Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
The Missionary Decade. Day Eight — “The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one”
May 22, 2026
We encourage everyone to respond to His Beatitude Sviatoslav’s invitation to prepare properly for the feast of Pentecost. Over the next few days, we will reflect on passages from the Gospel of John in the context of married and family life. Together, we will seek answers to important questions: how to preserve love in times of trial, how to learn unity, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, and mutual support, and how to build a family centered on God.
Friday, May 22
A reading of the Holy Gospel according to John 17:18–24
Today’s Gospel reveals to us a very special passage of Sacred Scripture. It is not a parable nor a teaching addressed to the people, but a profound conversation between the Son and His Father. What is especially significant is that, in a considerable part of this intimate conversation, which is essentially a prayer, Jesus dedicates it both to His apostles and to those who will come to believe through their word — that is, to us. Christ prays to the Father for me and for you — even before we were born, even before we took our first step in faith.
And what does He ask for? Not earthly success, not an easy life or the absence of difficulties. He asks for something far deeper: that we may be one. That among us there may be the same unity that exists between the Father and the Son. This is a very high calling. For it is not simply a matter of agreement or the absence of conflict but of unity in love, trust, and truth.
Particularly striking in this context are the words of Jesus: “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one” (Jn 17:22). What is this glory that leads to such unity? In the Gospel according to John, “glory” is not honour or outward splendour; first and foremost, it is the love that fills the Most Holy Trinity and becomes visible above all in the person of Jesus Christ. This “glory” was revealed most fully on the Cross — there, where Jesus gave His life completely, leaving us the greatest icon of true love. Thus, the glory which the Father gave to the Son is the glory of self-sacrificing love, and it is precisely this love that brings about unity with the Father.
It is no less meaningful to view married life through the prism of these words of Christ. First of all, the Sacrament of Marriage is the sacrament of love. When we speak about the marital union of a man and a woman, we are also speaking about a unique unity, for in marriage two become one. Moreover, within the Rite of Crowning itself, these words are proclaimed over the bride and groom: “Crown them with glory and honour!” This speaks of being crowned with glory. It is not merely a beautiful poetic formula. The Church prays that God may crown the married couple with the very same glory of which Christ speaks in the Gospel. That is, in their lives there may become visible a love that knows how to sacrifice, forgive, serve, and remain faithful. Here a very important truth is revealed: marriage receives from God not only a blessing for life together but also participation in God’s love, which is the source of true unity.
We often think that unity means the absence of conflict, that everything is perfect. But in reality, unity means that even amid conflict we do not lose love. It means that we do not fight against one another but together seek the truth. It means that we do not strive to win but strive to preserve the relationship. The greatest danger for a family is not difficulties themselves but the gradual loss of this “glory”. Sadly, this happens when sacrificial love is lacking, when the heart closes itself to one’s spouse, when suspicion appears instead of trust, and when service is replaced by calculation: “I give more, you give less.”
Therefore, let us ask the Lord today to preserve within our families this “glory” of sacrificial love, to teach us to safeguard unity even amid difficulties, and to help our families become a living image of that love by which the Father and the Son are one with each other.
Mission Tasks:
1. Personal Level: Each day let us learn to preserve the “glory” of sacrificial love within our hearts: seeking less our own victory and more unity, forgiveness, and truth in our relationships with others.
2. Parish Level: Let us build within the parish an atmosphere of unity and mutual support so that our families may find here the strength for marital faithfulness, prayer, reconciliation, and growth in love.
3. Missionary Level: Let us bear witness to the world that true unity is born from the sacrificial love of Christ and that the Christian family is called to be a living icon of the love of God.
