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“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.” John 14:12–14

Have you ever prayed repeatedly for something, only to feel your prayer was unanswered? In today’s Gospel, Jesus promises that if we ask anything in His name, He will do it. How do we reconcile unanswered prayers with Jesus’ promise?

To pray in Jesus’ name is not a formula that guarantees instant results, as if prayers were magical. Saying “In Jesus’ Name, Amen” with confidence at the end of a prayer does not compel God to grant our requests. Faith is not about convincing ourselves that God will fulfill our desires but about placing our trust in His divine will. To understand Jesus’ promise, “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do” (John 14:13), we must first recognize His perfect unity with the Father. Jesus’ words and works flow entirely from this union, and He invites us to share in this relationship by aligning our will with His and the Father’s will.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus began to address His unity with the Father after curing a crippled man on the Sabbath. When the Pharisees questioned Him about it, Jesus responded, “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work” (John 5:17). This infuriated the Jews, who tried to kill Him because He “called God his own father, making himself equal to God” (John 5:18). From that point on, Jesus became increasingly clear about His divine identity and union with the Father, emphasizing that He was sent by the Father, that He and the Father are one, and that everything He spoke and did originated from this unity. When Jesus cured someone, it was because it was His Father’s will. If He didn’t cure someone, it wasn’t because He lacked divine ability; it was because, in the mystery of the Trinity’s perfect wisdom, it wasn’t the will of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God’s will is always perfect and produces the greatest good, even when we do not understand that good.

The Son is distinct from the Father, yet there is a perfect communion of being, will, and action. Though we are not God, when Jesus says to His disciples—and to us—“If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it,” He is inviting us to share in the Trinity’s will and action. We do not become divine as the Father and Son are, but we are invited into their union of will and action so that when we speak, it is Christ speaking in and through us. When we act, it is Jesus acting. And when Jesus speaks or acts in us, the Father also speaks and acts. It is in this way that Jesus promises to grant whatever we ask when we ask in His name.

Praying in Jesus’ name requires great humility and surrender. Accepting God’s will often requires great trust, especially when it involves suffering. For example, if it were God’s permissive will that someone you love endure a long and difficult illness, offering his or her suffering as a sacrificial act for God’s glory, would you willingly pray for such an outcome? Doing so would be difficult, but if our prayer is united with God’s will, we will see that such suffering, embraced sacrificially, can produce greater good than physical healing. Jesus’ own Passion is the ultimate example, as He submitted to the Father’s will, saying, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42).

Reflect today on how you pray and what you pray for. At the very least, our every prayer should end with: “May Your will be done.” An even deeper way to pray in Jesus’ name is to surrender our preferences for the outcome of a circumstance, seeking only God’s glory and the salvation of souls, and entrusting ourselves and our prayers to the will of God. That way, as we truly pray in Jesus’ name, we will be certain that those prayers will be answered.

Most Holy Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are One God in three divine Persons. Your unity is perfect, accomplishing all things in harmony. Please draw me into union with You so that all I do and all I pray flows from Your perfect will, giving You glory and bringing about the salvation of souls. Most Holy Trinity, I trust in You.

Image: The Holy Trinity, by Giovanni Maria Conti della Camera

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Saturday of the Fourth Week of Easter - Praying in Jesus’ Name