Word to the Wise
Thursday, September 3, 2009 - St. Gregory the Great - Pope and Doctor of the Church
[Colossians 1:9-14 and Luke 5:1-11]From the day we heard about you, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God.......
This opening prayer in the Letter to the Colossians could be the prayer of any parent for their children or any pastor for his parishioners or any teacher for his or her students! I have served many years in campus ministry at the college level and I can attest to the necessity of this prayer. I can truly say I've seen its effect in the lives of some of the students I have ministered to. In preaching parish missions, I encounter the many challenges that the people in the pew face in their concerns for their spouses, elderly parents, children and their grandchildren. In preaching retreats for priests and deacons, I hear the pastoral worries and concerns of meeting the needs of parishioners or in working together for the apostolate. These encounters send me back to the prayer from Colossians! Praying for wisdom so that one may make the right decisions or serve others in the best way possible is one very good way to start a day. If it worked for St. Paul, I'm hoping it will work for me and for you. AMEN