Daily Reflection – 5/21/2026
Sacred Scripture
Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed saying: “I pray not only for these, 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. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.” (John 17:20-26)
Reflection
As Jesus enters the final hours of His life, He turns to the Father. Not to escape what is coming. Not to ask for relief. But to pray.
And in that moment… He prays for us. Not just for the disciples beside Him,
but for those who will come after. For you. For me.
It’s something to pause on.
In the face of suffering, He is thinking about us… and asking the Father for something very specific: that we would be one.
He speaks about the love between Himself and the Father. A love that is complete, constant, and unbroken. And He asks that this same love would live in us. Not around us. Not near us.
In us.
That changes everything. Because this isn’t just about getting along. It’s not about agreement on every thought or opinion. It’s about something deeper. A unity of heart. A shared love. A quiet, steady bond that reflects Him.
And yet… when we look around, it doesn’t always seem that way.
There’s division. There’s tension. There’s distance, even among those who believe. Sometimes it feels like we’ve missed something. But Jesus doesn’t call us to sameness.
He calls us to unity. And those are not the same thing.
Unity doesn’t erase differences. It holds them together in love. That means we are still called to show up with open hearts. To choose love when it would be easier to pull back. To remain steady, even when others are not. To reflect something of Him, even in the middle of a divided world.
Because if the love of God truly lives in us…
then it must be visible. In the way we speak. In the way we respond. In the way we treat one another.
And that leads to a quiet question:
Am I living that unity? Am I allowing His love to take shape in how I move through the world? Some days, it’s easy to believe. Other days… it’s harder.
But even in the tension, even in the division, His prayer hasn’t changed. He is still asking the Father to draw us together. To hold us in that same love.
Prayer of The Day
“Loving Father, your Son prayed for us, that we might be one in your love. Help me to live from that place — not just in words, but in the way I see and treat others. When I feel pulled toward division, bring me back to your heart. Fill me with your Spirit, so that your love may live in me and move through me.
Amen.
Daily Note
Bitterness, anger, and resentment can take root quietly. But so can peace. So can joy. A heart that stays close to Jesus learns to see differently — to hold on to what is good and to trust that His presence is still there, even in the hard moments.
