5th Sunday after Easter 5 May 2013 Sermon

5th Sunday after Easter 5.5.13 What we need


Our Lord is encouraging us to ask for whatever we need from Him, or the Father. At other times we are encouraged to ask through Mary, or St Joseph, or other saints.

The overall message is that there is an abundance of chances for us to obtain whatever we seek, as there is an abundance of goodwill on God’s part to give it to us.

This is not exactly how we usually feel about it.

We are conscious rather that most of our prayers are not answered, or certainly not as quickly and as simply as this Gospel passage makes it sound.

As with all these Last Supper passages (John, chapters 13-17) the main point is that we need close union with Our Lord. And if we have that union we are assured of having every other thing we need.

He may not give us a million dollars but He will give us everything we need for this life and the next.

If we want a million dollars He will gently cure us of such cupidity and teach us holier thoughts. This is just what we don't want (at first). But when He says He will give us anything we want He reserves the right to change what we want; to form us in His own ways of looking at things.

So we come, sooner or later to an acceptance of His will as preferable to our own. This is a big step and not one likely to happen overnight; but it is the key to these promises.

If we cannot get what we want we want what we get! We love the will of God; we fall silent in adoration of His wisdom. How deep are His ways, how inscrutable (Rm 11,33-36).

When Solomon, as a young man, became king of Israel, he pleased God by asking for wisdom rather than riches or dominance over his enemies.

God was so pleased that he promised Solomon the other things as well, it being likely that Solomon would know how to handle them (3 Kings 3).

Maybe He will do the same for us, if we ask first for the spiritual gifts rather than material or physical benefits.

It is certain that our prayers for spiritual advancement will be heard and granted, even if other requests are denied.

We cannot have everything we want if our wanting is immature or wrongly based.

As children we would just want ice cream all day. As adults we want cars or houses or other things according to age and taste.

But who wants Christ, or God, or heavenly things? These are acquired tastes!

Who really believes that to possess Jesus Christ is all we need? We believe it, to a point, but we still want the other things as well.

Not necessary if we have Him.

It comes to this: ‘ask for anything and you will receive it’ translates to ‘you will receive it if I want you to have it’. Ask for whatever you want becomes Ask for whatever I (Jesus) want (for you)!

This might sound like a letdown but with the necessary amount of wisdom being supplied we are very happy to let Our Lord decide what is best for us.

So many people have abandoned the faith because of some disappointment or tragedy in their lives. They did not grasp the message that the possessing of God is enough.

With His help we will grasp that message and we will actually live by it, having all our desires re-arranged around it.

Ask for this, and we certainly shall have it.