Today is May 17, Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter.
At today’s Mass, we read, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it” (Jn 14:12).
These words, taken from the Lord’s final discourse at the Last Supper, are as beautiful as they are mysterious. As I was praying over this passage, I was reminded of a line from the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which teaches:
“When Jesus openly entrusts to his disciples the mystery of prayer to the Father, he reveals to them what their prayer — and ours — must be once he is returned to the Father in his glorified humanity” (CCC 2614).
So what does it mean to ask for something “in Jesus’ name”? Because let’s be honest: we’ve all experienced moments where it feels like our prayers go unanswered. But I don’t believe there’s such a thing as an unanswered prayer. Rather, there are prayers that don’t receive the answer we want. God hears them all.
Asking in Jesus’ name
To ask in Jesus’ name means more than just tagging his name at the end of a sentence. It means praying in union with his will, aligned with his mission and within the bounds of his providence. Let’s take a look at those three elements:
1. Is my prayer in union with Christ’s will? If I’m asking for something contrary to God’s will — no matter how strongly I desire it — then I’m not truly praying in his name. Authentic Christian prayer begins with surrender. I must conform my heart to Christ’s heart.
2. Is my prayer aligned with Christ’s mission? Jesus came for the salvation of souls and the building up of the Church. So I must ask: is what I’m praying for going to help others grow in faith, hope and love? Does it serve the good of others and glorify God?
3. Is my prayer in harmony with God’s providence? This means recognizing that some things I might ask for simply don’t fit within God’s plan — whether by nature, reason or the unfolding of grace. True prayer trusts that God’s providence is wiser and more loving than anything I could imagine.
Looking at our prayer lives
These three questions form a kind of spiritual examen for our prayer lives:
- Is this in Christ’s will?
- Does it build up his Church?
- Is it part of God’s providential plan?
When we approach prayer in this way, we can better understand what it truly means to pray in the name of Jesus. And we begin to see that God’s answers — whether “yes,” “not yet” or “I have something better” — are always rooted in his love for us.
Let us pray,
O God, who in the celebration of Easter graciously give to the world the healing of heavenly remedies, show benevolence to your Church, that our present observance may benefit us for eternal life. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
