The Down Payment
St. Paul tells us that when we were sealed with the Holy Spirit, the first installment has been made in our name.
Many people remember their first car or their first home. Mom and Dad had to help with the down payment. Remember how you felt. That big step forward into adulthood. The car or home belonged to you, well, kind of.
You still had to work on that down payment. And as you made your payments and saw the principal continue to drop a sense of accomplishment overcame you. Then it probably occurred to you the sacrifice your parents made for you. Their action was one of trust and belief in you. Probably they knew you better than you did yourself. They knew you could do it. Congratulations to you but let us give thanks for your parents believing in you.
This is the love Christ has for you. He made the down payment. He gave you the Holy Spirit as the down payment of something even greater to come. As Our Father knows us, we come to know the Father through our prayers of gratitude. Maybe we could look at our prayers as continuing the payments for something we could never afford on our own.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen