Gospel: John 16:23-28

 

The assurance that Jesus gives to His disciples is that they can have access to God’s fatherhood in union with Him. Jesus’ mediation takes the disciples to the Father. 

 

In union with Him, the petition becomes effective. The object of any petition to the Father must always be joined to Jesus, that is to say, to His love and to His commitment to give His life for man. Prayer addressed to the Father, in the name of Jesus, is heard.

 

The disciples will be able to do it after His glorification, when they will receive the Spirit who will fully enlighten them on His identity and will create the union with Him. His own will be able to ask and receive the fullness of joy when they will go from the sensory vision of Him to that of faith. In St. John’s Gospel, Jesus once again speaks about the link produced by the Spirit that permits His own to present petition to the Father in union with Him. 

 

It is the day when He will come to His own and will transmit the Spirit to them, it is then that the disciples, knowing the relationship between Jesus and the Father, will know that they will be listened to. It will not be necessary for Jesus to intervene between the Father and the disciples to ask on their behalf, not because His mediation has ended, but they, having believed in the Incarnation of the Word, and being closely united to Christ, will be loved by the Father as He loves His Son. 

 

After having gathered the disciples to Himself Jesus seems to withdraw from His role of mediator, but in reality, He permits that the Father take us and seize us: “Ask and you will receive and so your joy will be complete” (v.24). Inserted into the relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ, our joy is complete & prayer is perfect