“for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus
and the love that you have for all the holy ones
because of the hope reserved for you in heaven.”
Most Christians have heard the term “faith, hope and love,” in some context or another. They are words that can evoke good feelings and stand as a cornerstone among Christian values. In today’s readings from the letter to the Colossians, St. Paul talks about these concepts as well as the idea of gratitude towards the Lord. How can we apply them to our daily lives? Honestly, I usually get too caught up in life’s ups and downs to give them much consideration. We have faith that God will intervene in our lives, faith that he has laid the foundations for our lives. Faith helps to trust God, even though we don’t understand His plans. Hope gets us through tough times, as we always anticipate a better tomorrow…both literally and figuratively! Love, Paul tells us, is the most important of these things. Love God, love your neighbor, love yourself and everything will fall into place. Going back to today’s set of readings, there is definitely an overarching theme of thankfulness. In addition to being thankful for God’s mercy and blessings, we can be thankful for these three things that He has set before us; if we employ them, they can help guide us down the right path and give us peace in day to day life.
