
Here is the mutual possession of the Trinity.
No created being can say, “All that is Yours is Mine.”
Only one equal to the Father can speak thus.
St Ambrose comments:
“He who has all that the Father has is not less but equal; this is not communion of grace but unity of essence.”
(On the Faith I.16)
Christ’s glory is reflected in His disciples: their sanctity magnifies His radiance.
10. “I Am No Longer in the World”
“I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You.” (v. 11)
He speaks proleptically — though still present, He already offers Himself as departing.
His concern turns to the disciples’ protection.
“Holy Father, keep them in Your name which You have given Me, that they may be one, even as We are one.”
The petition for unity arises from the very being of God.
The unity of the Church mirrors the unity of the Trinity.
St Augustine writes:
“Not bodily unity, but spiritual charity makes them one; for as the Father and the Son are one by love, so must believers be one in the Spirit.”
(Tractates on John 110.4)
11. “I Kept Them in Your Name”
“While I was with them, I kept them in Your name; those whom You gave Me I have guarded, and none of them is lost but the son of perdition.” (v. 12)
Christ guards His own faithfully.
Judas’s fall does not imply failure of Christ’s care, but fulfilment of prophecy and respect for free will.
St Bede notes:
“He lost none unwilling to be lost; Judas perished by his own choosing, not by the lack of grace.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.23)
Even in betrayal, divine sovereignty remains unbroken.
12. “That They May Have My Joy Fulfilled in Themselves”
“But now I am coming to You; and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.” (v. 13)
Christ’s joy is communion with the Father; He prays that the same divine joy be implanted in the Church.
St Augustine comments:
“The Lord’s joy is the joy of charity — to love and be loved eternally. This joy He pours into His members as the vine into its branches.”
(Tractates on John 111.1)
Holiness is joyful because it shares the Son’s delight in the Father.
13. “The World Has Hated Them”
“I have given them Your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world.” (v. 14)
Discipleship entails alienation.
The world — meaning the order of pride and unbelief — resents divine truth.
St Ambrose remarks:
“The Church must be hated by the world if she loves God; for friendship with the world is enmity with Christ.”
(On the Mysteries 42)
Hatred of holiness is the world’s tribute to its own defeat.
14. “Keep Them from the Evil One”
“I do not ask that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.” (v. 15)
The Lord’s protection is not isolation but preservation.
Sanctity does not flee the world but transforms it.
St Bede the Venerable comments:
“He prays not for their removal but for their perseverance; for their life among sinners is the world’s hope.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.23)
Christians are to be light in the darkness, not fugitives from it.
15. “Sanctify Them in the Truth”
“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” (v. 17)
Here is the priestly consecration of the Apostles.
To sanctify is to set apart for holy use.
The “truth” is not abstract doctrine but the living Word — Christ Himself.
St Augustine says:
“To be sanctified in the truth is to be conformed to the Word; for as He is the Truth, so are we sanctified when we live in Him.”
(Tractates on John 112.2)
This verse grounds Catholic teaching on the inerrancy of divine revelation: the Word of God sanctifies by truth.
16. “As You Sent Me, So I Have Sent Them”
“As You sent Me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” (v. 18)
The apostolic mission is modelled on Christ’s: from the Father into the world, bearing love and truth.
St Bede writes:
“The Church is apostolic because her ministers are sent as Christ was sent — not to rule by force, but to save by sacrifice.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.23)
Priesthood is participation in this same consecration.
17. “For Their Sake I Consecrate Myself”
“For their sake I consecrate Myself, that they also may be consecrated in truth.” (v. 19)
Christ, the High Priest, consecrates Himself as the Victim.
The altar of the Cross fulfils the prayer of this moment.
St Ambrose writes:
“He consecrates Himself not by another’s hand but by His own will; the priest and the sacrifice are one.”
(On the Mysteries 43)
Every Mass renews this self-offering: the same priest, the same victim, the same truth.
18. “I Do Not Pray for These Only”
“I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in Me through their word.” (v. 20)
Here Christ explicitly includes the entire future Church — all who will believe through apostolic witness.
This is the communion of saints foreseen in prayer.
St Augustine comments:
“He prays for us who read, believe, and love; this prayer embraces all ages and every nation.”
(Tractates on John 114.1)
Our faith is born from this intercession.
19. “That They May All Be One”
“That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be in Us.” (v. 21)
This is the heart of the prayer — the petition for unity.
Not uniformity, but communion reflecting the very life of the Trinity.
St Bede the Venerable writes:
“He prays not for one body only, but for one soul in many bodies; the unity of love mirrors the unity of the divine essence.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.23)
St Augustine adds:
“This unity is not human agreement but divine participation; we are one not by choice but by charity.”
(Tractates on John 115.2)
Here is the foundation of Catholic ecclesiology: the Church as visible and spiritual unity in the life of God.
20. “The Glory You Have Given Me I Have Given to Them”
“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as We are one.” (v. 22)
Christ shares His divine life — sanctifying grace — with His Church.
Unity is the fruit of shared glory.
St Ambrose remarks:
“He gives them His glory, not that they become gods by nature, but that they be deified by participation.”
(On the Holy Spirit II.19)
This is the doctrine of theosis — communion with the divine nature through grace (cf. 2 Pet 1:4).
21. “I in Them and You in Me”
“I in them and You in Me, that they may become perfectly one.” (v. 23)
Here the circle of divine love encloses the believer.
The Father in the Son, the Son in the Church — the Trinity indwelling humanity.
St Augustine writes:
“He who abides in charity abides in God; this is the perfection of unity, the consummation of creation.”
(Tractates on John 116.1)
Such union is both mystical and moral — realised in holiness, expressed in charity.
22. “Father, I Desire That They Also May Be with Me”
“Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to behold My glory.” (v. 24)
This is the culmination of Christ’s priestly intercession: the longing of divine love for human companionship.
He wills our presence with Him eternally.
St Bede notes:
“The Redeemer’s will is our salvation; His desire, our destiny.”
(Homilies on the Gospels, I.23)
St Augustine adds:
“He asks not as beggar but as lover; His prayer is the declaration of His will.”
(Tractates on John 117.3)
Heaven is to behold the glory of the Son — vision and union in one act.
23. “The World Has Not Known You”
“O righteous Father, the world has not known You, but I have known You; and these know that You have sent Me.” (v. 25)
The contrast between the world and the believers runs throughout the prayer.
Knowledge here means personal communion: unbelief is alienation.
St Ambrose comments:
“The world refuses to know because it refuses to love; ignorance is the child of pride.”
(On the Faith III.8)
Faith opens what reason alone cannot reach.
24. “I Made Known to Them Your Name”
“I made known to them Your name, and I will make it known, that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (v. 26)
The prayer ends where it began: revelation of the Father’s Name.
The final word of Jesus before His Passion is love.
St Augustine concludes:
“Love is the end of all teaching, the perfection of all prayer, the fulfilment of all promise. To make the Father known is to make love known.”
(Tractates on John 118.5)
This final verse is the eternal heartbeat of the Gospel: “I in them.”
25. Theological Summary
| Theme | Revelation |
| Glory and the Cross | The Son glorifies the Father through obedient self-offering; the Cross is revelation, not defeat. |
| Eternal Life | Defined as communion: knowing the Father in the Son by the Spirit. |
| Sanctification in Truth | The Apostles (and through them the Church) are consecrated by the Word who is Truth. |
| Unity | The visible and invisible communion of the Church mirrors Trinitarian oneness. |
| Mission | “As You sent Me… so I send them”: apostolicity flows from Christ’s consecration. |
| Deification (Theosis) | “The glory You have given Me I have given them”: participation in divine life by grace. |
| Indwelling | “I in them and You in Me”: the Trinity dwelling within the faithful. |
St Augustine summarises:
“Here we hear the Heart of the Mediator: He prays that we may be one in Him, that loving the Father in the Son we may be made sharers of that very love.”
(Tractates on John 110–118, passim)
26. Moral and Pastoral Application
Pray from within Christ’s prayer. Read John 17 slowly as your own intercession for the Church, your parish, and those you’re evangelising.
Seek unity that is doctrinal and charitable. Unity without truth is sentiment; truth without charity is harshness. Hold both, as Jesus prays.
Live “sanctified in truth.” Let Scripture, taught by the Church, shape your habits more than news or social media.
Embrace mission as participation in Christ. Your witness is an extension of His sending; act with His patience, purity, and courage.
Cultivate joy from indwelling. Return during the day to the phrase: “I in them.” Make it a breath-prayer when anxious.
27. Christ the High Priest
| Old Covenant Type | Fulfilment in Christ |
| High priest enters the Holy of Holies once a year | Jesus enters the true sanctuary with His own Blood, once for all |
| Sacrificial victim distinct from priest | Priest and Victim are one in Christ |
| People represented by the breastplate stones | The Church held in the Heart of Christ |
| Name of God ineffable | The Name revealed in the Son and given to the Church |
| Blessing for Israel | Universal intercession: all who believe through apostolic word |
St Ambrose:
“He consecrates Himself that we might be consecrated in truth; the altar is the Cross, the fire is love, the victim is God-made-man.” (On the Mysteries 43)
28. Closing Prayer
Father most holy,
in Your Son’s priestly prayer
You have revealed Your heart for the Church.
Make us one in truth and charity,
sanctified by Your Word,
faithful to the mission for which Your Christ was sent.
Let the love with which You love the Son
dwell in us richly,
that the world may believe.
Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever. Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 