Jesus said, “They do not belong to the world any more than I belong to the world.”
Jesus says this in prayer twice within 52 words as if to emphasize that consecration in God’s truth keeps his own from the Evil One, from the world that hates them. More than anything on earth that we could possess, Jesus wants us to share his joy completely.
Just as a pilgrim passes from one place to another for sacred purposes, this gift of life that God gives allows for passage from earthly life to life in heaven. God, to think that I don’t belong to this world, is to trust in the life to come that remains unseen. Help me see the worth of the present world in terms of passing into everlasting life.
“Your word is truth, God.” In this pilgrim world that I don’t belong to, help me glimpse the life to come. Father in heaven, give me the grace I need daily to live a good life and calm any fear or unbelief I have in coming to stay with you forever. Consecrate me in truth.
Just as Paul leaves Ephesus, let me go throughout the day as a pilgrim, open to changes prompted by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I know there will be so-called interruptions today that give me the opportunity to move outside myself to recognize God’s presence in every moment of the day.