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“Lifting up his eyes to heaven, Jesus prayed, saying: “Holy Father,
keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be
one just as we are one.” John 17:11
In the ancient world, a name was not only a means of identification
but also an expression of the authority and power that the person
possessed. For instance, when a king or ruler issued a decree, it
was done “in the name” of the king, meaning with his full authority
and power behind it.
In the Bible, the “name” of God is much more than a simple
designation or label; it signifies the full revelation of God’s
identity, character, and power. The concept of God’s name is deeply
tied to His nature and His actions in the world. His name
represents who God is and His relationship with His people.
In the Old Testament, God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and
instructed him to go to Pharaoh to bring His people, the
Israelites, out of Egypt. Moses inquired, “But... if I go to the
Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me
to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what do I tell them?”
God replied to Moses: “I am who I am.” Then He added: “This is what
you will tell the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus
3:13–14).
God’s mysterious name—“I AM WHO I AM” or simply “I AM”—is also His
identity. It expresses God’s eternal existence and His
self-sufficiency. He is the one who exists by His own nature,
without beginning or end, having sovereignty over all
creation.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus identifies Himself with the divine name
numerous times: “I am he;” “I am the Bread of Life;” “I am the
Light of the World;” “Before Abraham was, I AM;” “I am the Gate;”
“I am the Good Shepherd;” “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life;”
“I am the True Vine;” and “I told you that I AM.” Therefore, when
Jesus prayed to the Father, “Holy Father, keep them in your name
that you have given me…,” His prayer was authoritative, by which
the Father’s will is implemented, because Jesus is I AM, and in
that name, He prays.
Jesus’ prayer was “that they may be one just as we are one.” This
prayer should give us great hope. To “be one” with God, just as the
Father and Son are one, reveals that we are called to share in
God’s very life, to be united to Him in a way that goes beyond
intellectual agreement or friendship. We are invited into God’s
unity, taking our identity in Him, sharing in His very essence and
life. We become members of Christ’s Body, the Church, acting in
Him, with Him, and through Him. This is why Jesus said three times
during the Last Supper that whatever we ask the Father in His name,
He will give us.
In 2 Peter 1:4, we read that God’s power has enabled us to escape
corruption and evil desire and has bestowed upon us “precious and
very great promises, so that through them you may come to share in
the divine nature.” This foundational Scripture has led many Church
Fathers to speak of our high calling to “divinization.” As Saint
Athanasius of Alexandria famously said, “For He was made man that
we might be made God; and He manifested Himself by a body that we
might receive the idea of the unseen Father; and He endured the
insolence of men that we might inherit immortality” (On the
Incarnation, 54:3).
Reflect today on the high calling you have received. You are
invited to share in God’s life, to take your identity in Him, to
live and act in God’s divine name, exercising His authority and
manifesting His sacrificial love. This is only possible when we are
united to Christ as He is united to the Father. We become one with
God, by His will, with His authority and grace. What high dignity
we have received to act in His name and with His authority! Have
hope in the ability to be drawn into this high calling, taking on
this new identity, so that Jesus’ prayer at the Last Supper becomes
a reality in your life.
My divine Lord, the great I AM, You have existed from all
eternity as the one and eternal God. You invite me to share in Your
life by uniting me with You in Christ through His humanity. I
accept this high calling and pray, as You prayed during the Last
Supper, that I may be one with You—Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit—and live and act in Your Name. Jesus, I trust in
You.
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