To Be or Not To Be One with Christ

^“I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. 

Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me,

so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled” (John 17:10-12).

How often have you wished that you could see Jesus, be around him, feel his presence? We can only imagine what that must have been like for his disciples.

He gave us a powerful promise, however. As Christ is one with the God, he also invites us to be one with him. The union between Father and Son is so complete that they are inseparable. Therefore, as God is one with Christ, we are one with him and we are also inseparable from God.

This divine invitation should draw us stronger than anything else in this world. Jesus protects us and keeps us safe, even when he is no longer on this earth. Actually, that is the point: he left this world to create a better one, to fulfill scripture. He does not obey worldly rules; the laws of nature do not apply to him. He transcends all these by his resurrection and victory over death and the devil. By not following the rules, he broke the boundaries and created a new paradise and freedom for all those who give themselves to him. Jesus kept his disciples safe when he was on earth and will continue to protect us, now that he is in heaven.

The thing is, of course, that we have to give up ourselves in order to be free. To be free of the yoke of sin, we must shake off this “mortal coil” and accept that we need to die along with him. Because that is the only way we can truly become alive in him. To live is indeed to allow our earthly and “oh-so-carefully-created” identities to be killed off, and to assume the humble clothes of heaven, washed clean by Jesus on the cross. Judas, alas, did not accept Jesus as his Lord, and was therefore doomed.

Only by losing ourselves, can we win, and be freed from the shadows of sin and destruction; let them fall behind us in the darkness, under the cross. Let us welcome the sunshine of eternal salvation that radiates forward from that special Easter morning centuries ago, casting rays of light into eternity.

Prayer: Dear Lord, we praise and thank you for coming down to us on earth, being with us and showing us your grace and mercy in the flesh, and for dying on the cross. Through your sacrifice, you are preparing an eternal safe haven for us. Please make us one with you, as you are one with the Father. May God protect us on all our journeys, may the Son keep us safe, and may the Holy Spirit provide us with heavenly wisdom. Amen.