Reflection for May 16 Saturday of the Sixth Week of Easter: John 16:23b-28

Gospel: 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.”

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Reflection:

The story is told of a woman who prayed earnestly to Jesus, asking Him to make her rich. Day after day, and month after month, she continued praying for the blessing she longed to receive. Yet after three months of praying and asking, she still did not receive what she had been hoping for. Confused and deeply troubled, she wondered why the Lord seemed silent to her prayers.

One night, she had a dream in which Jesus gently spoke to her heart: “You did not receive what you prayed for because you simply stayed in your house and relaxed. You never exerted effort to achieve what you desired.”

When she woke up the next morning, something within her changed. She prayed once again, but this time she did not stop with words alone. She began to work diligently, persevere faithfully, and do her part with trust in God. In time, through prayer, hard work, patience, and God’s grace, she finally received what she had been asking from the Lord.

Many times in our lives, we also desire blessings, breakthroughs, and answers to our prayers. We ask Jesus to help us, guide us, heal us, provide for us, or change our situation. Prayer is indeed powerful, beautiful, and necessary, because it connects our hearts to God. But the Lord also calls us to cooperate with His grace through faith-filled action.

Our prayers must not remain as words spoken only by our lips. We must allow our prayers to move our hands, strengthen our resolve, and inspire us to act with perseverance, responsibility, and trust in God. When we pray for success, we must also work hard. When we pray for healing in relationships, we must also learn to forgive, understand, and love. When we pray for a better life, we must also courageously take the steps that God places before us.

Jesus generously helps us fulfill the good things we hope for, especially when we sincerely do our part and entrust the results to Him. God blesses not only those who pray, but also those who faithfully act with courage, patience, and determination. Indeed, our lives must always be marked by prayers with action, and not by prayers alone.

Are we merely praying for God’s blessings, or are we also willing to cooperate with His grace by doing our part with faith, perseverance, and hard work?— Marino J. Dasmarinas