God’s Glory and Oneness in Christ
A Homily for the 7th Sunday of Easter
“I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one” (Jn 17:22). This line from today’s Gospel is the most mysterious statement among many mysterious mentions of “glory” (δόξα) in the “High Priestly Prayer” of Jesus preceding his Passion (Jn 17). The mystery of this particular line concerns the giving of glory to his disciples: most mentions of glory locate it in God the Father, or Jesus the Son, or both together. The First Reading (Acts 7:55-60) reflects this facet of glory. St. Stephen the Protomartyr looks up to heaven and sees the “glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.” Stephen then describes his vision to his persecutors in words recalling Jesus’s prediction during his trial: that “from this time on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God” (Lk 22:69). This and other examples of Jesus’s post-Ascension appearances normally have him accompanied by God’s glory.
What is this glory?