Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter
John 16:23b-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.”
Encountering Christ:
- The Weight of Your Name: There can be great weight to a name. Some charities are built on the name of one person who suffered a difficult or untimely death, and because they made such an impression on people’s hearts the charities thrive. But, as Scripture tells us, when we pray the name “Jesus,” it’s especially powerful—infinitely so: “Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:9-11).
- Complete Joy: Our Heavenly Father loves us so much that he wants our joy to be complete. No one on earth can make our joy complete, despite how much they love us. Only the Father can fulfill this promise. What does it mean to have complete joy in this world? Joy, a gift of God, is “nourished by a life of prayer, mediation on the word of God, the celebration of the sacraments, and life in community” (Pope Francis).
- The Hour Is Coming: Jesus was leaving to join the Father. When the Advocate came, the Apostles were to pray in Jesus’ name directly to the Father, because the Father is love. Jesus’ whole mission was to reveal the love that the Father has for each of us. In knowing the Father, our joy will be complete.
Conversing with Christ: Loving and humble Jesus, help me to know my heavenly Father so that my joy may be complete. This prayer is the deepest longing of my heart that only you can fulfill.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will spend five minutes in the presence of my heavenly Father, where I will ask him to show me the many ways he loves me.
For Further Reflection: Check out this retreat guide by Fr John Bartunek, LC, on the mercy of God the Father.
Marjorie Davin is a lay member of Regnum Christi who has served as director of the Women’s Section in the Washington, D.C., area. She and her husband have been married for over 30 years and are the parents of four adult children.
