Catholic interpretation of John 14:13

[syphon229]

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”

What does Jesus mean? Does he strictly mean spiritually related requests or even physical ones? Thank you for your time.

 

[copland]

syphon229,

Both spiritual and physical, but the physical requests actually are linked to our spiritual requests, such as how sufferings could be permitted by God to draw us close to Him. I know that the closest times I have had with God are times when I am scared or desperate. So sometimes the answers for physical “needs” are no, because a greater good will be the ultimate outcome. St. Augustine explains this verse very well, and I recommend taking a minute to read his quote.

Whatever we ask for that would hinder our salvation, we do not ask in our Savior’s name and yet He is our Savior, not only when He does what we ask, but also when He does not. When He sees us ask any thing to the disadvantage of our salvation, He shows Himself our Savior by not doing it. The physician knows whether what the sick man asks for is to the advantage or disadvantage of his health; and does not allow what would be to his hurt, though the sick man himself desires it; but looks to his final cure.

And some things we may even ask in His name, and He will not grant them us at the time, though He will some time. What we ask for is deferred, not denied. He adds, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. The Son does not do any thing without the Father, inasmuch as He does it in order that the Father may be glorified in Him.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

Note that if you ask in His Name you are acting in His Name. Your request should be aligned to His will. Thus it is appropriate to add, If it be Thy Will.

 

[Verbum]

Hi Syphon,

Jesus is tellling us that every prayer gets an answer. He also told us somewhere else that a parent does not give the child a stone when it asks for bread, meaning by this that God gives us what is good for us.

So it will happen that God will not answer our prayer in the way we would like, but in some other way, that may or may not become apparent to us.

Verbum

 

[cgirl4ever]

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”

What does Jesus mean? Does he strictly mean spiritually related requests or even physical ones? Thank you for your time.

not sure, i’m not too good atunderstanding the bible

 

[epostle]

Anyone who interprets the Bible that measures up to Apostolic Teaching is interpreting correctly, so there is no such thing as “Catholic interpretation”. The Catholic Church has the fulness of faith, she does not claim to have sole possession of truth.

John 14 is Jesus’ discourse at the Last Supper, so obviously He is talking only to the Apostles.

“…in the name of Jesus…” is often a qualifying incantation to make God answer your prayer. I don’t think it works that way. To pray in His name means to pray in accordance with His teachings and who Jesus really is. The Apostles and their successors have been given the job, by God himself, of telling us what those formal teachings are. (not each individual believer)

The question should be "how does the Church pray in His name, that results in “greater works than these…” that Jesus promised to answer?

What “works” (John 10:38, John 14:12) is Jesus talking about?

Lastly, separating Christ from His Church is anti-biblical.

 

[Harmony1988]

I think it obviously has to do also with what falls into his will, is reasonable and is not there just to ‘test’ God.

Asking for a chocolate bicycle with glazed marzipan handlebars to appear on top of your car on November 18th is a bit far fetched and is rather stupid, etc.

 

[epostle]

It is stupid, your exaggeration makes a point. But name-it-claim-it feel-good churches are deceiving thousands with a different gospel, but sometimes tables get overturned.

 

[jcrichton]

“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.”

What does Jesus mean? Does he strictly mean spiritually related requests or even physical ones? Thank you for your time.

***Hi, syphon!

Read St. John 14:13 in light of St. James 1 and 4:

5 Any of you who lacks wisdom must ask God, who gives to all generously and without scolding; it will be given.
6 But the prayer must be made with faith, and no trace of doubt, because a person who has doubts is like the waves thrown up in the sea by the buffeting of the wind.
7 That sort of person, in two minds,
8 inconsistent in every activity, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord. (St. James 1:5-8)

1 Where do these wars and battles between yourselves first start? Is it not precisely in the desires fighting inside your own selves?
2 You want something and you lack it; so you kill. You have an ambition that you cannot satisfy; so you fight to get your way by force. It is because you do not pray that you do not receive;
3 when you do pray and do not receive, it is because you prayed wrongly, wanting to indulge your passions.
4 Adulterers! Do you not realise that love for the world is hatred for God? Anyone who chooses the world for a friend is constituted an enemy of God.
5 Can you not see the point of the saying in scripture, ‘The longing of the spirit he sent to dwell in us is a jealous longing.’?
6 But he has given us an even greater grace, as scripture says:
God opposes the proud but he accords his favour to the humble.
7 Give in to God, then; resist the devil, and he will run away from you.
8 The nearer you go to God, the nearer God will come to you. Clean your hands, you sinners, and clear your minds, you waverers.
9 Appreciate your wretchedness, and weep for it in misery. Your laughter must be turned to grief, your happiness to gloom.
10 Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up. *** (St. James 4:1-10)

One more thing we must consider, the Gifts of the Holy Sprit are for the benefit of building the Church… when we ask God to grant us any request we must keep in mind that we must be seeking something that would build both ourselves and the Church.

Maan atha

Angel