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Saturday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr
Ephesians 1:15–23
Saint Paul has heard good news about the Ephesians.
He has heard about their faith in the Lord Jesus.
He has heard about their love for all the holy ones.
So he gives thanks.
And he prays for them.
Faith and love are already present in the community.
Hope also appears in Paul’s prayer.
Faith.
Hope.
Love.
These are the foundation of Christian life.
But Paul knows that faith must grow.
Faith wants to know more deeply
the One in whom it believes.
Love must also grow.
Love for God must become love for brothers and sisters.
The risen Christ, in the Book of Revelation,
also speaks about the Church in Ephesus.
He praises their works,
their labor,
their patient endurance,
and their refusal to compromise with evil.
So we can ask:
What kind of news do people hear about us?
Are we known for faith?
Are we known for love?
Do we desire to know Christ more deeply?
Do we show our love for God by caring for those in need?
Saint Paul prays that the Ephesians may receive
a spirit of wisdom and revelation.
Wisdom is more than knowing many things.
Wisdom means learning to live according to God’s will.
Wisdom means choosing what leads to life.
Revelation means that God opens to us
what we could never understand by ourselves.
The mystery of the Trinity.
The mystery of Christ becoming man.
The mystery of His death and resurrection.
The mystery of salvation.
Then Paul prays that the eyes of their hearts
may be enlightened.
In the Bible, the heart is not only the place of feelings.
The heart is the center of the person.
Our thoughts.
Our desires.
Our will.
Our choices.
Our relationship with God.
When the eyes of the heart are opened,
we begin to see with faith.
We begin to understand the hope to which God has called us.
We begin to see the riches of His glory
prepared for the saints.
We begin to trust the greatness of His power.
This power was shown in Christ.
God raised Him from the dead
and seated Him at His right hand.
Christ is above every power,
every authority,
every name,
in this age and in the age to come.
Paul’s prayer is still needed today.
We also need the spirit of wisdom and revelation.
We also need the eyes of our hearts to be opened.
So today, let us make Paul’s prayer our own:
Lord,
open the eyes of our hearts.
Help us know You more deeply.
Help us live with faith,
hope,
and love.
Help us see the hope of our calling,
the riches of Your glory,
and the greatness of Your power
at work in Christ
and in His Church.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Matthew
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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© 2025 Krakus.
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