July 12, 2015 - Sunday

[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. (Ephesians 1:17-18 NABRE)

Is it strange how things have changed over the years? There was a time when people greeted each other, at least in writing, with elaborate good wishes. The abbreviation of this practice in modern times has been fairly abrupt. Salutations in handwritten or typed correspondence just fifty years ago had been reduced to "Dear Mr. Soandso." And today's email and text messages most often have no greeting at all. The tempo of daily life has increased dramatically allowing us to accomplish many more things in a day than ever before. However, I speculate that this change in the practice of written greetings also reflects a reduction in the time we have available to spend thinking about and regarding others to whom we address our messages.

Fortunately, Saint Paul's lavish wish for his congregation in Ephesus extends to us this day. Consider the substance of his wish for us as members of God's people:

• That we be given a spirit of wisdom and revelation so we will have knowledge of God
• That we be enlightened so we will know the hope of God's call and extent of our inheritance as followers of Jesus

Lord God, thank you for our ability to wish such things for each other, for the desire to see others share in knowledge of you and the hope of your promise. Let your Spirit guide our words so that we might begin each correspondence, however fleeting, with at least a thought of the other person--desiring that they gain wisdom and revelation, enlightenment and hope.

Today, I will focus on each person I speak or write to, regarding each one as Paul regarded those to whom he was responsible.


Saints John Jones and John Wall, friars who were martyred in England in the 16th and 17th centuries for refusing to deny your faith, pray for us.