Today’s Theme for Prayer – Jesus Makes Me His Intimate Disciple
How Do I Gain Deeper Personal Knowledge of God
When in the intensity of its love for God the intellect goes out of itself, then it has no sense of itself or of any created thing. For when it is illumined by the infinite light of God, it becomes insensible to everything made by Him, just as the eye becomes insensible to the stars when the sun rises. St. Maximus the Confessor
A Divine Request: Jesus’ Thirst and Our Fulfillment
Gal 4:1-7
I mean that as long as the heir is a child, he is no different from a slave, although he is the owner of everything, but he is under the supervision of guardians and administrators until the date set by his father. So also we, when we were children, were enslaved to the elemental powers of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. As proof that you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir, through God.
Grace Prayed For
The grace to fully embrace our adoption as sons and daughters of God, to allow the Holy Spirit to cry out “Abba, Father” within us, and to live in the fullness of our inheritance as heirs to the kingdom.
Reflection
Imagine yourself as a child, heir to a vast estate, yet bound by the constraints of childhood. You own everything in potential, but you are not yet free to fully possess it. You are under the watchful care of guardians, their rules and structures defining your existence. This is how we were before Christ, enslaved to the “elemental powers of the world”—the forces of sin and death, the legalistic burdens that kept us from truly knowing God as Father.
But then, the fullness of time arrives. A moment of divine intervention, a cosmic shift. God, in his infinite love, sends his Son, Jesus, born of a woman, fully human, yet fully divine. He enters our world, not as a distant ruler, but as one of us, subject to the same laws and limitations. He does this to redeem us, to buy us back from our slavery, to break the chains that bind us.
And what does this redemption bring? Adoption. We are no longer slaves, but sons and daughters of God, heirs to his eternal kingdom. This is not a mere legal transaction; it is a profound transformation of our very being. God sends the Spirit of his Son into our hearts. This is the very breath of God, the same Spirit that dwelt in Jesus, now dwelling in us. He cries out within us, “Abba, Father!” This intimate cry, this heartfelt expression of love and trust, reveals the depth of our adoption. We are not just servants; we are family. We are drawn into the very heart of the Trinity, united with the Father through the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Close your eyes for a moment. Feel the presence of the Spirit within you, whispering “Abba, Father.” Let this cry resonate in the depths of your soul. You are loved, you are chosen, you are an heir. You are home.
Growing in Intimacy/Union with Jesus
This passage reveals Jesus’ central role in our adoption. He is the one sent by the Father, the one born under the law to redeem those under the law. It is through him that we receive the Spirit of adoption. By meditating on Jesus’ obedience and sacrifice, we grow in our understanding of his love for us and deepen our relationship with him. We recognize that He is the bridge that brings us into intimate union with the Father. He is not just a figure from the past but our living brother, who shares his inheritance with us, bringing us into the very heart of the Trinity.
When Time Allows Reflect on the Posts in Library and Musings
Sharing
Jesus last words on Earth were to his disciples, can be found in Matthew Chap 28 when Jesus told his disciples, “Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Jesus calls all of us to share in his redemptive mission here on Earth. I would ask you to share this Scripture reflection with your family, your friends and your acquaintances, and then share it with a couple of individuals that you may may not be comfortable sharing with, keeping in mind always the words of Jesus, And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age
Author was assisted by AI in the drafting of this Post