Eyes of Enlightenment

"Brothers and sisters: I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power." ~ Ephesians 1:17

Ascension Day here was bright and sunny, though not particularly hot. After mass, I spent the rest of the day at the beach with friends. This statue to commemorate the Vikings that arrived in my part of the world helps us to see back in time to what things might have been as they arrived on the lake. These stony eyes have seen much in the years they have been here. What does it mean, though, to see with the eyes of your heart enlightened?

What must it have been like at that moment when Jesus took his farewell, commissioning them to go into all the world and proclaim the good news to everyone? He made some pretty incredible promises about what they would be able to do: cast out demons, speak in new tongues, pick up snakes with their hands, drink deadly potions without harm, and heal the sick. Then he ascended into heaven. He vanished. Yes, somewhere else he promises to be with them for all time but didn’t Jesus just get here again and now he is gone? What's up with that? Were the disciples ready to let him go and take on the task of doing the work that lay ahead? I am sure they were devastated, or at least confused, once again, with the journey with Jesus.

The words in Ephesians are encouraging: having received a spirit of wisdom and revelation, with the eyes of the heart enlightened, you will know hope. I love that word Hope. The Spirit is a-coming next week. Get ready! We can know the working of his great power if we but see with enlightened eyes.

Peace,

Suzanne