Paul\'s Relationship to the Divine Mystery

1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles – 2if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3that by revelation the divine secret was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly. 4When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into this secret of Christ. 5Now this secret was not disclosed to people in former generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, 6namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. 7I became a servant of this gospel according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the exercise of his power. 8To me – less than the least of all the saints – this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ 9and to enlighten everyone about God’s secret plan – a secret that has been hidden for ages in God who has created all things. 10The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms. 11This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have boldness and confident access to God because of Christ’s faithfulness. 13For this reason I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

Prayer for Strengthened Love

14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on the earth is named. 16I pray that according to the wealth of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, 17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love, 18you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

20Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, 21to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.