THAT THEY ALL MAY BE ONE

John 17:11
Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

John 17:21-23
That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

Jesus prays for the unity of the Church, and the ideal model of this unity is the communion between Father and Son. Believers must be one, with each other, and this unity must be visible in their actions. This implies a united and fraternal ecclesial community. Jesus’ prayer concerns not only his first disciples, but also all future believers. As Jesus and the Father are one, so believers must be one, one body and one spirit, having one faith and one hope (Ephesians 4:4-5). Believers must be one Church (Colossians 1:18; 1 Corinthians 12:13.14.27). However, that of believers is a unity in faith, hope and mutual love, while that between Jesus and the Father is an authentic divine unity. Father and Son and Holy Spirit, although distinct by their original relationship, fully participate in the same and indivisible divine nature and substance, and therefore the three are truly the same and indivisible God. Then Jesus can say: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), and: “All things that the Father has are Mine” (John 16:15). And of the Spirit of God it can be said that he is, at the same time, the Spirit of the Father (Matthew 10:20) and the Spirit of Jesus (Acts 16:6-7; Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6; Philippians 1:19; 1 Peter 1:10-11).