‘Abba’: The word that changed the world

Fr David Howell• June 1, 2025

“I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known” (John 17:26).

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus describes a key aspect of his mission: to make known the name of the Father.

Shortly after these words spoken at the Last Supper, he used the Aramaic word for Father, “Abba”, when he was in agony in Gethsemane (Mark 14:36) – an intimate use of his first language. After his Ascension, he continued to make this name known by sending the Holy Spirit who, according to St Paul, enables us to say “Abba”, as he did (Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6).

The gift of the Holy Spirit through Baptism makes us children of God. Jesus has drawn us into his own relationship with the Father and called us to live out this same relationship through our communion with each other: “may they be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one” (John 17:22–23).

The unity between Father and Son in no way erases their distinct identity. In fact, their identities flow from their relationship with each other: an eternal Father, by definition, must have an eternal Son. In a similar way, our unity as Catholics is not uniformity: we develop our personal identity precisely through loving relationships with others and with God.

Jesus prayed for this unity in his Church to span generations: “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word” (John 17:20) – meaning us today, and every age to come. And this unity has a missionary purpose: “so that the world may know that you sent me” (John 17:21). Others will come to believe in Christ when they see the love between members of his Church – a love that mirrors the Trinity.

Our sharing in the relationship between the Father and the Son will be complete only in heaven, where the temple is described as that very relationship: “its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb” (Revelation 21:22). Until then, we are called to invite Jesus more deeply into our hearts, so that his life may unite us. The Holy Spirit and the Church are constantly calling Jesus in: “The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come’” – and each one of us must do likewise: “And let the one who hears say, ‘Come’” (Revelation 22:17).