To Ask Anything in the Name of Jesus

May 3, 2025 – Feast of Sts. James and Philip

Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/050325.cfm)

When you come to church, when you pray, and beg the Lord – what do you ask? What attitude do we have in asking the Lord for grace? What inner desires do we foster as we beg the Lord?

On this feast day of Sts. James and Philip, Jesus tells us, “if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.” But, what does it mean anything? And what does it mean to ask in Jesus’ name?

Does Jesus mean that we can just ask anything we want? Does it mean that I can also ask Jesus to give me a lifetime premium subscription on Netflix with an unlimited supply of popcorn and bottomless four-season juice drink? Or can I also ask Jesus to make me Summa Cum Laude this coming graduation? Is this the kind of prayer that Jesus invites us?

Today, Jesus tells us to ask “in his name.” The beauty lies in the prayer that considers the desire of God for us. It means that in our prayer we do not forget Jesus. We do not forget Jesus’s desire for us and his will for us.

This tells us of our relationship with Jesus. This should not be understood as a mere limitation with the options we have in asking. Instead, “asking in his name” widens our perspective in asking grace from the Lord.

This invites us to a deeper awareness of Jesus’ heart, of Jesus’ desires and of Jesus’ plans for us. It is certain that what Jesus desires for us is always good, always for our growth, always for our freedom.

Therefore, to ask in Jesus’ name is to allow letting go on what we only want. We let go also of our own preferences which may be influenced by our selfish desires, guilt, sin and evil.

Instead of praying – “this is what I want and wish Lord,” ask and pray rather first in this way, “what is your desire for me Lord?”

Only then that we will be able to get away from our selfish tendencies and intentions because we shift our focus from ourselves to God. We begin to shift from praying that comes only from personal wants to praying in his name.

This is now our prayer and our desire that in asking grace from the Lord, we may also grow more in our knowledge of Jesus. Know Jesus not just on our head level but also of the heart.

Through the intercession of St. Philip and St. James, may we dare to encounter the Lord among our brothers and sister; to encounter the Lord in our human experiences; and to encounter him in our daily struggles in life. Hinaut pa.