Reading 1 Eph 3:14-19
Brothers and sisters: 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.
Reflection
From the beginning of Christianity, we have been prayed for by followers of Christ. This is a beautiful passage in Ephesians where Paul is praying for the Church, you and me. How deeply beautiful are these words. Read this again slowly, do you want to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge? It makes me wonder if even though Paul was suffering in prison while writing this, was he actually filled with all the fullness of God as he prays for all of the Church here? Saint Faustina Kowalska had a beautiful and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. I wanted a friend of mine, Anthonia, to help me to write about her, because every time I talk to her, she is filled with a love for the writings of Saint Faustina. This is what she shared with me in our brief telephone conversation.
"St. Faustina is so humbling. When I read her diary she is able to touch my heart. I like most that the Lord uses her to write even though she was illiterate. She gave herself to him so completely that the Lord was able to give her the tools necessary to write the diary. She humbled herself before the Lord. Even when she prays, her prayer is different than ours. She prays from inside herself, from her soul, allowing Jesus to give her the words."
I wonder if this was the same for Saint Paul in his writings? We have so much to learn from these Saints.
I did look up Saint Faustina's Diary and found a few lines I would like to share:
The Lord's Promise: The souls that say this Chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death.(#754)
Today I heard these words: Pray for souls that they be not afraid to approach the tribunal of My mercy. Do not grow weary of praying for sinners. You know what a burden their souls are to My Heart. Relieve My deathly sorrow; dispense My mercy. (#975)
St. Faustina's mission from Jesus was to spread the news of His Mercy. She writes of the love that Jesus has for us and that He wants to pour out His Mercy upon repentant sinners. Just as St. Paul writes in the first reading from the Ephesians, Christ wants to dwell in our hearts and fill us with the fullness of God. His love is without borders.
Comments