Jesus said at the end of the Gospel: “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you. By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” That last sentence, taken together with our reading from the Letter of John, helps us understand more clearly the first sentence I quoted.
The problem is, some people are inclined to take that first sentence out of context. This is especially true in the last part of it: “ask for whatever you want and it will be done for you.” Some people want to make that a blanket policy that, if we believe in Jesus, we can ask for anything, ANYTHING, and receive it. But that is not what he is talking about.
Look at the way John puts it: “if [our] hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in God and receive from him whatever we ask, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” John is telling us that we have to keep ourselves in line with what God expects. If we do, he will make sure that we receive everything …read more
Source:: Fr. Frank Jindra’s Homily Podcasts
