Jesus has finished speaking to his disciples with words full of encouragement great promises. Now he enters into his passion by praying for his disciples and for all of us who have come to believe in him. There is a nice suggestion that this solemn prayer to his Father is like the Preface of the Mass. With the Preface, we turn to prayer as we enter into the consecration. So, too, after his final teaching, Jesus enters into prayer, which he will continue in a different way in the Garden of Olives as he offers himself to the Father.

In his prayer, Jesus makes an extraordinary statement referring to his disciples: “It is in them that I have been glorified.” Judas has already gone out to betray him and in a short while Peter will deny him and all of them except John will desert him at the end. We may well then wonder how Jesus finds that he is glorified in them. Possibly, Jesus is taking all of history, past present and future into his prayer and so into his sacrifice.

After the Resurrection and Pentecost and through the ages many will glorify God by a holy life or a martyr's death.