The readings for today’s liturgy are among my favorites. The text from Ephesians is a prayer of Saint Paul for his readers, one that we could meditate on and pray many times over. What more can we wish one another, besides the excellent knowledge of Jesus Christ, to grasp the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ’s love?

I always associate this reading with devotion to the Sacred Heart; it is so loving and personal. The extent of Christ’s love for us is an abyss that cannot be measured.

We then move into the Gospel text. Here, we are exposed to the passionate love of Jesus for us. Jesus reveals the anguish from the foreknowledge of his coming suffering and the cost of redemption for us, his friends. And the painful truth that this redemptive love will be costly for all because all will not accept it. The fire of His passion purifies.

It may divide to heal and/or unite. If all would accept his saving message, there would be no division in families or society. At what cost, his love? At what price is this redemption?

Prayer:

Lord, we pray for one another who are called by faith to receive the gift of your Spirit, inner transformation in Christ. We thank you for the gift of Holy Communion, which enables us to recognize your powerful call to be one with you. Give us the strength to give witness to your love to all those who are close to us. We pray for our family, friends, and neighbors who resist your grace and truth. Be present to us on the winding paths of life’s journey.