Meanwhile God worked extraordinary miracles at the hands of Paul. When handkerchiefs or cloths which had touched his skin were applied to the sick, their diseases were cured and evil spirits departed from them.

Some itinerant Jewish exorcists once tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Another time, when the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were doing this, the evil spirit answered, “Jesus I recognize, Paul I know; but who are you?” Then the man with the evil spirit sprang at them and overpowered them all. He dealt with them so violently that they fled from his house naked and bruised. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, fear fell upon all, and the name of the Lord Jesus came to be held in great reverence.

Many who had become believers came forward and openly confessed their former practices. A number who had been dealing in magic even collected their books and burned them in public. When the value of these was assessed, it came to fifty thousand silver pieces. Thus did the word of the Lord continue to spread with influence and power (Acts 19:11-20).

In this reading we see the power of the true Apostle contrasted with the powerlessness of those who practice magic. Both call on the Name of Jesus, but in quite different ways. Paul, the true Apostle, is one in whom the risen Jesus is powerfully at work. He is compared to those who invoke Jesus’ Name in a magical way.

What does it mean to pray “in the Name of Jesus”? It is more than just adding the words “We pray in the Name of Jesus” to the end of our prayer. In Hebrew thought, the name of a person is not just a label—it fully represents the person. So to pray in the Name of Jesus means to pray in the Person of Jesus, to pray as Jesus would pray. To pray in Jesus’ Name means we see God as Jesus did; as a loving Father, One Whom we trust, One Whom we obey, One Whom we hold in reverence and awe, One Whom we love. To pray in Jesus’ Name means we see others as Jesus did—not as people we can use, but as persons beloved by God.

This is a big order! The Apostles had this attitude more fully than we do, so much so they could pray with authority, just like Jesus. They could pray a prayer of command; “Be healed!” and the person would be healed. If we are honest, most of us do not see these results to our prayers, although there are a few people with extraordinary graces for healing. Instead, we struggle to put on the mind of Christ Jesus. We pray, not so much the prayer of authority, but the prayer of intercession; “Lord, we ask you to heal this person.”

We come before God in faith, knowing that He has said, “Ask and you shall receive.” So we ask, believing that He is faithful to His promises. We have faith in His love for the person we are praying for, knowing He will do what is good for them. We have faith in His power to do whatever He decides. We have faith in His wisdom to choose the very best course of action, taking into consideration every detail of the person’s situation. In effect, we are asking, “God, do something good for this person,” knowing that He certainly will. But unless we are given a special grace by God, we won’t know exactly how He will answer our prayer.

It is important not to fall into the trap of having faith in our faith. Some people try to work up their faith so that it is strong enough to work a miracle. They struggle and strain, but it’s bound to fail because they are trusting in the strength of their faith instead of trusting in God. To trust in God is not to press and strain, but to rest, to have confidence in Him and in His goodness and power. All we have to do is lay our hand on the person and ask. That’s pretty simple and doesn’t take much sweat. God will use His power to heal, not ours.

To focus on our faith instead of God only adds tension and anxiety. It increases doubt. None of us is without some doubt, and if we are focusing on the quality of our faith, we are sure to find that little place of doubt. This attention only makes the doubt grow. Instead, our focus is on God. By faith we are sure of His goodness and mercy, confident that He will answer our prayers in the way that is the very best.

Adapted from a homily by Father Joe Robinson, given at the St. Boniface Healing Mass May 9, 1997. Written by Joe Kindel. References used: Healing, by Francis MacNutt, the chapter entitled “The Faith to be Healed,” and the Collegeville Bible Commentary, the section on Acts 19:8-20.