Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.

 

Scripture readings for this reflection can be found at Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter | USCCB

These comforting words of Jesus in today's gospel gives us hope that Jesus is always present to us in all our needs. Having Jesus as the center of who we are is what it means to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ. That relationship is vital to who we are: love of Jesus.

Once we have Jesus at the center of who we are, we can be assured that he will answer our prayers. Further, once we have that love of Jesus in our hearts, we will certainly ask for things that are beneficial for who we are in our relationship with Him and with those in our lives that we care about. 

As we pray to the Father for things that concern us, let us ask it in a spirit of love for Jesus and of charity for those in our lives. We are not to pray for wealth or riches, but rather for things that are most beneficial for us spiritually and for the well-being for those in our life. We can and should pray for healing in the event someone is ill, but we should conclude each prayer, as Jesus concluded his prayer in Gethsemane, "Not my will be done, but your Will be done." 

God will always answer each of prayers in a way that's beneficial for us and for those we pray for. Our Lord goes on to say in today's Gospel, "...you will receive, so that your joy may be complete." (John 16:23) What this is telling me is that no matter what we pray for, God will respond in a way that's best for us in order to have that true joy that can come only from God. We just need to have faith and trust in God's response to our prayers.