REFLECTION:

Did I ever mention how much I love St. Paul? I really do! He was a great preacher. He knew what to say at the right moment. He didn't hold back, and he wasn't afraid to speak the truth. Sometimes his words can really hit you where it hurts, but other times, they are exactly what you need to hear.

And you know, sometimes after a busy week, or even just a long day, you're exhausted. You're looking forward to the weekend. You've been dealing with people, problems, meetings, responsibilities, and everything else that comes your way. And you get to that point where you feel like you've got nothing left in the tank to give.

Then you read today's words from St. Paul.

He begins by saying, "I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you." And I thought to myself, wow! Here's a man writing from prison, and instead of complaining about his situation, he's giving thanks for the people in his life.

Think about that for a moment. Paul is in prison, and he's encouraging those who are free! Sometimes we're free, and all we do is complain!

But what really caught my attention was what Paul says next: "The one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus."

In other words, God is not finished with you yet! And maybe that's exactly what some of us need to hear today. Because sometimes we get so caught up in everything we have to do, everything we haven't accomplished, or even the mistakes we've made, that we forget God is still working in us.

We become impatient with ourselves. We become impatient with others. We expect people to change overnight. We expect things to happen according to our timeline. But St. Paul reminds us that God's work is not finished.

And here's something else to remember: Just because you're exhausted doesn't mean God has stopped working. Sometimes we think that being faithful means constantly doing something, constantly giving, constantly producing results. But even when we're tired, even when we need to rest, God continues His work in us.

And notice how Paul ends his prayer. He prays that our love may increase more and more.

Not that our workload may increase! Not that our meetings may increase! Not that our problems may increase! We've got enough of those already! But that our LOVE may increase. Because at the end of the day, that's what matters. We can accomplish so many things, check everything off our to-do list, and still forget the people God has placed in our lives.

My Friends, as we come to the end of another week, perhaps St. Paul is inviting us to do three simple things.

First, be grateful for the people who have journeyed with us this week.

Second, be patient, with ourselves and with others, because God is still working on all of us.

And third, keep growing in love, because that's the work God wants to accomplish in us.

So if you're feeling tired today, if you're feeling like you've got nothing left in the tank, remember the words of St. Paul: "The one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it." God is not finished with you yet. And thank God for that, because some of us still need a LOT of work!