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Gospel Reading for May 11, 2024 – John 16: 23b-28
IN-SYNC
Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you. Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
“I have told you this in figures of speech. The hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures but I will tell you clearly about the Father. On that day you will ask in my name, and I do not tell you that I will ask the Father for you. For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world. Now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father.”
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Prayers that ask for something, are prayers of petition. So many of us are so used to this kind of prayer, especially those who frequent novenas. There is nothing wrong with asking for our needs because Jesus himself, when he taught us how to pray, included: “Give us this day our daily bread.” But, it is just a line from the Our Father. The Our Father is a prayer that encompasses all that God is to us his children, and all that we need from him – “Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven . . . Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”
A lot of us think that our prayers are not answered by God. It is probably because we do not pray IN-SYNC with the Our Father, because if we do, we will know what to pray for. How many of us pray everyday that the Holy Spirit may help us live our lives according to God’s will? How many of us pray to help us forgive those who have wronged us? How many of us truly pray for our enemies as Jesus taught us? How many of us pray to be given courage and strength to continue being faithful to God in the midst of adversity? How many of us pray for victims of crimes, wars, and injustices around the world? How many of us pray for the poor and the needy? Perhaps, if we know what to pray for, it will be easy to see that God answers all our prayers.
Father, may thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven!
