We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy ones because of the hope reserved for you in heaven.
When he wrote his letter to the Colossians, Saint Paul had never been to Colossae, but he had heard of their enthusiastic and generous response to the Gospel. They loved "the holy ones" out of the abundance of their hope for eternal life. They seemed to live in two worlds, this earthly existence of blessings mixed with strife, and the heavenly world of satisfaction.
They practiced a disciplined life of "delayed gratification" and that distant gratification had an immediate effect. They knew and were confident of their future. It was just as sure as the fall harvest after spring planting and a summer of sunshine and rain. Their religious practices mingled with the ordinary sacrifices of daily life to blossom in a good life.
Human beings have this wonderful ability to remember the past, appreciate the present, and prepare for the future. We can trace a continuity of all three and this gives us great assurance.
But we also live in a seriously troubled world and there are times when present distress seems to overwhelm future prospects. We sometimes don't know where this situation is going, nor where we'll end up. In some worse cases, young people know they will be drug addicted, divorced, or jailed for life. Those are the only prospects they see in their families, schools. and neighborhoods. If they have heard the promise of Jesus, it has not come with conviction.
But we also live in a seriously troubled world and there are times when present distress seems to overwhelm future prospects. We sometimes don't know where this situation is going, nor where we'll end up. In some worse cases, young people know they will be drug addicted, divorced, or jailed for life. Those are the only prospects they see in their families, schools. and neighborhoods. If they have heard the promise of Jesus, it has not come with conviction.
The Colossians had received persuasive and credible testimony from Epaphras,
"....as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow slave,
who is a trustworthy minister of Christ on your behalf
and who also told us of your love in the Spirit."
These early missionaries were what they pretended to be, inspired by the Spirit of Jesus and ready to surrender everything for the sake of the Gospel.
In that respect, nothing has changed through these two millennia. Each generation is commissioned to announce the Gospel to the next, but the mission fails if the missionaries lack integrity. Parents, teachers, ministers and administrators of the Church must show by their lives, and not simply by their words, their confidence in the hope reserved in heaven. They practice delayed gratification as they sacrifice for the sake of the Gospel. If their homes are not as well furnished and their vacations not as exotic as their unchurched neighbors, their joy is more confident and their generosity, more spontaneous. They needn't cut corners in their dealings with others for they follow a straight path.
We thank God that the Gospel, in fact, is alive and well in our world. We hope and pray we are living up to it rigorous standards.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.