What makes Christ’s prayer in the Gospel unique, apart from the amazing fact that He is praying for us, is that He is directly addressing His heavenly Father. Jesus is praying not only for His immediate disciples but for all of those who come to believe through their witness. That means us. We have an eternal destiny. All our desires and longings can be only be properly satisfied by God. God gives us that gift of happiness by sharing the divine life with us in eternity.
Christ has physically moved on, but He has not abandoned us. By the gift of the Spirit and by His presence in the sacraments, Christ is still with us. We are given this life to enjoy and be fruitful, and to persevere in times of trial. The great challenge Christians are called to face is to live life wisely and to the full, while remembering that we will only ever be fully alive in heaven. We are asked to build up God’s kingdom on earth, while looking forward to God’s eternal kingdom.