THE SUPREME ADVANTAGE OF KNOWING

PRAYER MOMENT 

Thursday 6 November 2014

THE SUPREME ADVANTAGE OF KNOWING

                     

Pause. Be still in God’s presence.

Reading: “I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” (Phil 3:3-8)

Reflection. ‘Knowledge is power’ we say when we promote the advantages of education. And it is true; enlightenment and understanding gives freedom and opens up options for people. Paul reflects on this and all his qualifications which gave him a high place in the Jewish hierarchy. But everything he has achieved seems as nothing compared to this knowledge he has of Jesus. It is the ‘supreme advantage’ he has in his life. When Pedro Arrupe, a former General Superior of the Jesuits, was asked by a reporter what Jesus meant to him, he simply said, ‘Everything!’ The accompanying reading for today is about the lost sheep and the lost coin (Luke 15). There is more rejoicing in heaven over one person who comes to really know, than over ninety nine who say they know, but give little sign of it.

Prayer. Lord, teach us to really know you: your mind, your heart, your way. Help us to ‘learn of you’ and draw life from you for ourselves and for others. Amen.  

David Harold-Barry SJ