That you, being rooted and grounded in love,
may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:17-21

 

This is my prayer on your community's anniversary.

As you celebrate the goodness of the Lord, I pray that you will also grow in your knowledge of him. St. Paul talks of the breadth, length, height and depth of the love of Christ. But what are these dimensions as applied to our life?

Breadth talks of distance. God's love goes as far as the east is from the west. There is no limit to the love of God and it covers all of creation.

Length means the duration. We know that God's love is eternal. It never ends and will not end. It extends from eternity to eternity.

God's love is so high that it is beyond our comprehension. St. John of the Cross talks of union with God as something that is supernatural and so is beyond understanding and imagination.

God's love is deep. It is so low that everyone can reach it. And the more humble we are, the deeper we get in God's love.

This therefore is a description of God's love. It is in all creation, it is eternal, it is beyond reason and it is available and given freely to everyone.

Because God's love is eternal, he desires to give us the best. The best that he can give to us is union with himself. This union is possible only by his grace and it is only God who can do this. This union is beyond what is natural - it is supernatural. This supernatural union is achieved only if we deny ourselves - things that give us pleasure - and be blind to all things except God himself.

So my prayer in your anniversary is that you may continue to grow in holiness as you allow God to work in you so that you may be able to attain this supernatural union with him.

God bless us all.