Homily: May 11, 2024, saturday of the sixth week of Easter (In Jesus' name).

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"Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you."

Whenever you pray for a specific intention, do you ask in your own name or do you ask in Jesus’ name?

I pondered this as I prepared this homily. Most of my prayers are directed to Jesus, so I would end off like a normal conversation. But now Jesus is advising us in today’s Gospel, "…ask the Father in my name…”

It is as if Jesus is telling us to write an appeal letter to God, the Father, and to sign off in Jesus’ name, not our own name.

Wow!

He is simply saying, use His name! Of course, His Father would never deny Him of anything, because He is the obedient and beloved Son.

Every second Saturday during our healing services, Tim and Graeson will always conclude their prayers with “In Jesus’ name we pray.” And thus we see so many miraculous healings from the services.

The Church also prays the same way. Holy Mass is the perfect sacrifice we offer to God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son. Listen to the prayers at Mass and how we begin with, "O God, loving Father, compassionate God, grant we pray, Almighty God, almighty and ever living God," and we end with, "through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son who lives and reigns with you…”

Jesus came to reconcile us to His Father, He is the connection, the mediator, the perfect helpline.

So let us learn to pray more effectively, keeping this wonderful connecting call line in mind, to offer our prayers to the Father in Jesus’ name.

Even when we pray direct to Jesus, let us also end off, “in your most precious name, we pray…”

Let us never forget that Jesus is the one sent to reconcile us to God, His cross is the wood that connects earth to heaven, His name will always get our calls through to the Father in heaven, there will never be a busy tone.

So, from today, let us always pray for our needs to our loving Heavenly Father in Jesus' name, the sweetest name, the most beautiful name, the name above all other names. Amen.


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