Gospel reading: Acts 18:23-28
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.”
REFLECTIONS
Your joy may be complete
The joy Jesus promises to his disciples is much greater than the happiness that ordinarily comes after prayers are answered, a long lost friend remembers us, or we are able to express our feelings to a loved one.
The disciples do not yet know how to handle their feelings or express their needs; they seem to be in a state of shock. They do not negotiate with him. So Jesus makes them realize that they have not been keen or quick to ask anything from God before his departure.
Jesus makes another promise: to speak no longer in figures of speech that, while powerful in communicating meanings, can be hard to grasp. Jesus will speak in plain language about the Father. This will bring the disciples greater joy.
When they come to know the Father better, the more they will realize that the Father listens to them. Jesus does not have to intercede for them. The Father himself will show his love for them, because they have shown their love for his Son who will soon leave and journey back to heaven.
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We can experience complete joy when we remain in Jesus’ love in the midst of confusion and anxiety.
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SOURCE: “365 Days with the Lord,” ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
