Teen Series | Jesus' high priestly prayer: a valuable lesson for students on the splendor of unity

Senior School Reflection | Gospel of John 17: 11 - 19, 7th Wednesday of Easter, 2026, Year A

Last week Years 7-9 students played a great game of football. We won the first game, lost the second, then smashed the third. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it to the finals due to percentage. But that’s okay, because by the end of the third game we had played so well as a team that we came off the field feeling good about the end result and confident in our performance; we saw it in the way they celebrated. That was a win in itself. When I think about those games, the word that comes to mind is unity: a team working together as one. 

So what does unity mean? It means wholeness, completeness, one. When people are united, they work together; when the mind, heart, and soul are in harmony, the body and its nervous system functions well. For Aristotle, unity had several applications: unity of being (metaphysics); poetics (drama); time and place; and politics. The application most suited for communities is politics: the way school communities organise themselves and the rules they set. Many benefits arise from being a united body of people. Last week we played well as footballers; that was a sign of unity. Hopefully next term, when Grades 5 and 6 give their stage performance, spectators will go away feeling impressed, the students performing will feel a sense of accomplishment and pride, and everyone involved will feel uplifted. Unity therefore is an important value for any community to pursue. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus makes a pastoral prayer to the Father, and the essence of his prayer is also unity. The key word that denotes unity is the Greek word ἕν (hen), translated as “one”: “so that they may be one like us.” The motivation behind this prayer is found both in context and within the text itself. The prayer is spoken on the night of the Last Supper, and Jesus says: “But now I am coming to you… I say these things.” Jesus knew that his disciples would face fear, division, temptation and abandonment soon after his death. There are several things Jesus asked the Father to do to keep them united: that the disciples be protected from the evil one, and that the Father sanctify them in the truth. 

The Christian life is not a call to a passive existence but to a public witness of holiness, hence Jesus’ prayer: “I am not asking you to remove them from the world but to protect them.” It can be difficult to be a witness. The very nature of the world is often opposed to the way of Jesus, who represents everything that is right and true. This can make our presence vulnerable and cause us to want to flee at times. Fleeing can be of a physical nature – where we take our actual selves out of a conflicting situation – but it can also include an interior withdrawal: not standing up for what is right in the face of injustice. A perfect example of how disunity affects a group is the recent turmoil at the Carlton Football Club surrounding the sacking of coach Michael Voss. One of our ex-students, Harry Dean, spoke about the effect it had on him in an interview. The issue was not whether Voss was a good coach or not; he became a symbol of division because some supported him and others did not. That fractured the footy team, and they struggled to win games. The week after he left the club, they won their second game of the year. So, disunity affects the way we function. 

For our school, we want to be a community where every student, teacher, and staff member is on the same page: walking together in unity as a School and supporting one another. Last week, however, an incident occurred where we failed to do that. When we came back from the footy, we were asked to walk quietly to the sport’s building. On the way, some students played loud music on a portable speaker. This went against the instruction to walk quietly and caused fallout: the students were publicly reprimanded, which took the shine off what had been an enjoyable day. In a small but real way, disunity entered the fold when we had all been on the same page to act together as one.

So our individual and collective commitment to each other is important for the stability, unity, and wellbeing of our school. When we are tempted to become a source of disunity, Jesus reminds us in his pastoral prayer to be one as he is one with the Father. In this prayer we find strength and hope in the face of temptations that divide us.

Teen Series | Abide and Belong: Finding Your Identity in Christ

 Senior School Reflection | Gospel of John 15: 1 - 8, 5th Wednesday of Easter, 2026, Year A

There was once a college student named Tom who was loved by his peers. Nothing about him seemed unusual except for one thing. Tom had a large red birthmark that ran from one eye, down his face, across his mouth, down his neck, and onto his chest.

One day, a close friend finally asked him, “Tom, can I ask you something? How did you ever overcome the emotional pain of having a birthmark like that?”

Tom answered without hesitation. “It’s because of my dad,” he said.

He explained, “When I was young, my dad would point to my birthmark and say, ‘Son, this is where an angel kissed you. He wanted to mark you out just for your dad. You’re very special to me.’

“He told me that so often that I began to believe it. And now,” Tom said with a smile, “I sometimes feel sorry for my friends who don’t have a birthmark — because they don’t have something that reminds them every day that they are claimed and loved.

That story matters today for us —not because the Gospel is about birthmarks, or settling for less but because Jesus is giving us something even deeper than a daily reminder. He is giving us a vital connection. 

In today’s Gospel, Jesus paints a clear picture of our relationship with him, it’s not just about improvement. He says that he is the vine and we are the branches. A branch does not give itself life. It does not decide where it grows or how it receives nourishment. Its role is simple but essential: to remain connected. Jesus does not merely say, “try harder.” He says, in effect, “remain. Abide.” Which can be hard at times. 

Jesus reminds us of a spiritual law: when a branch abides in the vine, it bears fruit; when it separates, it withers. This is why Jesus insists so strongly on that vital word “abide.” Because without him we can do nothing. 

Think of a football team. The team is not self-generated The coach sets the agenda and the training, and the players shows up; they don’t just simply comply, they follow the program so the team’s life can do what it’s meant to do. When they’re united with the coach’s plan in the deep sense of a shared life: showing up, learning the plays, living the discipline, the team flourishes. When one breaks that connection, when he stops showing up, behaves unruly, he performs poorly and eventually stops being part of the vine of the team. 

Like the story of Tom, this Gospel is about acceptance. Not about “accepting your role” or accepting to resign ourselves”, or “settling for less” but accepting the fact that your wellbeing is dependent on another. You are not a self-contained island. Jesus invites us to accept by letting him be the source. We are not the vine. We are not the source. We do not make the rules or decide the direction. We are created by God, sustained by him, and invited to draw life from him. When we accept that reality rather than resist it, growth always follows.

This call to acceptance is not restrictive, nor is it forced upon us. It is an invitation. Jesus invites us to remain close to him, to draw from him as the source of our strength, direction, and identity. He knows what will help us flourish, and he invites us daily to live according to his word a word that calls us to love, holiness, and obedience.

In our school context, these three ideas take very practical forms.

Love begins with basic respect for one another: listening, showing courtesy, and being disciplined in our work. It includes having self-respect. Thomas Aquinas wrote that we cannot truly love others unless we first recognise and value our own worth. In practical terms, that means caring for ourselves, protecting our own wellbeing from harm and knowing this is good and must be preserved as a value. From there we can extend this same good beyond ourselves, carefully looking out for each other, ensuring that the person beside us is safe and respected.

Holiness is about being faithful to the Christian values of this school. It is lived through honesty, consistency, and integrity — choosing what is right even when it is unnoticed or inconvenient. Sometimes it looks like accepting limits and living responsibly: making sure what you share online is safe, true and respectful of your reputation and the school.

Obedience is about being faithful to what is asked of us. In the Gospel, obedience means walking in the footsteps of Jesus, and in John 15 Jesus links abiding to keeping his word: if you abide in me, and my words abide in you. At school, obedience looks like listening to teachers, committing to learning, and trusting that those guiding you are invested in your growth — academically, personally, and spiritually: so remember to pull up your socks, and tuck your shirts in. 

I’m confident that many here already try to remain connected to Christ as branches of his vine by being present, responsible, respectable and ready to learn and apply what you discovered through that process. However, the message to take away today is sharper and deeper than “sticking to the rules.” It is this:

Where we resist abiding?  

What habits, distractions or attitudes that pull you away from the vine of Christ? 

What gets in the way of embracing your role here at school? What prevents you from trusting that you are already known, claimed, and loved?

What might you need to change so that Christ’s words can truly abide in you? 

The story of Tom reminds each of us that we are claimed and loved by God the Father, a love clearly revealed in the Son’s sacrifice on the cross and expressed in the love between a parent and child. Like a branch on the vine, fruitfulness comes not from striving to be a self-contained island, but from staying connected to the source of life, Jesus. When we accept who we are and whose we are, growth always follows as beloved branches in the vine of Christ, children of God the Father, and some of the best students to walk through the school gates.

---

THIS REFLECTION CAN BE USED IN THE CLASSROOM

📥 Download the Full Lesson Plan

Junior Series | An essential good: Jesus' peace. A lesson for students from John's Gospel

Junior School Reflection, Gospel of John 14: 27 - 31, 5th Tuesday of Easter, 2026, Year A

Note: reflection posted one day prior to the liturgical day. 

In this Gospel, Jesus is with the disciples, who are His best friends. Not on Good Friday, not after His resurrection, or after He went to heaven; but the night before He dies. Jesus knew his friends would be sad and scared when He’s gone, just like when a friend or a special family member moves away and you feel alone. However, Jesus says “Don’t be afraid, I’m going to my Father in heaven, and everything will be okay.” Isn’t that nice thing to say to your friends?

Later, when Jesus died, some ran away confused (like the road to Emmaus, Lk 24: 13 – 33). Others felt anxious because bad people hated Jesus and his followers (like Pentecost, Act 2: 1). Jesus saw this coming, so He promised: Peace I leave you, My peace I give to you, not like the world’s peace.”

What makes you feel peaceful? think of a yummy apple: round, juicy, red or green, true apple goodness. It tastes delicious and fills your stomach, making you feel happy. Or you teacher: not someone who you can eat but they know cool stuff, keep you safe, help you learn; true and good right? Good things make us happy and peaceful inside. 

Jesus is the best good thing; He is true like no one else. His words and actions (love others, be kind, pray) are perfect. When He says, “My peace I give you,” He means: Remember me! Follow my ways and you will feel My peace, no more fear or alone feelings. I’ll always be with you.” A wise old scholar, Thomas Aquinas, said peace fills happy hearts with good thing s- like Jesus lives in your heart. Isn’t that a wonderful saying for us all?

When you leave chapel today, try this: when scared, say “Peace, Jesus is with me!” Remember to share kindness with a friend. You’ll feel happy and peace.

 

Jesus,

thank You for true goodness and peace.

Help us remember You always,

especially when we feel confused, scared or alone.

Amen.”

WANT TO READ MORE?

For a similar reflection on peace, click on the link below:

• When life doesn't make sense: a lesson from the Annunciation