Thursday 25 October 2018. The readings are from Ephesians 3:14-21; and the Gospel from Luke 12:49-53. Faith without love does not do any good for the soul. We all love to have a deep and strong faith in Jesus. Faith offers the understanding we require to be integrally healthy. It is the understanding that we have acquired through our faith in Jesus helps us to deal with the issues and challenges of life. St. Paul in the first readings want us to love God through faith. The first part of the letter ends with a prayer for the people of Ephesus. The understanding that comes from faith has the origin in love. Faith constantly leads us to love and the roots and grounds of love is faith in Jesus. Without loving God, we cannot go on believing God. To know God means to love God with all our understanding, strength and stamina of the soul. Our knowing God will have to be accelerated on a daily basis. This inner life in Christ is continuous and never ending until we meet Him face to face with the help offered by the power of the Holy Spirit. We begin to have the maturity in loving Christ through presence and guidance of the Spirit of God. Without the love of Christ, one cannot understand the mysterious of God and through this love our inner person grows in full maturity and strength to lead a life worthy of one’s calling. Our life is indeed a gift from God. Yet, life becomes fruitful and meaningful only by the love we have for God and Christ in the Church. Christ is our life and truth of our entire existence. “May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.” (Eph.3:19). The responsorial Psalm acclaims, “The Lord fills the earth with his love.” (Ps.32:5). The Gospel questions our consciences with regard our commitment to Christ verses the compromises with the relationships. Jesus demands a response from us because we love Him. a response that is clear with the commitment to love Christ beyond the natural clinging to our relationships. It is all about choosing and refusing to follow Jesus in day today running of our lives. How loyal are we to Christ and the Church? How much risk are we willing to take for Jesus? How much sacrifice are we willing to make to prove our love for Christ. Love without sacrifice is rootless and groundless.