This greeting is my own hand, Paul's.
This is the sign in every letter; this is how I write.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.
In this text from Paul's letter we learn much about St. Paul ... and what he might be teaching us today! Of course writing letters today would not be the same as St. Paul composed his letters. Most of us would be typing letters from our computer(s). The written letter may soon be a document of the past. Today the quick answer, the abbreviated form for words, the very impersonal dominated our communications. However, there is, I believe, an invitation in these three sentences of St. Paul to hand write a letter.
This calls to mind my Dad's first cousin. She is 91 years old. She lives alone in Norfolk, VA. She has an adopted daughter who lives in a special residence because spinal meningitis has created limited skills. My cousin is active in her Methodist church congregation. Her age, she says is catching up with her. You would know it when you are with her.
During a recent visit she told me how much she treasures letters that come to her form some of my first cousins and the telephone calls from the "church ladies" she has known through the years.
Where are you going with this? I hear you asking me. I suspect you know. However, let us see.
Paul's words lead me to suspect that it was his handwriting of his many letters that helped him understand the value in that form of communication. Writing on a piece of paper, I believe, causes the author to open up his/her mind much more so than when working on a computer. What you are reading is a second version of this production. This kind of writing allows the Holy Spirit to get into my mind. I suspect St. Paul had the same experience. My experience: every homily that is first written by hand then brought to the mighty computer is usually much better than the first draft.
In writing there is a space between the written words where there is the opportunity for new thoughts to jump in. There is the story by a classical musician who state emphatically it is the rests, the long notes and the short notes that create music. Imagine this: usually we sing along with lad-de-dah and not dahdahdahdah. There is space between the dah! It is just one sound.
So, what is the message? Take a little time to do some writing and bring St. Paul's ending as your closing ... you will knock the socks off your friends or relative. You will surprise them ... and hopefully yourself and you find that your message becomes something very different than a quickly typed letter. You may find that you actually enjoy the time writing and allowing the Spirit to find a space between your written words where he can further strengthen your writing, your message, your love for someone else.
