Verse 1

Glorify thy Son, by signs and miracles, lest dying so disgraceful a death, I seem to be no more than another man: that thy Son may glorify thee, that my death may make thee praised and glorified. (Witham)

Verse 2

===============================

[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

Ut omne quod dedisti ei, det eis vitam æternam, Greek: ina pan o dedokas outo, dose autios zoen aionion. That is, ut omnibus quos dedisti, &c.

Verse 3

===============================

[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

Ut cognoscant te, &c. St. Augustine, tract. 105. p. 671. Ordo Verborum est, ut te, & quem misisti Jesum Christum, cognoscant solum verum Deum. See also St. Ambrose (lib. v. de fide, chap. ii. t. 4. p. 138.) where he treats of this verse at large. St. John Chrysostom gives this interpretation (hom. lxxix.) Solum verum Deum, &c. ad eorum qui dii non sunt differentiam. In the Greek, (hom. lxxx. p. 474. t. 8.) Ed. Montfaucon. Greek: pros autidiastolen ton ouk onton theon phesi. See likewise St. Gregory of Nazianzus, Orat. xxxvi. p. 586.

Verse 5

And now, glorify thou me, O Father, with thyself, with the glory which I had with thee, before the world was. Glorify me, is the same as make me known to men; so that the sense may be, make men know, that I had the same glory with thee, before the world was created, and from all eternity. Others understand, that Christ as man, here prays that his eternal Father would make known to men, that glory, which it was decreed from eternity should be given him: that is, that all creatures should be made subject to him, even as he was man, and appointed to be judge of the living and the dead. See 1 Corinthians xv. 26; Ephesians i. 22. (Witham)

Verse 6

To the men whom thou gavest me out of the world. By whom we may understand his apostles and disciples. They were thine, and also mine, as I am God. See ver. 10. --- and to me thou gavest them, inasmuch as I am become man, their Saviour, their Redeemer, &c. (Witham) --- Had then the Father any thing which the Son had not? By no means. But Christ, as Son of God, had from eternity what he had not as Son of man; because he had not yet taken flesh of his virgin mother. All that he had as God, he attributes to his Father. (St. Augustine, tract. 106. in Joan.)

Verse 7

===============================

[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

Quia omnia quæ dedisti mihi, abs te sunt. That is, says St. Augustine, (tract. 106. p. 767.) cognoverunt, quia abs te sum, &c.

Verse 7-8

Now they have known that all things which thou gavest men, are from thee. That is, says St. Augustine,(3) they now know, and will know more perfectly hereafter, that I myself am from thee, or proceed from thee, and am sent by thee to redeem the world. (Witham)

Verse 9

I pray for them, I pray not for the world. That is, now in this prayer, when I desire special graces and assistances for them, to discharge their duty, as my apostles; yet we must take notice, that (ver. 20.) Christ prays for all those, who should believe in him. He also prayed (Luke xxiii. 34.) for all, even for those that crucified him, Father, forgive the, for they know not what they do. (Witham) --- The prayer I now offer up to thee, O my Father, is all in behalf of my disciples, it is not for the world. I pray not now for the incredulous Jews, nor for such of the Gentiles as shall afterwards believe in me; for them I will pray at another time. At present I speak to thee for my apostles only: they call for my first care, because they are thine, and thou has given them to me. (Calmet) --- Jesus Christ prayed with an absolute and an efficacious prayer, for all those, for whom his prayer was to be heard: he begged for them, whatever his Father had predestined to give them; but he asked for nothing, that his Father had predestined not to give them.

Verse 10

And all mine are thine, and thine are mine. They must needs be equal, says St. Augustine, to whom equally belong all things, and all persons; on which words St. John Chrysostom also says, (hom. lxxxi.) Do you see the equality? (Witham) --- And all mine are thine, and thine are mine: as if he said: whatever thou hast given to me remains still thine, for mine are thine; and whatever is thine, is likewise mine, for thine are all mine. (St. John Chrysostom, hom. lxxx. in Joan.)

Verse 11

===============================

[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

Serva eos in nomine tuo, quos dedisti mihi. Some Greek manuscripts have in nomine tuo, quod dedisti mihi, Greek: o dedokas moi. Or, as St. Cyril reads, Greek: en onomati sou o dedokas moi. which is the same by a Grecism, as Greek: o dedokas. --- Ut sint unum sicut & nos. St. John Chrysostom says, non æqualitate, sed pro homana facultate, or quantum hominibus fas est, Greek: os anthropois dunaton. (hom. Greek: pb. p. 484.) nov. Ed. Ben.

Verse 12

===============================

[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

Cum essem, cum eis, &c. He speaks, says St. John Chrysostom, as man, Greek: os anthropos dialegetai. (hom. Greek: pa. p. 480.) --- In the same place, nisi filius perditionis, Greek: ei me, &c. nisi, it is not, Greek: alla, sed. --- Non perdom, that is, says St. John Chrysostom in the same place, quantum in me erit, non perdam ... non me impellente, vel relinguente: quod si sponte resiliant, non ex necessitate traham. Greek: ei de aph eauton apodedosi, pros anagken ouch elko. St. Augustine, Quomodo diabolus intravit in cor Judæ, non intraret, nisi ille locum daret.

Verse 14

tells his Father the reason why the world hated them, because they were not of the world. By generation, indeed, they were of the world; but by regeneration, they were not of the world. Thus they became like to himself, being born again of that Holy Spirit, by whose all powerful operation, he took upon himself the form of a servant. But although they were not of the world, still was it necessary that they should remain in the world; therefore he continues, I ask not that thou wouldst take them out of the world. (St. Augustine, tract. 107. in Joan.)

Verse 18

As thou hast sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. He speaks of that mission, which agreed with him, as man, and become man for the salvation of mankind, to which also the apostles, and their successors were to co-operate, as the ministers and instruments of Christ, by virtue of their mission for him. (Witham) --- For the same intent as Christ himself was sent, were the apostles sent also: whence St. Paul says, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, and he has placed in us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians v. 19.) (Glossarium.)

Verse 19

===============================

[BIBLIOGRAPHY]

Sanctifico meipsum. Quid est hoc, says St. Augustine, (tract. 108.) nisi eos in meipso Sanctifico, quoniam membra ejus sunt? St. John Chrysostom, (hom. Greek: pb. p. 484) Offero tibi Sacrificium, Greek: prosphero soi thusian. St. Cyril says the same, lib. xi. in Joan. p. 989.

====================

Verse 20

having prayed for his apostles in particular, he now begins to pray for all that would afterwards, by their preaching, believe in his name; (St. Augustine, tract. 109. in Joan.) and by this he likewise comforts his disciples, shewing them, that they would prove the instruments of the salvation of others. (St. John Chrysostom, hom. 80. in Joan.) --- This divine prayer of Jesus Christ is a great comfort to all Christians; it is introduced in the holy Canon of the Mass, before the consecration, as here it was made just before his visible sacrifice on the cross. (Bristow)

Verse 21

does pray that his disciples may be one, as he and his heavenly Father are one; not that the unity may resemble the unity of persons in the divinity, by a perfect and exact likeness; but only as far as it is possible for men to imitate the perfections of God, as when he says, "Be ye merciful as your heavenly Father is merciful." (St. John Chrysostom, hom. lxxxi. in Joan.)

Verse 22

The glory which thou gavest me, I have given to them. St. John Chrysostom expounds this of the power of working miracles: St. Augustine rather understands the glory of heaven, which he had given, prepared, and designed to give them in heaven. This seems to be the sense by the 24th verse, where he says, Father, I will that where I am, they also whom thou hast given me, may be with me. (Witham)

Verse 23

Verse 26

will make thy name known to them, by giving them, by means of the Holy Ghost, a perfect knowledge. For if they know Thee, they will likewise know that I am not different from Thee, but thy own well begotten Son. (St. John Chrysostom, hom. lxxxi. in Joan.)