11/09/2023

In today's Gospel Jesus anticipates the probing by the Pharisees that he knows is surely to follow his words. Jesus is the perfect man and has emptied himself of the power of God. As a perfect human with a perfect intelligence he already knew that he had caused the Pharisees to be concerned. The man Jesus knew that today was no different and that the leaders of the congregation would be waiting for an opportunity to challenge him. He did not have to be God to answer the challenge made to his teaching by Synagogue and Temple.

Jesus teaches us how to pray. His whole life is the perfect prayer to the Father. In our midst for thirty three years during the Empire of Augustus and Tiberius he became a part of the Providence of God as a true man. Man does not have the ability to change the reality of the moment in which he is living, but God does.

 All Jesus' miracles are the work of Father Son and Holy Spirit who answers the perfect prayer of the perfect man. Jesus tells us that we too have the ability to move mountains if we have perfect faith in God and proves this by the "wonders that he wrought and indeed we are glad".

For centuries the people of Colossae had been living in a well developed culture but were always close to the chaos of war. In many ways they were as we are today. They had "heard it all before". They were people whose forefathers  had seen Alexander and before him Darius. They lived surrounded by the wonders of nature. The petrified waterfall of Pamukkale is close by. There were also among them  descendants of Jewish prisoners transported there from Babylon three hundred years before.

We do not know by whom the Word was brought to them but St Paul treats them as true believers who will understand the secret, the Mystery that is Christ present "when two or three are gathered in my name". They know as well as we do that we can only be bound together in the Holiness of God by that Love which pours out of the heart of Christ Crucified and covers us with living Mercy which to preserve we must share with the whole world. That is the open secret spread by Paul.

Dear Lord, forgive me my sins and let my whole being be open to receive thy grace. Humanity is all one in your eyes but you know each soul who lives or has ever lived on Earth. May Mary who may have known in Ephesus Colossians and neighbouring Laodiceans lead all Saints in praise of the Glory of Father, Son and Holy Spirit and let us all be sure that Jesus assures us that our true happiness is not to be found in this World.