Beyond All We Ask or Imagine: Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians
October 24, 2024 - Thursday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 3:14-21
In the section on prayer, our Catechism asks: "when we pray, do we speak from the height of our pride and will, or 'out of the depths' of a humble and contrite heart?" And it answers, stating that "humility is the foundation of prayer" (CCC, 2559). That is how Paul begins his prayer for the Ephesians. The statement, "I kneel before the Father," indicates a posture of deep humility and reverence, and it opens the floodgates of God’s grace.
The first request of Paul is that the Ephesians "be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self" (Eph. 3:16). This request is usually understood as a prayer for inner or spiritual strength. In contrast to physical and worldly strength, the source of spiritual strength is the Spirit of God. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, we can fulfill God's purposes, bear with the challenges of following Christ, and even be ready to give up our lives for Christ. We can see such spiritual strength in our martyrs and saints. For example, Saint Teresa of Calcutta was seen by the world as a frail little woman. But that frail, little, and old woman did what all of the powerful men and women of our world could only dream of. Her influence and legacy impacted countless lives through acts of kindness, wisdom, and a witness to God’s enduring love.
The next request is about Christ dwelling in their hearts. This request reminds me of Saint Polycarp, one of the earliest martyrs of the Church. When the Roman authorities demanded that he deny Christ, Bishop Polycarp answered: "Eighty and six years have I served Him, and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Saviour?" (The Martyrdom of Polycarp). Saint Polycarp knew the love of Christ that surpasses all understanding. It was not head knowledge but an experience. In the 86 years of serving Christ, Christ "never did [him] any injury" but lavished upon him countless blessings.
On one hand, Paul prays that the Ephesians comprehend the breadth, length, height, and depth of Christ’s love. On the other hand, he states that Christ's love surpasses all understanding. We often hear our preachers telling us that "Jesus loves us," but do they and we grasp the meaning of this statement? Some explain that the breadth of Christ's love encompasses all people, the length of His love stretches from eternity to eternity, the height of Christ's love lifts us up, offering a share in the divine life, and its depth reaches down to the lowest places of our pain and sinfulness. And yet, even these words fail to express the greatness of His love for us. It is greater than we can imagine, knows no boundaries, and is selfless and life-changing.
Paul ends his prayer with a doxology, acknowledging that God is able to do immeasurably "more than all we ask or imagine" (Eph. 3:20), according to His power at work within us. Our prayers and imaginations are limited by our human understanding, experiences, and expectations. We often ask based on what we think is possible or what we can envision for ourselves. But God’s power is not confined by these limits—He operates beyond our wildest dreams, working in ways we cannot always foresee or comprehend.
I suggest that we make Paul's prayer for the Ephesians our own. Let us pray that we, the followers of Christ in the 21st century, be strengthened by the Holy Spirit, experience the love of Christ that surpasses our understanding, and surrender ourselves into the hands of our Heavenly Father, who is able to do in our lives "more than all we ask or imagine" (Eph. 3:20).