Message of Abbot Paul - 2nd January 2022
Message from Fr Paul for Sunday, 2nd January 2022
I can’t remember the last time we celebrated the Second Sunday after Christmas, as for years it was invariably replaced by the Solemnity of the Epiphany, always transferred to a Sunday until restored to its proper date two or three years’ ago. As today we repeat the Gospel reading from 31st December and Christmas day itself, I thought I might say just a few words about the second reading from Paul to the Ephesians, (Eph 1: 3-6 & 15-16). The first section is the opening paragraph of the great hymn of praise with which the Letter to the Ephesians begins, a hymn in honour of the Holy Trinity, thanking God the Father for all that he has done for us in Christ. These are wonderful words. They’re also used in the Breviary for Vespers.
“Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ.
Before the world was made, he chose us, chose us in Christ,
to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence,
determining that we should become his adopted sons, through Jesus Christ
for his own kind purposes,
to make us praise the glory of his grace,
his free gift to us in the Beloved.”
It’s a truly amazing thing to be reminded that, in his great love, even before all that is came to be, God had chosen each one of us to be his in Christ for all eternity.
The second half of the reading is Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, a Christian community he brought to faith on his missionary journeys and visited on a number of occasions. Having heard of the strength of their faith, he feels moved to pray for them even more. One aspect of their faith is “the love that you show for all the saints,” i.e. their charity and generosity towards other Christians, especially the poor.
The saints. of course, are those who have been set apart for God, those who have been baptised and live in accordance with their baptismal promises. He concludes with a prayer, and this is a particularly lovely prayer we can use when praying for one another. “May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge of him. May he enlighten the eyes of your mind so that you can see what hope his call holds for you, what rich glories he has promised the saints will inherit.” It is prayer that asks the Lord to strengthen our faith, something we all need at times and particularly as we set our on another stage of our pilgrimage through this life with New Year’s Day behind us and the New Year ahead of us. This is my prayer for you and I hope it will be your prayer for me.
