Words of Encouragement

St. Paul is at his rhapsodic best in the passage from the Letter to the Ephesians that we read today:

“I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he may grant you in accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”  (Ephesians 3:14b-21)

To be honest, this passage is almost too much to take in at a single reading.  Reading the passage carefully and slowly shows us that Paul is at prayer – praying for us. 

1. He is praying that we might carry Christ in our hearts.

2. He is praying that we might be rooted and grounded in love. 

3. He is praying we will be strong in the Holy Spirit.

4. Finally, he is praying that one day the power of these blessings will dawn upon us in such a way that our relationship with Jesus Christ might completely take over our lives.

Does anyone not feel that this is a tall order indeed?  Is it even possible?  Yes, it is possible IF we realize that this is the work of a life time, that it cannot be accomplished in a day, a week, a month or even a year. 

Perhaps the best way to approach this is to simply choose a word or phrase that we can use as a mantra throughout the day.  Let the words sink in like the rain slowly saturates the earth.  You all know what happens when the rain comes fast and furiously.  It runs off into the sewer system.  A gentle, slow rain, however, seeps in and nourishes the earth.  I think this passage works the same way – slowly and gently.  It is almost a song that we can hum throughout the day – every day.

Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator