Holy Father, keep them in Thy name...
Holy Father, keep them in Thy name...

“Holy Father, keep them in Thy name which Thou has given Me, in order that they may be one, even as We.” (Jh. 1:12)

The Lord is praying to the Father that they, the Apostles, be kept in the name of the Christ Who had become the link, the bridge between God the Father and His creation; in the name of the One that was Sent; in the name of the obedience to the Father; in the name of Love. Jesus Christ was obedient to His father until death, and death on the Cross. That obedience made that name of Jesus the Christ greater than the havens, for everything bows before that ‘Name’ in heave and under the heaven.

He prays for the apostolic unity through the knowledge and acknowledgment of His equality to the Father. However, that unity cannot be achieved unless they are obedient to the Word of God the Father just as He was obedient to the Father until death. This is the true knowledge of God to obey His Divine Will until the end.

The First Ecumenical Council was gathered in Nicaea in 325 in order to stop the mouth of disobedience which was impersonated in Arius, the accursed, who tried to enter into the Body of Christ, the Church. Thus, the Holy Fathers gathered in Obedience and with one accord as with one mouth cast out from within the Body of Christ the disobedience.

The Lord prayed, “Holy Father make them to be one just as We.” To be one in what? One in accord with one another to the fulfillment of the Gospel of Christ. One in the confession of faith, faith in One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, just as the Holy Fathers have established it.

On Lazarus Saturday we heard the Lord say; “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” (Jh. 11: 41-42) In other words, God the father was obedient to the Son because the Son was always obedient to the Father. This is in truth the mutual love in respect to persons and true humility.

In our case is no different, for the Lord said to His disciples, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.” (Jh. 16: 23) That means that if we will be obedient to the Father, and fulfill His commandments then, He will also be obedient to our requests and bring them to fruition. This is the beautiful exchange of the Divine Will and the new commandment that we received that is “…Love one another as I loved you…”, (Jh. 13:34) said the Lord.

Hence no one can be mistaken by being faithful to the ‘Divine obedience’ and when it is kept to the end it becomes eternal life.

O Holy Obedience, only through you we can call upon the Almighty One, Father.

With love in Christ,
St. Sophia U.O.Church
Fr. Myroslav (Mircea)
Bayonne, NJ

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