5th after Epiphany - 7 Feb 1954

Those are the opening words of the Epistle for today. (Colossians 3:12-17) St. Paul tells the Christians the quality of life that must be seen in them as the elect of God - disciples of Christ. In the prayer of humble access which we have before the prayer of consecration we pray that Christ may dwell in us and we in Him. That is the ideal practice of the Christian life - Christ dwelling in us and we dwelling Him. If I live in Christ there must be seen in me something of the character of Christ. It is not only in my thoughts and aspirations, but also in my deeds. The general outlook, the conversation and the life of the early disciples were such that those who saw them, even their enemies were certain that hey, the disciples, had been with Jesus. The people were able to see the character and the qualities of Jesus reflected in the lives of the disciples. ‘Every baptised person is another Christ in the world.’

To come up to this ideal we must keep in mind the necessity of meditation on our Lord’s life and passion. To know what He loved and hated, to see the glance of His eyes, to hear Him speak in anger, scorn and love, is to know what He expects of us.

First, it forms an abiding picture of Him in the mind, which will often check our words and actions, often encourage us in doubt.

It is a great help in prayer to be saturated in the language of the Bible, especially with His words and acts. Let us examine the quality of our lives in the light of the standard set by St. Paul in Colossians 3:12.