In his Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius of Loyola recommends that the retreatant, prior to prayer, stands near the place where they will pray and to imagine God looking at them. There are many ways in which I may distort God’s loving gaze. For example, I may think that God is disappointed or angry with me, because I am unable to overcome my sinfulness.

However, our readings today help correct this distortion. Paul prays for the Christian community that God enlightens the eyes of their mind so that they may see what hope His call holds for them, and the rich glories God has prepared for them, and the infinitely great power of God to draw the Christian community towards salvation. Furthermore, Paul says that Christians can see this power working through how the Father raised the Son from the dead and placed Him over all creation. Consequently, Paul is inviting the Christian community to understand two things about the triune God. First, that God is infinitely powerful. Second, that God will save the Christian in the same way that the Father raised the Son from all the greatest evil, namely, death.

In other words, Paul is inviting us to inhabit a space where we see God looking at us with infinite love. When I look at myself, I sometimes find that I am inclined to despair or disappointment, but in God’s loving gaze, I learn to hope in Him.