“Until now you have not asked anything in my name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete” John 16:24.
In this very intimate and prolonged dialogue--some would say monologue--Jesus keeps repeating this same phrase: “ask and you will receive.” He is trying to convince the Disciples (and us) that they have access to the divine power of the Father through him. In this chapter, Jesus plainly tells the disciples that he is going back to the Father. He reminds them that they will not be alone. “When he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth” John 16:13. Jesus explains that his departure opens them up to greater union with the Father through the Spirit. “The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me” John 16:27. It is important to remember that Jesus is comforting us too in this message! “What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race” John 1:4. We are still humans, and we still receive this Divine Life.
Fr. Richard Rohr writes in The Universal Christ (2019, p. 79): “God loves you by becoming you, taking your side in the inner dialogue of self-accusation and defense. God loves you by turning your mistakes into grace, by constantly giving you back to yourself in a larger shape. God stands with you, and not against you, when you are tempted to shame or self-hatred. If your authority figures never did that for you, it can be hard to feel it or trust it. But you must experience this love at a cellular level at least once.”
This is so encouraging!
Unfortunately, it is also hard to believe if you have a lot of strife or negativity in your life. Faith is hearing the promise of Jesus, “ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete,” and acting as if it were 100% true in your life now, even if you do not feel it yet. When we step out in faith, Jesus catches us and carries us to our destination. The action of our moving in faith enables Christ to then step-in and carry us the rest of the way. We see this in John Chapter 6. The disciples were on a boat alone in a terrible storm. They saw Jesus walking on the water and they were afraid. “But he said to them, “It is I. Do not be afraid. They wanted to take him into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading” John 6:20-21. No more storm. No more journey. With Jesus, they “immediately arrived” where they were going.
The bible says over and over that God is Love. Jesus speaks constantly about the love that the Father has for him, which he is then modeling and sharing with us. Fr. Richard Rohr says, “In light of the Christ Mystery, this unifying love by which the entire material world is governed, we learn that God can never be experienced apart from your best interests being involved. Hard to imagine, isn’t it? Those who doubt it have never asked for it…” (The Universal Christ, p. 80). That is what Jesus is telling us today. It is time to ask for whatever we want! God is 100% on our side! “Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”