He has overcome the world!

I’ve been offering reflections on Ephesians 1. Here is the complete text again. I highlighted the part I wish to consider today:

[I pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead . . . (Eph 1:17-20) 

And from today’s Gospel (Monday of the Seventh Week of Easter):

                In the world you will have trouble, but take courage. I have conquered the world. (John 16:33)

Notice how all of this flows from the reality of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. That is the power Paul refers to in Ephesians. That is also what made it possible for Jesus to say “I have overcome the world.”

That is the power we can draw upon whenever we have to lift ourselves up from episodes of sin and failure. That is the power we can draw upon when we suddenly become aware of a weakness of character that we had never noticed before—for example, when we suddenly understand just how selfish we can be at times—or controlling, or prideful, or cynical or contemptuous or . . .

This reassurance that Jesus gives his disciples--that He has overcome the world--will not do them any good at the moment when the world seemingly gets the better of Him, when He is crushed by the force of evil in the world, when it seems as if all the good work He had done on earth was for nothing.

No, it won’t do them any good at all, until He is risen from the dead and shows Himself to them. And, of course, the absolute demonstration of this power will be on the day of Pentecost when they will receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit, the day we are praying for and which we will celebrate this coming Sunday.

How about those moments and times when we experience near annihilation by the force of evil in the world or in our lives? What must it be like to be a homeless person or a refugee without a country? What can help us when we are crushed by the knowledge of just how much craziness there is in the world these days, or how many innocent people are suffering because of the hatred or greed of others?

What can help us? Perhaps the revelation we have received about the intensity and unlimited scope of God’s power, God Who raises from the dead. Perhaps the revelation that in the course of time, all will be set right. Consider, for example, the Song of Mary that the Church sings every night at Vespers, the Magnificat which speaks of the total reversal of the misery in the world:

He has shown the strength of his arm.

He has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,

and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich He has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of His servant Israel (substitute your own name)

for He has remembered his promise of mercy . . .

Sometimes when I chant this canticle, it seems to me as if Mary is singing it from heaven at the end of time and describing what will have already happened in our world.

Take courage today. Remember who you are and what has been done for you. Hope in what will be done for you. And at all times, times filled with joy or times filled with disillusionment and emptiness,

be at peace.

God bless you.

Getting through the turmoil in our lives

We continue our meditation on Ephesians 1:17-20. Please refer back to yesterday’s reflection for the introduction. Here is the passage we are working with. I have highlighted the section for today’s reflection:

[I pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead . . . (Eph 1:17-20)  *Note: this is an older translation than what we currently use at Mass, but this is the one I read that day—RSV translation.)

One of the meanings of the verb know in Greek is “to realize,” and I read today’s phrase in that sense, and interpret the verse in very simple terms.

I believe that God has a plan for each of us, and has plotted out the way we should walk. The question may arise concerning free will, and what happens to God’s plan when we don’t walk the way He has indicated for us. This leads to a complex discussion which I am not going to consider today, but rather look at things as I said in a simple manner. In fact, I can even reduce it to a set of propositions as follows:

·         God has a plan for each of us, a path which our life will follow.

·         Sometimes we think we know that path.

·         Sometimes the circumstances of our life alter that path and throw us into a state of confusion.

·         The state of confusion is part of the plan for us. We have to go through it as part of our life’s journey.

·         And so our life has its ups and downs, its clarity and its turmoil, its victories and its tragedies.

·         Again, all part of the plan. And there are times and moments in our lives when we are completely blind-sided and cannot make sense out of what is happening. Again, part of the plan.

·         God helps us to make sense out of what is happening gradually, never all at once.

·         The Spirit that Paul prays we receive is a Spirit of enlightening.

·         We receive that Spirit at times when our understanding is darkened; the Spirit enlightens us.

·         As a result of the Spirit’s working in us, we eventually come to realize the great hope which is our destiny.

·         We are given the wisdom to grasp what is the end of our journey: eternal life with God; resurrection of the soul and body.

·         Knowing, or realizing that end can help us better endure the times when we are lost and fearful, confused and discouraged.

·         Part of what we come to realize is that the present difficulties are not permanent; this too shall pass.

·         The great hope will never let us down if we live in God’s Spirit. Once again, I am hearing an echo from the Rule of Saint Benedict: Never lose hope in God’s mercy.  (RB 4:72)

Please keep in your prayers a friend who is currently going through a period of turmoil in his own life. Thank you.

God bless you.

Extraordinary promises for Ascension Thursday

Ascension Thursday 2016

One day, about a year before I entered the monastery, I was taking a walk through a park and I came to a little pond and sat there, my Bible in hand. The memory of this is so strong that it feels like it just happened recently. Anyway, I opened my Bible and began reading the Letter to the Ephesians. My eyes fell on the passage which is read at the Mass on Ascension Thursday, and my heart leaped within me and I was filled with joy and comfort and even courage, because I was at a time of transition in my life and I wasn’t quite sure where I was heading next.

This is what I read:

[I pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead . . . (Eph 1:17-20)  *Note: this is an older translation than what we currently use at Mass, but this is the one I read that day—RSV translation.)

This might take a few days to unpack since it is so rich. I encourage you to read it through several times, and then to make some notes about what it means to you. It may take some work and some good, prayerful thinking, but the riches it promises will be well worth the effort. I’ll start a little bit today.

First of all, note that the subject of the passage is God, . . .  the Father of glory. This is the direct work of the Father, the One who raised Jesus Christ from the dead. He is the One Who did that, and He is the One Whom Paul calls upon to shower spiritual gifts upon us. Keep in mind the power of our God; the whole passage is speaking about the work of his power. There is absolutely no limit to what our heavenly Father can do in the world and most especially, can do in us. Everything in this passage points back to the Father from Whom all these graces come.

What does Paul ask for? that he give him a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.

He prays that we may come to know the Father more fully then we do now. “Revelation”—the Greek verb used here is related to the word uncover. It says to me that there will always be something new to learns, something new to understand, just as there has been through my life and I would bet throughout yours as well.

. . . having the eyes of your hearts enlightened . . . What a beautiful metaphor! I can’t help thinking how Saint Benedict revers to “the ear of your hearts” and I wonder whether this phrase from Ephesians may have inspired him. This phrase is closely related to what I said about “revelation.” Paul is calling for us to see what we haven’t seen before, and to see it not with our eyes, or with our intellect, but rather to see with our hearts—which in Biblical language refers to the entire inner essence of a person. In simple terms I would suggest it means “see from deep down inside, see with our guts and our intuition.”

And what are we to “see”? We’ll look at that tomorrow.

God bless you.