In discussions about the importance of liturgy, an ancient principle frequently comes up: lex orandi, lex credendi. This Latin phrase translates loosely as “the law of prayer is the law of belief.” To put this principle more simply, our prayer life influences how we believe. How we approach the worship of God in the Mass, the Sacraments, and devotional life has an influence on our belief in the promises of salvation by Our Lord Jesus Christ and how strongly we desire to enter into that salvation.
In the second reading, St. Paul starts his letter to the Ephesians praying, “May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of Him.” As Christians, we should be willing to join St. Paul in this prayer, seeking always to receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, all the while desiring to know and love Our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Reflecting on this passage, an early Church writer named Ambrosiaster stated, “The hope of their faith lies in a heavenly reward. When they truly know what the fruit of believing is, they will become more eager in acts of worship.”
On this Feast of the Ascension of the Lord, we see the fulfillment of the hope of our faith, the heavenly reward promised us by Christ, when Our Lord ascends into Heaven to take the seat at God’s right hand. St. Paul prayed for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that we “may know what is the hope that belongs to His call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe.” As baptized Christians, we have entered into that inheritance as adopted sons and daughters of God the Father. This is the hope for those of us who have entered into His call to follow Him and be faithful to His commandments in this life. Just as children receive an earthly inheritance from their parents, we hope as adopted children of God our Father to receive a heavenly inheritance far beyond anything we can imagine here on Earth.
Now, it’s easy for us to talk about a promised heavenly inheritance, saying that we’re Christians hoping for eternal life in Heaven. It’s something completely different to truly believe in the teachings of Our Lord, and to allow that belief to influence our lives. This is where the second part of the quote from Abrosiaster becomes important: “When they truly know what the fruit of believing is, they will become more eager in acts of worship.” When we truly understand that the heavenly reward promised by Christ is far beyond any joy we will ever experience here on Earth, we will desire to spend time in worship of God over anything else the world can provide. We will seek to know Him in this life so that we will know Him more fully in the next.
This is why we need to pray, as St. Paul did, for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. To truly believe that Jesus’ promised salvation will be fulfilled, we need to know the Triune God and desire to follow Him. When we are unwilling to pray for this Spirit, it shows by how we approach worship. We may attend Mass infrequently, possibly attending most Sundays throughout the year but skipping some. When we do attend Mass, we may seek to do as little as possible by not concentrating on the prayers and readings while just following the crowd’s postures. We may avoid reception of the Sacraments, such as Confession, for many years, and any devotional life is nonexistent.
For Christians, this is a dangerous spiritual state to be in. How we relate to God in this life does have consequences in the next. Those who desire to spend eternity in Heaven should seek to spend time here on Earth with God. We should desire to worship God, receiving the Sacraments and finding opportunities to set aside time for prayer. We should seek out devotions, such as the Rosary, that feed us and draw us closer to God. We should allow ourselves to become “more eager in acts of worship”.
How we enter into relationship with God in this life will influence our relationship with Him in the next. May we be able to pray with St. Paul for “a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of Him.”
