29th Week in Ordinary Time : Thursday 22nd October 2020

Paul prays for God’s gift of faith and love, and through these, for the experience of the love of Christ.

Christ lives in Christians through their faith and love so that they can ‘know’ ‘the love of Christ’ that is to experience rather than ‘comprehend’ the wide-reaching and all-embracing nature of Christ’s love — ‘the breadth and the length, the height and the depth.’

Paul also praises God magnificently, indicating that the whole aim of our salvation is God’s glory. God’s plan of salvation is unimaginable to us without faith and love.

When Christians are “filled with the utter fullness of God” (Eph. 3:19), they are ready to accept the experience of the fire that Jesus speaks of in Luke 12:49. He also speaks of the social divisiveness that follow and which He illustrates with images of family discord.

Even within each person, there will be the struggles between the desire to be close which Jesus and the desire to be away from the burning Cross of Redemption that He offers. It is a demand for faithful following, even though there are conflicts and divisions.

Dear Lord, we are challenged not to look for superficial peace on earth, but the fullness of God, in our lives of faith and love which are achieved with much sacrifice.