This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.
They say that some old couples who have been married many years begin even to look like each other.
Much more so the saints, who have consistently dedicated time every day to draw near to God. They do not just begin to “look” like Him–the divine love which burns in Christ’s heart begins to burn in theirs as well; spontaneously, they handle each situation with the very love and attitude of Christ.
We have vivid evidence of this in today’s reading from St. Paul, who is undertaking the simple task of transferring a Christian from his own service back to that of Philemon. In the letter accompanying the transfer, he says:
“So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me. And if he has done you any injustice or owes you anything, charge it to me. I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay.”
In this simple act, Paul’s attitude beautifully mirrors Christ’s attitude toward you and me in the very act of our redemption: “If he owes you anything, charge it to me. I will pay. Welcome him as you would me.”
If we understood the enrichment of heart that awaits us, we would not miss a day of contemplative prayer. And yet, since even under intense exposure to the grace of God, our hearts grow at the pace of grass in the noonday sun, it often takes real faith to trust that God is working our transformation when we do not deserve it.
When our faith in this interior transformation is weak, we look outside to try to see signs that God is transforming the world. We look for signs in the political sphere. When all the while, as Christ tells us in today’s gospel, “Behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”
Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Read the first reading in the light of Christ’s redemption, seeing Christ’s attitude toward us reflected in Paul’s attitude toward Onesimus. Would you like to have a heart like that–so spontaneously conforming to the love of Christ? Ask Jesus for the gift of perseverance in prayer. Ask Him to be your strength as you strive to be faithful to your daily touch points with Him, so that your heart will burn with the same love for others that characterizes Jesus Christ, and which He shares with His intimates.
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