NOTES for Col 1:24-2:3

The apostle writes that the Lord commanded him to reveal a mystery hidden for ages. Paul is ready to endure any suffering and deprivation because bringing this truth to people matters more to him than anything else in life. The essence of his preaching can be summed up in a single phrase: “Christ lives in you.” To understand this and to live according to such wisdom is the goal of Christian life. On the way to comprehending the divine mystery, it is necessary that “hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love.” The achievement of Christ’s disciples, their faith and sufferings, can become the greatest source of hope along this path. As we read the apostles’ letters and deeds, we become ever more convinced that if Christ had not lived in them, their lives would have been entirely different—perhaps with less suffering, but also with fewer divine miracles.