A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians 1:17-23
Brothers and sisters: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might: which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
REFLECTION
“The fullness of him who fills the whole creation.”
I have recently completed a section of the Camino de Santiago (also known as the Way of St James), 115km through the countryside of Spain. We followed in the tradition of many pilgrims, who walked throughout the centuries across Europe to the tomb of St James the Apostle, in search of answers, reparation and light from God.
Our day began at 5:45am with the alarm. We would have breakfast together, pack and begin walking at 6:30am just before dawn each day. Given the varying degrees of fitness, injuries and pace of my friends, I ended up walking without their company and would rejoin them at the end of the day in town for Mass and dinner.
The Camino is about the destination as much as it is about the journey there. And with the intentional disposition, it became an interior journey as much as an outer one. I encountered many on the road and listened to their stories. Then there would be a long stretch of the track where I could not see a human soul for miles.
I walked alone but was never lonely.
There was a time for everything on the Camino;
A time for walking and a time for resting.
A time for silence and a time for conversation.
A time for encounter and a time for self-reflection.
A time for nourishment and a time for sleep.
A time for worship and a time for singing.
Every human activity on the Camino was purposeful - it directed me to Santiago de Compostela.
I realised that in the same way, every human activity in life whether we are conscious or not, is directed to an end. What kind of end depends on what we desire.
Do I desire Heaven?
Do I desire the spirit of the wisdom of God to enlighten the eyes of my mind with His way?
Do I desire to see the fullness of God in all creation?
Do I desire His Holy Will?
These are personal questions but I hope they are also relatable ones.
May the Lord reveal to you the deeper reality of your unrepeatable, irreplaceable, and indispensable place in all of creation.
Pax.
