On the last two Sundays we explored the way in which the Sacrament of Holy Orders evolved from the commission given by Jesus to the apostles through the power of the Holy Spirit. Today we get a unique glimpse of words prayed by Jesus to the Father knowing the peril they would face in their role as the first leaders of the Church bringing the message of Jesus to the world.
The Gospel for this week (John 17:1-11a) is a passage which concludes a series of speeches which Jesus has given to the disciples at the Last Supper. The hour has now come for his arrest and passion and eventual return to the Father. Jesus recognizes the authority that the Father has given him and acknowledges the gift of eternal life that his followers will receive after his glorification.
Now he will no longer be physically present in the world to protect them, so he prays for them saying, “I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for the ones you have given me, because they are yours. And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you.” (John 17:9, 11).
When we go back to the First Reading (Acts 1:12-14), it is the time of the Ascension of Jesus. He has told them that they are to be his witnesses in Jerusalem throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
After Jesus is taken up to heaven the disciples return to Jerusalem to the upper room where they are staying and, in imitation of Jesus, devote their time to prayer. They are waiting for the advocate promised by Jesus who will guide them on their subsequent missions.
Here Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, identifies the apostles by name: “Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.” (Acts 1:13). For the sake of completion these eleven men will add a twelfth member named Matthias. (Acts 1:23).
As Luke continues to tell the story of the early Church and describe the work of the apostles, we hear a few things about their efforts in Jerusalem and their travels around Samaria and Judah. But we are not given any real details about their specific missions, their accomplishments, or their fates in their service to the Lord.
For these theorized histories we must rely on the writings of early Church Fathers, such as Polycarp, Irenaeus, and Clement. From them we learn why Jesus prayed so fervently for his followers and closest friends. Their achievements were nothing short of remarkable and their destinies, the definition of sainthood.
Peter became the leader of the Christian Church establishing policy in Antioch and appointing the others to their tasks. He preached extensively throughout Asia Minor, ending his mission in Rome where he was crucified upside down during the persecution under Nero (67AD).
Peter’s brother, Andrew established an episcopal see in Byzantium (later Constantinople) which became the most important center of the Eastern Orthodox Church. He was also named the patron saint of the Russian Orthodox Church. Andrew was crucified in 69AD in Greece.
James, the son of Zebedee traveled through Spain and was the first apostle to be martyred, beheaded under King Agrippa in Jerusalem. Matthias, who accompanied Andrew on some of his missions, was stoned to death in Jerusalem by a crowd of hostile Jews in 51AD making him the second of the Twelve to die.
John, the brother of James, remained in Jerusalem for many years having been entrusted to care for the Blessed Mother by Jesus. He later traveled to Ephesus where he lived until he was exiled to Patmos under the persecution of Emperor Domitian (80AD). John died in 100AD at the age of 97 of natural causes.
Philip moved to Hierapolis in Asia Minor after Paul’s death where he supervised the churches in Phrygia. He died in 90AD by crucifixion under the persecution of Domitian.
Thomas traveled to India and died in 72AD from stab wounds inflicted by Brahman priests who feared Christianity would surpass Hinduism. Bartholomew died in Armenia also at the hands of those threatened by Christianity, being skinned alive and beheaded in 62AD.
Matthew, son of Alphaeus ministered mainly to Jewish Christians in Palestine, but later traveled to Egypt, Ethiopia, and Iran where he died of natural causes in 90AD. Matthew’s brother, James, also identified as a son of Alphaeus, died in 62AD by stoning in Palestine.
Finally, Simon the Zealot and Judas became the only two apostles martyred together when a violent mob incited by witch doctors in Iran murdered them in 70AD.
Jesus knew that the apostles’ missions would not be easy; that they would be fraught with danger, persecution, and martyrdom. That was why he prayed to the Father, “When I was with them, I protected them in your name that you gave me.” (John 17:12a). And then promised that he would send the Holy Spirit as his continued presence.
Jesus also extended that prayer to all of us by saying, ““I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” (John 17:20-21).
Although we may not travel the world to deliver the gospel message, nor have our lives threatened by violent nonbelievers, we are assured that Jesus prays to the heavenly Father for the well-being of those who have come to believe in his name. And his far-reaching protection is continually present to us through the gift of the Holy Spirit received in the Sacraments.
