Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Jn 16: 23b-28
May 20, 2023 | Saturday
Truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. So far you have not asked for anything in my name; ask, and receive, that your joy may be full.
I have taught you all these things in veiled language, but the time is coming when I shall no longer speak in veiled language, but will speak to you plainly
about the Father.
When that day comes, you will ask in my name; and it will not be necessary for me to ask the Father for you, for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and you believed that I came from the Father. As I came from the Father, and have come into the world, so I am leaving the world, and going to the Father.”
Today’s Reflection:
Today Jesus tells His disciples, “Whatever you ask the Father for in my name, God will give to you.” Now take a moment and think back. How many times have you asked God for grace or sign that God was with you? How many times did you receive a clear sense of God’s presence or grace? If you are like me, you may come up with very few instances of having a clear sense of God’s presence. Today, however, Jesus clearly says,“Whatever you ask of God, if you ask in my name, God will give itto you.”
What does it mean to “ask in Jesus’ name?” Does it mean simply “dropping Jesus’ name” as you talk with God? Or does “asking in Jesus’ name” imply a depth of intimacy and trust in Jesus that develops over time in a loving, trusting, and committed relationship? Jesus knows us intimately and Jesus desires that we come to know Him intimately. Today and every day Jesus invites us into an intimate and loving friendship. Jesus doesn’t want us to come to Him only when we need something from Him. Rather, Jesus yearns for us to come to Him simply because we love Him and we desire to be with Him. This truly is what love and friendship are about! Today, let us reflect on this—Do we want a “vending machine God” that automatically dispenses what we desire when we “push a button (say a prayer)?” Or do we desire an intimate friend who loves us unconditionally and wholeheartedly, a friend who will stay with us no matter how many times we disappoint Him? /Vulnerasti, 2023
