First, I am (for the moment) caught up because I finally posted last Sunday's homily! You can find it on my print homilies page. Before you read it, I would encourage you to re-read last Sunday's Gospel in its entirety, especially if your parish opted for the shorter version. You can find that Sunday's readings here or by clicking on the red title line once you have my homily open.
In other news, I'm still catching my breath from the strength-training class my wife cajoled me into attending this morning at the local YMCA! She's been a rock star at leading a healthier lifestyle over the past seven months, and I am slowly trying to catch up to her tremendous progress. Anyway, as I lunged and lifted and sweated and panted, the wall to my left bore an old YMCA logo (see photo with my wife after her first ballet class in the same room) that includes the scriptural reference of John 17:21. Once I got home and had a molecule or two of O2 to spare for higher-level bodily functions, I wondered what this verse was and how it might have been meant to inspire me.
Turns out it's from the end of Jesus' discourses at the last supper, specifically part of what's known as his "high priestly prayer." Here it is, along with verse 20 for context: "'I pray not only for them [those to whom you gave me (17:6)], but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me."
As I struggle through tomorrow's inevitable aches and pains, I'm going to ponder how this might have applied to my workout, especially because I'm probably going to be cajoled there again sooner rather than later.
