The Open Door of Asking: In His Name, We Ask and Learn

Voice over by Bro. Paschal

Acts 18:23-28, Psalm: 46, Jn 16:23b-28

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

The Easter season is a time of confident prayer. The Risen Lord has returned to the Father, yet He promises that whatever we ask in His name will be given. Today, the Scriptures show us this promise in action: a learned man named Apollos, who knew the Scriptures but needed a more complete understanding, and Jesus Himself, who assures us that the Father Himself loves us.

In the Acts of the Apostles, we meet Apollos, a Jew from Alexandria. He is an eloquent speaker, well-versed in the Scriptures. He has been instructed in the way of the Lord and teaches accurately about Jesus, but he knows only the baptism of John. He speaks with “burning zeal,” yet his knowledge is incomplete. Then Priscilla and Aquila, a humble married couple, hear him speak. They do not confront him publicly; they take him aside and “explain the way of God more accurately to him.” Apollos receives their teaching with humility. He does not cling to his partial understanding. He accepts correction and becomes an even more powerful witness, refuting the Jews publicly and showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ.

Apollos had zeal, eloquence, and Scripture knowledge—but he lacked the full truth. His willingness to learn from ordinary tentmakers made him a better apostle. This is the posture of prayer: not the arrogance of knowing everything, but the humility of asking for more.

In the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks to His disciples about prayer. “Amen, amen, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.” But then He adds a stunning revelation: “The Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God.” We do not approach a distant, reluctant deity. We approach a Father who loves us. Asking in Jesus’ name is not a magical formula; it is praying in union with His will, in the confidence that the Son has revealed the Father’s heart.

Apollos asked—perhaps not in words, but in his openness—for the full truth. And the Father sent Priscilla and Aquila to answer his prayer. The same Father who loves us hears our requests. But notice: Apollos received the answer through a humble couple who took him aside. Our prayers are often answered through the hands and voices of ordinary believers.

Pope Francis reflects on this Gospel: “Prayer is not a magic wand; it is a dialogue with the Father who loves us.” Saint Augustine wrote, “The Father loves us because we love the Son. But our love for the Son is itself His gift.” We love because He first loved us. We ask because He first invited us.

This Easter season, let us pray with the confidence of Apollos—not arrogant, but teachable. Let us ask the Father in Jesus’ name, trusting that He hears. And let us be like Priscilla and Aquila, ready to explain the way of God more accurately to those who seek, so that together, we may all grow in the knowledge and love of the One who came from God. Amen.

May God bless you all!