A reading from the holy Gospel according to John
Jesus said to his disciples: “So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. On that day you will not question me about anything. Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”
Jesus tells his disciples that they will experience sorrow and grief, but their sorrow will turn to joy. He compares this to the pain a woman experiences in childbirth that is forgotten once she sees her newborn child. Jesus says that he will see his disciples again, referring to his resurrection, and that their grief will turn to joy that no one will take away from them. The joy Jesus speaks of cannot be taken away because it comes from God, and no one on earth has the power to take God-given joy away. It is in this Easter joy that Jesus says, “Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” What is it I need today that I can ask of the Father?
God, as Jesus your Son speaks to the disciples, he reads their hearts and knows their anguish. Why does the world rejoice at Jesus’ death while his followers mourn? Those in the world who do not see Jesus rejoice at his departure because his presence calls them to him and they reject him. But the disciples know your Son and mourn his death. “But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,” Jesus tells them. In the glory of the resurrection, Jesus calls them to him, which is a joy no one can take from them. In the anguish of this day, Lord, grant me the grace of seeing my grief turn to joy in the realization of your presence.
“Whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you,” says the Lord. Lord, help me know you and welcome you today.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.