Equipping Catholics -- An Online Bible Study

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2011-08-04T21:23:00.001-07:00

I do not post to this blog very often, but do post regularly to my Contemplative Blog. Please visit.

Ephesians 4:4-6 part 8

2011-04-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

" . . . one faith, one baptism . . . (Ephesians 4:4-6)

The words of Jesus and the apostles can be taken one of two ways. Either they were terribly insensitive and radically exclusive, or they were uniquely sober, forthright and exquisitely sensitive to the only two possible destinies of humanity.

Since the beginning of creation, men and women, sensing a need to be cleansed of their sins, have asked, "What must I do to be saved?" And God has every time answered the same way.

Blood.

For example, we read in Moses here and here the requirement for a sacrificial atonement. With regard to blood and redemption from Egypt, what does this passage suggest? Some people do not know the 'lintel" is the top of a doorway. Try to imagine yourself striking the top of the doorway and then the two sides of the doorway with the bloodied branch. What pattern are you making with the blood? Now read this passage in the prophet Isaiah and in St. John's gospel.

What relationship do you see among these various texts you just read?

Moving to the New Testament, note the words of Jesus here: John 8:23-24 and John 14:6; St. Peter here: Acts 4:2 and Acts 2:36-41, and St. Paul here: Romans 1:16 and Philippians 2:5-11.

What do those passages teach?

God's message that you and I can find with Him reconciliation, forgiveness of sins and eternal life only in Christ is central to the entire Bible. And it is central to the teaching of the Church. Note these two examples from the Catechism of the Catholic Church here and here.

The gospel is unapologetically exclusive of all other faiths but Christ, all other doctrines but Christ, all other 'roads" but Christ. It will not be Buddha, or Muhammad, or Moses, or Hari Krishna sitting on the throne of God. It will be Jesus Christ.

That being true, then what should be our response -- both to God and to others?

Next time we will look at baptism, and how that Sacrament plays out in our relationship with Jesus and salvation.

Ephesians 4:4-6 part 7

2011-04-10T17:48:00.000-07:00

There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)

We completed our discussion of "the hope of our calling" in the last lessons. Let's now look at St. Paul's comment about "One Lord, one faith, and one baptism . . .."

There is always the possibility of a disconnect between calling Jesus 'Lord" and living as if Jesus is our personal Lord. A dictionary definition of 'Lord" might be "a person or thing who has authority, control, or power over others; master, or ruler".

Think for a moment about your relationship with the Lord Jesus. How do you demonstrate your subservience to His Lordship? How do the writers of sacred Scripture instruct us to demonstrate that subservience? For example, what do these passages teach us here, here, here, and (substitute the word 'Christian' for Jew, and 'Sacraments' for circumcision) in this passage here?

After answering those questions, consider these: Does participation in the Sacraments in and of themselves demonstrate our submissiveness to Christ, or does God require more than, for example, receiving Holy Communion and the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Consider St. Paul's comment about the Holy Eucharist here. What do you think he meant when he wrote those instructions to the Church at Corinth?

Now look at the Church's teaching in the Catechism of the Catholic Church about the Sacraments:

1098 The assembly should prepare itself to encounter its Lord and to become "a people well disposed." The preparation of hearts is the joint work of the Holy Spirit and the assembly, especially of its ministers. The grace of the Holy Spirit seeks to awaken faith, conversion of heart, and adherence to the Father's will. These dispositions are the precondition both for the reception of other graces conferred in the celebration itself and the fruits of new life which the celebration is intended to produce afterward.

1133 The Holy Spirit prepares the faithful for the sacraments by the Word of God and the faith which welcomes that word in well-disposed hearts. Thus the sacraments strengthen faith and express it.

What do you think the Church means when it speaks of 'well-disposed' hearts?

Israel had a problem not walking their talk about the Lordship of God. They called God Lord, but they treated Him otherwise. Note Isaiah 1:2-4 and Malachi 1:6-8. And, of course, Christians can be guilty of the same problem. Take a look at this sobering warning of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 7:21-23.

Is that a danger we can fall into? If so, what steps will you take to minimize that risk?

We will look next time at "One faith, one baptism."

Ephesians 4:4-6 part 6

2011-03-31T20:16:00.000-07:00

We saw last time our calling is manifold. Our vocation, our calling, is to know and practice and teach God’s word. As St. Jerome said so aptly, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” We simply cannot grow in grace and intimacy and knowledge of God if we refuse to avail ourselves of the Word of life.

The other part of our calling, closely linked to the first, is our call to evangelize – from the Greek, εὐαγγέλιον (euanggelion)– to proclaim good news. It is linked to the first part of our calling because, well, because we can’t give what we don’t have.

Used by the New Testament writers and the Church, εὐαγγέλιον means to proclaim the good news of salvation through God’s only begotten Son, Jesus the Christ. And so the Lord Jesus commissioned the Church (specifically, each Christian) to make disciples of all nations by teaching them the gospel. Note also St. Luke's rehearsal of the Lord's Great Commission here, St. Paul's words here, and St. Peter's instruction regarding the reason for our calling here.

And thus the Catechism of the Catholic Church refers to this missionary mandate in many places, such as here, here and here.

It should be unnecessary to add comment that we cannot really know Christ, or effectively tell others about Him, if we ourselves do not walk the talk. Note St. Paul's words here and here. Also see, St. Peter's here, with St. James' here. And then there is the dire warning of Jesus to those who profess to be Christians, but are in reality fooling only themselves.

Which is why, by the way, to foster better and increasing obedience Christ, I encourage all who read this blog to regularly participate in what I call the 4 Ss -- Sacraments, Scripture study, Supplication (prayer) and Socializing with those of like faith (e.g. fellowship).

Think of it for a moment: the Almighty Creator of all that is seen and unseen permits jars of clay to participate in the privilege of bringing others to new birth.

That is our calling.

I can think of none other more precious.

We will move on into this chapter in the next lesson.

Ephesians 4:4-6 part five

2011-03-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all . . . .(Ephesians 4:4-6).

Yes, we have a hope. We also have a calling. A vocation. The Holy Spirit has given each of us a privileged job to do. What might that be?

I. Our calling:

First, we are called to know, practice and teach God's word to others. Take a look at this passage in Ezra 7:10. What do you notice about the order in which the verse flows? What comes first? Second? Third. What does that teach us regarding our training and execution of that training?

Have you a difficult time reading the Scriptures? Does the task seem overwhelming? If you follow my other blog you have seen this post before. I link to it now to provide you an adjunct to fulfilling the mission God has given you to study, practice and teach.

If you are Catholic, note what the Church teaches about Scripture study (from the Catechism of the Catholic Church):

paragraph 131 "And such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life." Hence "access to Sacred Scripture ought to be open wide to the Christian faithful."

paragraph 132 "Therefore, the study of the sacred page should be the very soul of sacred theology. The ministry of the Word, too - pastoral preaching, catechetics and all forms of Christian instruction, among which the liturgical homily should hold pride of place - is healthily nourished and thrives in holiness through the Word of Scripture."

paragraph 133 The Church "forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.

Now take a look at Romans 12:1-2. How might you train yourself to do as St. Paul tells us here? Can you think of other passages of Scripture that might suggest some answers to that question?

Look at this paragraph in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1098). What do you think the phrase "well disposed" means in the context of the paragraph? Now, in light of this discussion thus far of 'our calling,' what image does 'well disposed' bring to mind?

Next time we will look at another part of our calling -- evangelization.

Hope to see you then.

Ephesians 4:4-6 part four

2011-03-13T16:48:00.000-07:00

Last time we looked at Pope Benedict's Spe Salve and how his encyclical relates to the Greek word St. Paul uses here in Ephesians (and elsewhere) for 'hope.'

The New Testament 'hope' is NOT a wishful desire -- for example, "I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow" (meaning, it might nonetheless rain -- or it might not). Rather, New Testament 'hope' carries the idea of a confident expectation of something promised by God. The reason St. Paul has such confidence (and why we can have such confidence) is because God doesn't lie. If He said something is true, then there is no way in heaven or on earth that it will ever be untrue.

Thus, if God says all those who trust Jesus Christ for salvation will be saved, then all those who trust Jesus Christ for salvation can declare it from the rooftops, "I am saved." (For example, see here, here and here).

That is why the writer to the Hebrews could be bold to say this and this about why every Christian who abides in Christ can have confidence in his or her salvation. And St. Paul reminds us that salvation is a gift. Gifts, of course, are not earned. They are unearned. They are given by God's grace alone, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church proclaims here, here, here, and here.

So, what are some of the many things St. Paul tells us are bound up in that confident expectation?
For example, take a look at these passages and write down in your notebook the promises -- the hope -- assured by God to the Christian:

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Titus 3:4-7
Romans 5:1-11

To reiterate, the reason we can have a confident expectation in God's promises to us is because -- and only because -- Jesus died as our substitute. He paid the penalty God required of us for our sin. Which is why all the promises of God to His children, baptized into His Body and abiding in Christ are "yes, and amen."

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.

Ephesians 4:4-6 part three

2011-03-04T10:39:00.000-08:00

There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

In this text St. Paul also speaks of hope -- specifically, the hope of our calling. In modern English, the word hope carries the idea of "maybe it will happen, maybe it won't." But the Greek word Paul uses for hope (ἐλπίς- elpis) denotes a "confident expectation" related to a promise of God.

In an early encyclical letter of Pope Benedict XVI, the pope started his letter this way:

1. “SPE SALVI facti sumus”—in hope we were saved, says Saint Paul to the Romans, and likewise to us (Rom 8:24). According to the Christian faith, “redemption”—salvation—is not simply a given. Redemption is offered to us in the sense that we have been given hope, trustworthy hope, by virtue of which we can face our present: the present, even if it is arduous, can be lived and accepted if it leads towards a goal, if we can be sure of this goal, and if this goal is great enough to justify the effort of the journey.

Now the question immediately arises: what sort of hope could ever justify the statement that, on the basis of that hope and simply because it exists, we are redeemed? And what sort of certainty is involved here?
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Pope Benedict answers his question over the next several pages of his letter (you can read the entire encyclical here).

Although it is quite long, and the text is not formatted as well as I would wish it to be (not enough 'white space' to make reading easier on the eye), I hope you will take the time at least to peruse his answer. Doing so will put the apostle Paul's text in Ephesians in better context and help us understand our own role in the Church.

We will look a bit more into the Christian's hope in the next lesson as we use some of Pope Benedict's encyclical as backdrop.

Ephesians 4:4-6 part two

2011-02-19T11:36:00.000-08:00

Ephesians 4:4-6: There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

Today's focus: One SPIRIT

a. See paragraph 683 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (below) answer the questions that follow:

683 "No one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit." "God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!"'

This knowledge of faith is possible only in the Holy Spirit: to be in touch with Christ, we must first have been touched by the Holy Spirit. He comes to meet us and kindles faith in us. By virtue of our Baptism, the first sacrament of the faith, the Holy Spirit in the Church communicates to us, intimately and personally, the life that originates in the Father and is offered to us in the Son.

Baptism gives us the grace of new birth in God the Father, through his Son, in the Holy Spirit. For those who bear God's Spirit are led to the Word, that is, to the Son, and the Son presents them to the Father, and the Father confers incorruptibility on them. And it is impossible to see God's Son without the Spirit, and no one can approach the Father without the Son, for the knowledge of the Father is the Son, and the knowledge of God's Son is obtained through the Holy Spirit.

Questions: According to this passage in the Cathechism of the Catholic Church, what are the roles of the Holy Spirit? I count seven. How many do you count? What do we do to earn the gift of the Holy Spirit? (Careful. This is a trick question).

b. Now see John 3:7-12; 7:38-40; 14:15-18; 16:7-11 and write on a separate sheet of paper the various roles the Lord Jesus attributes to the Holy Spirit (e.g. salvation in John 3:7ff).

c. See Romans 8:14-16. The word 'abba' used here is an Aramaic term used by Jewish children when referring to their 'daddy.' It is the same word Jesus used in the Garden of Gethsemene (Mark 14:35-36). What does this imply about the Holy Spirit's role in our intimacy with the Father?

The Church recites the Nicene Creed at each Mass. Part of the Creed, in addressing the Holy Spirit, reads: "He has spoken through the prophets" -- meaning the words of Sacred Scripture are "God-Breathed", written for us by men under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Which is why, for example, St. Paul wrote these words to St. Timothy: (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Note also what the Church tells us about Holy Scripture (and then answer the question that follows):

131 "And such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life."Hence "access to Sacred Scripture ought to be open wide to the Christian faithful."

133 The Church "forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful. . . to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.

136 God is the author of Sacred Scripture because he inspired its human authors; he acts in them and by means of them. He thus gives assurance that their writings teach without error his saving truth.

140 The unity of the two Testaments proceeds from the unity of God's plan and his Revelation. The Old Testament prepares for the New and the New Testament fulfills the Old; the two shed light on each other; both are true Word of God.

141 "The Church has always venerated the divine Scriptures as she venerated the Body of the Lord": both nourish and govern the whole Christian life. "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path" (Ps 119:105; cf. Is 50:4).

Question: Do you have a plan to consistently read through your Bible? If not, visit this page on my other blog for my recommendation.

Ephesians 4:4-6

2011-02-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all . . .

One BODY

1. Read Ephesians 1:18-23; Eph 4:11-16; Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (below) paragraphs 817-819. Answer the questions below on a separate page.

a. What, or better, WHO is the Body of Christ?
b. What, or better, WHO is the head of the Body?
c. What do the above Scriptures teach us about the unity, design, function and purpose of the Body of Christ?
d. What role do you see yourself playing in the functionality and purpose of the Body?
e. What might you do, if anything, to be a more funtional part of the Body?
f. Review the Catechism paragraph 817-818 (below). What does this teach us about non-Catholic Christians?
g. Review the Catechism paragraph 819 (below). What role might individual Catholics play in working toward the unity of Christ's Body?

Now review the Catechism paragraphs 789-791 (below). How do these paragraphs interface with today's study? We will look more closely at them, along with other Scripture texts, next time.

817 In fact, "in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame." The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ's Body - here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism - do not occur without human sin: Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers.

818 "However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church."

819 "Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements." Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity."

789 The comparison of the Church with the body casts light on the intimate bond between Christ and his Church. Not only is she gathered around him; she is united in him, in his body. Three aspects of the Church as the Body of Christ are to be more specifically noted: the unity of all her members with each other as a result of their union with Christ; Christ as head of the Body; and the Church as bride of Christ.

790 Believers who respond to God's word and become members of Christ's Body, become intimately united with him: "In that body the life of Christ is communicated to those who believe, and who, through the sacraments, are united in a hidden and real way to Christ in his Passion and glorification." This is especially true of Baptism, which unites us to Christ's death and Resurrection, and the Eucharist, by which "really sharing in the body of the Lord, . . . we are taken up into communion with him and with one another."

791 The body's unity does not do away with the diversity of its members: "In the building up of Christ's Body there is engaged a diversity of members and functions. There is only one Spirit who, according to his own richness and the needs of the ministries, gives his different gifts for the welfare of the Church." The unity of the Mystical Body produces and stimulates charity among the faithful: "From this it follows that if one member suffers anything, all the members suffer with him, and if one member is honored, all the members together rejoice." Finally, the unity of the Mystical Body triumphs over all human divisions: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Ephesians 4:1-3

2011-02-09T17:43:00.000-08:00

Following the last study, today will focus on 3:14 through 4:3.
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Read Ephesians 4:1-3 and answer the following questions:

Ephesians 4:1-3 “. . . walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called . . ."

a. We have a God-given vocation (from Latin vocatio, meaning 'to summon,' and vocare meaning, 'to call'). Webster’s Dictionary -- Vocation: a summons or strong inclination to a particular state or course of action; especially : a divine call to the religious life b: an entry into the priesthood or a religious order; work in which a person is regularly employed.

b. Now read and answer:

Eph 5:1-2 -- What does it mean to you to "imitate God"?
Matt 22:34-40 -- In what ways do the Ten Commandments and all the other laws, rituals and rules of the Old and New Testament Church era depend on what Jesus says here?
John 13:34-35 -- Can you cite concrete ways in which we can/should demonstrate love for our brothers and sisters in the entire Body of Christ . . . including those who do not belong to our Church?
John 15:12-14 (on what does Jesus make our claim to discipleship contingent?
Galatians 5:19-26 -- Consider memorizing this section.
Heb 12:14-15 -- what might be a root of bitterness taken root in your own heart. Go to a quiet place and be prepared to spend to spend quality time with the Lord and ask Him to show you any roots that need His divine removal. Compare this passage with Dt. 29:14-18. What might be the end result for us if we permit roots of bitterness to spring up in our lives?

end of this lesson

Ephesians 3:12-20

2011-02-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

I had about given up trying to keep up with this study in Ephesians. Life has been quite busy and I am happy to just keep up with the contemplative blog. But Nancy (my wife) suggested I simply post the outline I used each Monday evening for the Bible study group I led.

What this format looses, of course, is the interaction we enjoyed during the group study. This format (below) requires more personal energy to look up all the passages and other references. I do believe, however, such a format can be useful.

And so, I will try doing the study this way and see if it is useful for anyone.

Please let me know either way.

One more thing, I use a variety of Bible texts in my study, such as the New American Standard Bible (NASB), the New American Bible (NAB), as well as the New International Version (NIV), the Amplified Bible and a few others. I use different versions, along with lexical helps from http://www.blueletterbible.org/ and http://www.biblegateway.com/, because I believe good research and study requires a variety of helps in order to better understand the nuances of Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic words used in Scripture.

Unfortunately, the NAB internet site search engine (found at http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.shtml) does not permit citation links to isolated texts.. That weakness in the site's search engine makes listing the various NAB verses more tedious and time consuming. I invite you to use your own NAB along with the blueletterbible and biblegateway links for your study.
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Ephesians chapter 3

(we pick up at verse 12. See earlier posts for earlier online studies)

Eph 3:12 Boldness and access . . . (see CCC below 2608-10; 2777)

a. See Heb 4:16; 10:19-23; 1 John 4:15-19; 1 John 5:10-13
What doe these Bible texts and the Catechism paragraphs below have in common? What can we learn from the combination?

3:13 “I ask you not to lose heart . . .they are for your glory . . .”
a. Compare 1 Corinthians 4:9-15; 2 Corinthians 11:24-29
b. How do we handle distress? The world is watching

Eph 3:14-19 “For this reason . . .” (refers to all after v 8)
a. How would our lives change if we acted (instead of theorizing) on this message? (Esp His love: See John 17:23, Gen 50:20 with Romans 8:28; Job 13:15; Habakkuk 3:17-18)

Eph 3:20 “Able to do more abundantly . . .”
a. See 1 Chronicles 29:10-16; 2 Cor 8:9; Psalm 33:6-22
b. If He is able, but He doesn’t – is He still good? (see CCC 2609)

2608 From the Sermon on the Mount onwards, Jesus insists on conversion of heart: reconciliation with one's brother before presenting an offering on the altar, love of enemies, and prayer for persecutors, prayer to the Father in secret, not heaping up empty phrases, prayerful forgiveness from the depths of the heart, purity of heart, and seeking the Kingdom before all else. This filial (Webster: having or assuming the relation of a child or offspring) conversion is entirely directed to the Father.

2609 Once committed to conversion, the heart learns to pray in faith. Faith is a filial adherence to God beyond what we feel and understand. It is possible because the beloved Son gives us access to the Father. He can ask us to "seek" and to "knock," since he himself is the door and the way.

2610 Just as Jesus prays to the Father and gives thanks before receiving his gifts, so he teaches us filial boldness: "Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and you will." Such is the power of prayer and of faith that does not doubt: "all things are possible to him who believes." Jesus is as saddened by the "lack of faith" of his own neighbors and the "little faith" of his own disciples as he is struck with admiration at the great faith of the Roman centurion and the Canaanite woman.

2777 In the Roman liturgy, the Eucharistic assembly is invited to pray to our heavenly Father with filial boldness; the Eastern liturgies develop and use similar expressions: "dare in all confidence,". . . . Our awareness of our status as slaves would make us sink into the ground and our earthly condition would dissolve into dust, if the authority of our Father himself and the Spirit of his Son had not impelled us to this cry . . . 'Abba, Father!' . . . When would a mortal dare call God 'Father,' if man's innermost being were not animated by power from on high?"

end of this lesson

Ephesians 3:13

2010-04-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

So I ask you not to lose heart over my afflictions for you; this is your glory (Ephesians 3:13).

As we read through chapter three it might be easy to gloss past verse 13 and not grasp its importance -- or its power.

Glossing past it would be easy because verse 13 refers all the way back to verse 1 in which the apostle tells his readers he is a prisoner -- literally -- for their sakes; And that he is willing to be in chains for them because God had given him opportunity to tell them what he calls the mystery and riches of Christ (verses 4 and 8) -- that is: Gentiles are “fellow-heirs and fellow-members of the body [of Christ], and fellow-partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus” (verse 6).

The Creator of everything seen and unseen had extended His mercy, passion and promises not only toward Israel, but to them as well.

This was no small thing in the apostle’s mind. Nor should it be in ours.

When we study St. Paul's life we learn what drove him. He had grasped the secret of a life sold-out for Christ. He considered no calling, no purpose, no reward greater – regardless of personal cost -- than to bring to others the unsurpassable message of hope, forgiveness, and eternal life in – and only in – Jesus Christ. Indeed, St. Paul considered that message more important than his freedom or comfort . . . . more even than his own self-preservation.

No wonder he encouraged the church at Ephesus to not be discouraged about his afflictions for their sakes. He considered it a privilege to be expended and spent for their sakes and the gospel.

Questions for Reflection:

1. St. Paul did "all things for the sake of the gospel." Compare this comment from his first letter to the Corinthians with the Lord Jesus' words here. What message ties these two passages together?

2. How might you ask God to help you journey in the direction where you are willing, as St. Paul, to be expended and spent for others and the gospel?

3. Explain how frequent reception of the Sacraments (especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation), Scripture study and supplication will determine the speed at which any of us arrive at number 2?

Ephesians 3:12

2010-02-21T08:37:00.001-08:00

This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord in whom we have boldness of speech and confidence of access through faith in him (Ephesians 3:11-12).

In the book of Exodus, God instructed Moses about the construction of the Tabernacle – the place where Israel worshiped God during their 40-year journey through the wilderness. You will find reference to the construction in Exodus chapters 25 through 31. Although the reading might be tedious, the detail of the construction lays vitally important groundwork for this passage in Ephesians – as well as the significance of the rending of the curtain in St. Matthew 27:50-51, and the comments in Hebrews 4:14-16 and 10:19-23.

The Tabernacle was divided into two sections and separated by a curtain (a veil). In the larger section – called the Holy Place – Moses placed three pieces of furniture: a lamp stand, a table for the Bread of the Presence, and an altar of incense. It was in this section the priests burned incense, kept the candles lit, and the bread fresh.

The smaller section behind the curtain was called the Holy of Holies. In this section Moses placed the holy Ark of the Covenant – a golden box in which were placed the Tablets of the Law Moses brought down from Mount Sinai, and later a jar of manna, and the almond branch that had flowered and budded overnight to prove the priestly authority of Aaron. On top of the Ark sculptors crafted two angels which faced each other with their wings touching. God’s glory in the form of a cloud rested over the Ark.

Once a year on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) the High Priest – and only the High Priest – entered behind the veil into the Holy of Holies. On that holiest of days, the High Priest entered the sacred room with a basin of blood from a sacrificial lamb. And so the veil in the Tabernacle -- and later in Solomon's Temple and later still in Herod's Temple during the days of Christ -- the veil served as an effective reminder to Israel that the way to God was closed to the people, that only the High Priest could enter into the very throne room of God.

The point of it all is this: When Jesus died on the cross, God ripped the veil in two, from top to bottom -- revealing once and for all that the way into the Holy of Holies was now available to all God's people, not just the High Priest.

That is why the writer to the Hebrews said: Therefore, brothers, since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil, that is, his flesh, and since we have "a great priest over the house of God," let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust . . . (Hebrews 10:19-23) (emphasis mine).

In referring to our boldness to enter behind what once was a veil, the editors of the New American Bible wrote these comments: Practical consequences from these reflections on the priesthood and the sacrifice of Christ should make it clear that Christians may now have direct and confident access to God through the person of Jesus, who rules God's house as high priest. They should approach God with sincerity and faith, in the knowledge that through baptism their sins have been remitted, reminding themselves of the hope they expressed in Christ at that event.

Further, the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:

Once committed to conversion, the heart learns to pray in faith. Faith is a filial (filial: having a relationship as a son or daughter) [a filial] adherence to God beyond what we feel and understand. It is possible because the beloved Son gives us access to the Father. . . . (paragraph 2609).

Just as Jesus prays to the Father and gives thanks before receiving his gifts, so he teaches us filial boldness: Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you receive it, and you will" (paragraph 2610).

And finally, we read in paragraph 2777 of the Catechism: In the Roman liturgy, the Eucharistic assembly is invited to pray to our heavenly Father with filial boldness; the Eastern liturgies develop and use similar expressions: "dare in all confidence,". . . . Our awareness of our status as slaves would make us sink into the ground and our earthly condition would dissolve into dust, if the authority of our Father himself and the Spirit of his Son had not impelled us to this cry . . . 'Abba, Father!' . . . When would a mortal dare call God 'Father,' if man's innermost being were not animated by power from on high? (my emphasis).

And so it is no wonder St. Paul guided the Ephesians -- and us -- into that most gracious and undeserved relationship with God. Baptized and faithful followers of Jesus Christ are invited by God Himself to enter boldly to Him -- in humility, of course -- recognizing that Christ's blood alone makes us welcomed sons and daughters into the very throne room of God.

Oh, thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.

Questions for reflection:

1. Since all Christians have direct access to God through the blood of Jesus Christ, how then should we behave when doubts whisper, “Who do you think you are to approach God?”

2. What does this passage in 2 Corinthians, and this passage in Romans have to do with our welcome into God’s presence?

Ephesians 3:11

2010-01-28T18:09:00.000-08:00

If you follow my other blog (The Contemplative Catholic Convert) you know I've been struggling with a severe case of sciatica for nearly a month. I am finally feeling comfortable enough to sit at the computer again.

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. . . . so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord . . . (Ephesians 3:10-11).

We spent the last three lessons looking at verse 10. Let's turn our focus now to verse 11. Here St. Paul tells the Ephesians God's plan -- the plan Paul has been writing about for the past two chapters "was in accordance" with God's eternal purpose.

God's eternal purpose.

I think that's a remarkable concept. The full reconciliation of rebellious men and women with their holy Creator, the complete and utter cleansing of sin from the human soul, the union of all peoples by the blood of Jesus, the creation of the Church through which God would give spiritual guidance to the nations -- all these and more were conceived by God before the creation of earth itself -- even before the creation of time.

Even before Eve ate that fruit, and gave it to her husband.

Most people of Christian faith understand (as best as humans can understand the infinite God)
-- most Christians understand God sees the future as clearly as He sees the past and present. And nothing -- including events in the Garden of Eden -- nothing catches Him by surprise. Desolation, disease, disaster, death . . . nothing necessitates that He develop a Plan B to deal with those things that usually shake us to our core.

But while the recognition that God is not caught by surprise might make for interesting table-talk, table-talk does not meet our need when desolation overshadows our lives. So what can St. Paul's words here in verse 11 mean for my situation? Or yours?

Take a look at these passages here, here, here, here and here, before you answer, and before you move on in this lesson. You might want to pause at each passage and mull the texts over in your mind for a while.

The Lord's question in that last reference (John 11:26) I think speaks to the heart of the entire question of God's eternal purpose in what often appears to be desolation: Do you believe what I have said?

Life often undulates with confusion, heartache and loss. Live long enough and it's easy to wonder where is God in the midst of it all. But verse 11 of Ephesians chapter 3 -- and the passages you just read -- each remind us that from the very moment time began, God's plan for your life, for my life, and for the lives of those we love . . . God's eternal plan and purpose had already been conceived in His compassionate and loving heart.

He is simply bringing it to fruition in our personal timeline, and according to His eternal purpose.

And that is why we can trust Him to work all things together for good to those of us who love Him and are called according to His purpose (see Romans 8:28).

Next time we will look at how verse 11 directly affects our ability to accomplish verse 12.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Read John 11:1-35. What does verse 35 say to you about our Lord's heart toward you?

2. Read Proverbs 3:5. Why do you think it is often so difficult to do as this verse exhorts? What strategies might you employ to better enable you to trust Him?

Ephesians 3:10 part three

2010-01-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

. . . . so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places (Ephesians 3:10).

The concept of God as a tri-unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit is universally accepted today by all Christians who believe the Bible to be the fully authoritative and divinely inspired word of God. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches (bold are my emphasis):

All Sacred Scripture is but one book, and this one book is Christ, because all divine Scripture speaks of Christ, and all divine Scripture is fulfilled in Christ (paragraph 134). The Sacred Scriptures contain the Word of God and, because they are inspired, they are truly the Word of God (paragraph 135). God is the author of Sacred Scripture because he inspired its human authors; he acts in them and by means of them. He thus gives assurance that their writings teach without error his saving truth (paragraph 136).

The tri-unity of God is not the only truth accepted by all Bible-believing Christians. Just as important to our faith is our understanding of Jesus -- that He is at the same time fully God and fully human, that He was conceived in the Virgin's womb by the power of the Holy Spirit, lived a sinless life, was crucified to pay the penalty of our sins, was resurrected from the dead on the third day, ascended to heaven and will come again to bring His children home to heaven with Him. We also believe the Holy Spirit is not a "force" but is a "Person" -- the third Person of the Trinity.

But while 21st century Christians -- Catholics, Greek Orthodox and Protestants -- agree about these doctrines, agreement has not always been the case. There were times, especially in the early centuries, when these doctrines were in great danger of being dismantled. If not for the forceful opposition of leaders God raised up in the Church, Christianity as we know it would not have survived.

For example, we looked briefly last time at the doctrine formulated by the "Judaizers" (see Acts 15 and Galatians 5). If not for the leadership of Sts. James, Peter, Paul and the others, the Christian doctrine of salvation through faith in Christ's atonement would have been watered down into oblivion by the notion that one had to be circumcised to be saved.

Another heresy facing the early Church was Gnosticism -- a system of beliefs whose predominant theme revolved around the idea that only those who have been given a special knowledge (Greek: gnosis) of the mysteries of the universe can be saved. Sts. Paul and Peter likely addressed this error in their letters to the Colossians, 1 Timothy and 2 Peter.

Probably the most dangerous heresy affecting the early Church was taught by a priest named Arius (born circa 250 A. D.) Arianism (not the same as Aryanism) taught that Jesus was not truly divine, but rather was the first and greatest of all God's creatures. In other words, God is a singular "one." Jesus is not God. Neither is the Holy Spirit, God. After much heated debate, and in a manner reminiscent of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15, the Church leaders convened a council at Nicea (in modern Turkey) in 325 A.D. to hear both sides of the question, and to definitively settle the question

It was at this council at Nicea that the Catholic Church established what is now known as the Nicene Creed. The council made it clear in this following phrase that Jesus was truly divine:

"We believe in one lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being (or, one essence) with the Father."

In 381, at the Council of Constantinople, the Church amended the Nicene Creed with this statement of faith regarding the divinity of the Holy Spirit: "We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son*. With the Father and the Son He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the prophets."

Pelagianism was another erroneous teaching circulating through the early Church. Pelagius (circa 354 A.D) taught salvation could be achieved solely by upright moral behavior -- even without God's grace merited to us through Christ's atonement. In other words, salvation was strictly a "works" issue.

Pelagianism continued to spread until the Catholic Church met in 529 A.D. to definitively address the heresy. At the Synod of Orange the Church set forth it position that salvation was a grace granted by God completely gratuitously -- and not at all on the basis of our merit.

To close this section of our study of St. Paul's comment in Ephesians 3:10, let's look at one more heresy that spread through the early Church and -- if it had been successful -- would have altered our understanding of Jesus Christ and salvation.

Nestorius (born circa 386) was an Archbishop of Constantinople. He argued that the Virgin Mary was properly called "Mother of Christ" and not "Mother of God" because Mother of God implied the divine nature was born, suffered and died. Nestorius believed in dualism -- an idea not uncommon to other incomplete and early teachings about the full divinity and humanity of Christ. Nestorius believe there were two persons in Christ -- a divine and a human. Thus it was the human person in Christ who was born, suffered and died, not the divine person.

The Church Council at Ephesus (431 A.D.) denied the dualism of Nestorius by establishing the term "Theotokos" for the Virgin -- meaning, Mother of God (i.e. Mother of Jesus who is God) -- thereby settling the question (for a time, anyway) of the full divinity and full humanity of Jesus.

Even a cursory study of Catholic Church history, and the vital role it played in protecting true Christian faith from faltering into error, is a valuable endeavor. For further information, follow these links here and here (for example), or google "early church councils."

When St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians . . . . so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places, he could not have known the full scope of heresies and erroneous teachings that would circulate through the Church during the ensuing centuries. But God the Holy Spirit knew. And that is why I believe He inspired St. Paul to pen these words in chapter three, and later in chapter four.

God is all about protecting His flock. That is why He gave us the Scriptures, and that is why He gave us the Church to help us understand the Scriptures. Without both, the flock run the risk of going terribly astray.

Next time we will move further into St. Paul's words in chapter three.

* I am aware of the "filioque" controversy. You can read about the controversy here and here.

Questions for Reflection:

1. What were your thoughts when you first heard the term, "Mother of God"? After reading the above paragraph about Nestorianism, what do you now think of the term?

2. Can you think of any Scriptures that someone could use to support the position that Jesus is not really God in the flesh (hint: there are several in the NT)? Can you think of any Scriptures to support the position that Jesus is truly God (hint: there are many in the NT, as well as the OT).

Ephesians 3:10 part two

2009-12-18T16:24:00.000-08:00

. . . . so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places (Ephesians 3:10).

In last lesson’s Questions for Reflection we looked at 1 Timothy 3:15 in which St. Paul calls the church the “pillar and support of the truth.” Notice the apostle also uses similar language here in Ephesians 3:10, as well as in Ephesians 4:11-13 – the point being that the Holy Spirit confirms through St. Paul that God established church hierarchy to protect the flock from false doctrine.

And St. Paul was well aware of the wolves that waited to draw the disciples away from the true faith. Note his warning to the elders and leaders of the church at Ephesus, found in Acts 20:

Keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you overseers, in which you tend the church of God that he acquired with his own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them (20:28-30).

St. Peter also gives similar warning to his readers: “ . . . there is no prophecy of scripture that is a matter of personal interpretation, for no prophecy ever came through human will; but rather human beings moved by the Holy Spirit spoke under the influence of God (2 Peter 1:20-21). And then, as if to highlight the danger inherent in people interpreting Scripture according to their own minds, Peter warns his readers in the next chapter: There were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will introduce destructive heresies and even deny the Master who ransomed them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their licentious ways, and because of them the way of truth will be reviled (2 Peter 2:1-2).

And so the question becomes critical to our faith and walk with Christ: Without apostolic church leadership (remember our discussion in part one of this lesson as it related to Matthew 16:19), who would determine the correct interpretation of the scriptures? Who was to say what orthodox Christian faith was and what it was not?

In St. Luke’s record of the early acts of the apostles, we find the clearest New Testament illustration of how church hierarchy protects the flock and takes upon itself the divine right to interpret God’s Word.

As we saw in earlier lessons, the Law of Moses was so ingrained into Jewish theology that Jews – including the apostles – could not accept the idea that God would welcome Gentiles into His family without – at the very least – circumcision. That was why God gave Peter the vision of the sheet in Acts 10 -- three times – until Peter finally caught on that God does things differently than any of the disciples had believed. And so if it was difficult for St. Peter to grasp the grace of God, it was not unreasonable for the Jewish priests and other teachers of the Law who became Christians to believe that Gentiles “must be circumcised” in order to be saved.

The record in Acts 15 suggests the debate grew long and probably loud. Finally, James gave his opinion, to which the rest of the council concurred.

Let’s now focus our attention on this section of James’ comments:

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas--Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, and they sent this letter by them,

"The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings. Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell" (15:22-29).

And so, James informs the fledgling Church beyond the borders of Israel that some of the Christians from among the Pharisees were spreading a message without the authority of the church hierarchy – in this case, the apostles. The church leadership clearly considered this issue a serious challenge to the mechanism of authority set up by Christ, and the apostles sent emissaries – Paul, Barnabas, Judas and Silas – to teach the correct doctrine of the Church.

In the next lesson we will look into the early centuries of the Church – centuries in which heresies flourished and gravely threatened to undermine orthodox Christian faith. If not for Catholic Church leadership throughout Asia, Africa and Europe, Biblical Christian faith would have been destroyed.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Read again 2 Peter 1:20-21 and 1 Timothy 3:15. In light of this lesson’s discussion, who do you think has the right to interpret Scripture, especially when it relates to doctrine? Why do you think so?

2. Read Revelation 2:12-16 and 2:18-20. In light of Acts 20:28-31, in what ways can today’s Christian “be on the alert”?

Ephesians 3:10 part one

2009-12-04T17:59:00.000-08:00

. . . . so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places (Ephesians 3:10).

One of the things that attracted me to the Catholic Church was its rule of order and its centralized ecclesial authority that interprets and defines orthodox faith and morals for God’s people.

In this passage in Ephesians, as in other places in the New Testament (for example, here, here and here) the Holy Spirit through St. Paul makes it clear that God established a central authority -- a kind of central repository -- through which, and from which, orthodox Christian doctrine (teaching) would flow. That concept helped establish order within the early earthly Body of Christ.

And order is what God likes.

We catch a glimpse of God’s preference for order from the very beginning of Creation. God built His world one day at a time, each day founded on the events occurring the day before.

Then there’s the meticulous detail, page after page through the latter half of Exodus, into Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy – detail that guided and informed the nation regarding such routine activities such as what to eat and what to avoid eating, what to do when they were ill -- even the kinds of seed they could plant in the same plot of ground and the kinds of material they could use in their clothing.

And we cannot overlook the intricate detail God gave Moses for the construction of the Tabernacle.

All this near mind-numbing attention to such intricate detail is perhaps why many modern readers find sections of these early Biblical books so boring. After all, does anyone today really care how many loops each curtain was to have, or what to do with a bowl into which a dead bug fell?

As for worship and the promulgation of Truth, although God spoke initially through Moses, He later established the priesthood whose responsibility it was to offer sacrifices for the people and to teach God’s Word (see here, and here, for example).

And so, fast forward to the New Testament, the idea of a central ecclesial authority was not a foreign concept to the Jewish apostles. Indeed, the centuries-old understanding of, and expectation for, a central ecclesial authority made it a kind of “no-brainer” that the Lord Jesus established a hierarchy of Church authority when He said to Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19).

For the three decades before I became a Catholic Christian, I never understood what the Lord was really saying to Peter here in this passage. But first century Christians (and Christians in subsequent centuries) readily understood that when someone received “keys” he received authority.

To my knowledge the word "keys" is used only eight times in the Bible: Judges 3:25; Isaiah 22:20-22; Matthew 16:18-19; Luke 11:52; Revelation 1:17-18; Revelation 3:7; Revelation 9:1; and Revelation 20:1;

The passage in Judges speaks of the normal use of a key, as does Revelation 9:1 and 20:1. But in the other instances, as the context of each indicates, the key represents authority or power over something. This is why members of the Body of Christ – from as early as near the end of the first century (and probably much earlier) interpreted the passage in Matthew 16 to mean Jesus gave the authority over the earthly church to Peter (and his successors) in much the same way as the kingdom of Israel was under the authority of David and his successors.

Church history also is clear about how Christians in the early centuries understood the Lord’s comment to Peter. Here are only a few examples of people widely recognized even today among Christians as leaders of the early Church, and who acknowledged Peter’s unique role:

The Letter of Clement to James (A.D. 221) wrote: Be it known to you, my lord, that Simon [Peter], who, for the sake of the true faith, and the most sure foundation of his doctrine, was set apart to be the foundation of the Church, and for this end was by Jesus himself, with his truthful mouth, named Peter.

Origen (A.D. 248) wrote: Look at [Peter], the great foundation of the Church, that most solid of rocks, upon whom Christ built the Church.

Cyprian of Carthage (A.D. 251) wrote: On him [Peter] he builds the Church, and to him he gives the command to feed the sheep [John 21:17], and although he assigns a like power to all the apostles, yet he founded a single chair, and he established by his own authority a source and an intrinsic reason for that unity. Indeed, the others were that also which Peter was [i.e., apostles], but a primacy is given to Peter, whereby it is made clear that there is but one Church and one chair. . . .

So that this lesson does not become too long and laborious, I will stop here and pick up again next time with more of the Biblical roots of Church ecclesiastical authority, and how that authority relates to St. Paul's comment to the Ephesians here in chapter 3 and verse 10.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Read John 21, and then review verses 15-17. How do you understand the Lord’s comment to Peter in this context?

2. What do you think St. Paul meant when he called the Church the “pillar and support of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15)?

Ephesians 3:8

2009-11-17T19:34:00.000-08:00

. . . to me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ . . . Ephesians 3:8

St. Paul never got over his remorse. The guilt? Yes. But not the remorse.

You might remember how Paul (then known as Saul) ravaged the Church, watching with approval as others killed Christians. He hated the disciples so passionately he even sought permission from the religious leaders to travel to distant cities and drag followers of Christ to prison in Jerusalem.

No, St. Paul never forgot what he did to Christ. The image stayed with him as long as he lived -- for example, see here, here, here, and here. But the apostle also recognized -- and this has important application for us -- St. Paul also recognized God had washed clean his sins with the blood of the same Jesus he once persecuted.

St. Paul never forgot his sin, but neither did he ever forget God's mercy -- which is why he wrote to his protege, Timothy:

It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life (1 Timothy 1:15-16) [bolded highlight my emphasis].

And it was his recognition of God's mercy that led the apostle to write to the Ephesians of the "unfathomable riches of Christ" (3:8).

Why unfathomable?

Think of it. The absolute and utterly Holy stooped to kiss the absolute and utterly Profane with new life, a new heart, and new hope. The Almighty and All-righteous God washed Paul -- the foremost of sinners -- with the precious blood of the Lamb, and gave him a clean slate.

It was as if he had never sinned.

Seven hundred years before Saul became Paul and discovered the forgiveness of God, the Hebrew prophet Isaiah wrote about Jesus:

He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him (Isaiah 53:5-8).

St. Paul recognized a vital spiritual truth you and I must also recognize and allow to sink deep into our hearts: Jesus covered us -- Paul, me, you, and every penitent sinner -- with His own back and took the lashes we each deserve to receive.

Unfathomable? The idea that God proves His love for us that even while we were shaking our fist in His face, Christ died for us (see here) -- that idea is, to me, unfathomable. When I remember my rebellions, perversions, blasphemies, even the murder of my child . . . that God should love a sinner such as I -- how utterly wonderful and unfathomable is love like that.

Isaac Watts wrote a remarkable hymn in the 18th century. I include some of the stanzas here because the words mean so much to me in light of the riches of Christ:

When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of Glory died;
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an offering far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.

Isn't it true? God's amazing love and grace and mercy and forgiveness -- Oh! such forgiveness -- demands our soul, our life, our all.

Questions for Reflection:

1. St. Paul was guilty of murder and horrible -- and repeated -- persecution of the Church. Yet, God forgave him of it all. Do you think God is any less willing to forgive you of your sins?

2. St. Paul, recognizing the utter majesty of God's grace and forgiveness, devoted his life to the gospel and the promotion of God's kingdom. Ought we who are forgiven be any less willing to do likewise?

3. How long has it been since you sought the comfort of our Savior in the Sacrament of Reconciliation?

Ephesians 3:1-6 part 2

2009-11-08T18:35:00.000-08:00

A Special Note: I recently started a new job that occupies much of my time. As a result, I will not be able to post new lessons as often as I used to -- or would like to. Thanks for your patience and please check back periodically. I will, however, continue posting at my contemplative site with a fair degree of regularity.
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. . . When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel (Ephesians 3:1-6).

When St. Paul uses the word mystery in this context – as in something hidden, or a secret counsel of God – he does not mean to imply the Jewish nation had not been given earlier insight into God’s plan to bring the Gentile nations into His Body. Paul, Pharisee as he was, well understood Old Testament passages such as these here, here, here, and here.

But the concept of God giving uncircumcised Gentiles equal standing with Jews was hidden from them. Indeed, the New Testament apostles' teaching on the subject was a veritable sea-change in their theology.

An example of how serious was the division between the two groups is illustrated, for example, by the physical barrier that existed in the Temple area separating the Jewish inner courts from the Gentile outer court. An archaeological discovery in 1871 unearthed this inscription concerning that barrier: No man of another race is to enter within the fence and enclosure around the Temple. Whoever is caught will have only himself to thank for the death which follows.

No wonder the twelve apostles of Jesus – each Jewish and raised within that culture of separation – at first thought it unthinkable that God would make non-Jews part of the same Body as they. No wonder St. Peter needed a vision from God – three times! – before he consented to enter the house of Cornelius. No wonder the other apostles demanded Peter to explain his unorthodox actions in eating with Gentiles. And no wonder Paul almost lost his life in Jerusalem after he was accused of bringing a Gentile into the Temple.

And so, St. Paul, in dealing routinely with the prevailing culture of separation felt it necessary to drive home his point several times in this epistle (here, here and here) that yes, God loved Gentiles just as much as He loved Jews – and that Gentiles were actually “members of the same body and copartners in the promise in Jesus Christ.”

French novelist Alphonse Karr seems to have been the first to use the proverb: The more things change, the more they stay the same. Unfortunately, the proverb proves true with regard to the Church.

Many Bible scholars believe the Church, in the early decades after Christ’s resurrection, was nearly exclusively Jewish. But within 30 years a shift in the majority representation occurred, and Gentile Christians outnumbered Jewish Christians. And with the shift came another division spouting an attitude of “We Gentiles are more beloved by God than you Jews.”

Needless to say, such an arrogant attitude began to affect the unity of Christ’s Body, and St. Paul spent three chapters in his letter to the Romans (chapters 9-11) to forcefully speak against such divisiveness. Indeed, he issued a stern warning to his Gentile readers that continuing in their “holier than thou” attitude places them in jeopardy of losing their own place in God’s kingdom (see here).

Clearly, there is no place in the Church for such arrogance -- which is why, I am sure, St. John wrote this: The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes (1 John 2:9-11).

Which brings us to the 21st century. I’ve noted before in our study – and this is a good time to note it again – what the Catholic Church teaches about division – especially between Catholics and Protestants. This information is so important to the unity of Christ’s body, I include the texts here, along with the links to the site:

. . . "in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame." The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ's Body - here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism - do not occur without human sin: Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers. (Para 817)

"However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church" (para 818) (bold text is my emphasis).

"Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements." Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity" (para 819) (bold text my emphasis).

Baptism constitutes the foundation of communion among all Christians, including those who are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church: "For men who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in some, though imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church. Justified by faith in Baptism, [they] are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church. Baptism therefore constitutes the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who through it are reborn" (para 1271) (bold text my emphasis).

So how then ought we as Protestant, Orthodox and Catholic Christians live? Many months ago, in our first lesson studying Ephesians, I wrote this:

In light of the growing anti-Christian sentiment rising in many areas of America, Canada and Europe, if we do not stand together we face a very serious risk of falling separately. A house divided against itself still cannot stand, and it is prudent to remember the words of Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran pastor during the Nazi years:

"In Germany they first came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me — and by that time no one was left to speak up."

Niemoller’s warning is no less dire today than it was when he first penned those words. If Christians – members of Christ’s Body, all – do not find a way to focus on what unifies us instead of what divides us, we will fail in Christ's charge to the Church to evangelize the world because we have spent our energies and resources fighting each other.

Questions for Reflection:

1. If you are a Protestant or Orthodox Christian reading this study, have you ever researched answers to your questions about Catholic theology? If not, why not?

You may have difficulty finding Protestant-friendly internet sites for information, so feel free to ask me your questions.

2. If you are a Catholic Christian reading this study, have you ever researched why Protestants and Orthodox Christians believe as they do about the Eucharist, the papacy, Confession, the Blessed Mother, and other distinctively Catholic concepts? If not, why not?

You may have difficulty finding Catholic-friendly internet sites for information, so feel free to ask me your questions.

Ephesians 3:1 (part one)

2009-10-23T16:30:00.000-07:00

A Special Note: As I wrote in the last posted study, I recently started a new job that occupies much of my time. As a result, I will not be able to post new lessons as often as I used to -- or would like to. Thanks for your patience and please check back periodically. I will, however, continue posting at my contemplative site with a fair degree of regularity.
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Because of this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ (Jesus) for you Gentiles-- if, as I suppose, you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for your benefit, (namely, that) the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly earlier (Ephesians 3:1).

Before we look at chapter three, a word about the divisions within the books of the Bible is in order. The text itself (i.e. the words written by the various authors of the Bible) is fully inspired of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches (paragraphs 105-107):

God is the author of Sacred Scripture. "The divinely revealed realities, which are contained and presented in the text of Sacred Scripture, have been written down under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit . . . . To compose the sacred books, God chose certain men who, all the while he employed them in this task, made full use of their own faculties and powers so that, though he acted in them and by them, it was as true authors that they consigned to writing whatever he wanted written, and no more.

And neither should we miss this point:

The inspired books teach the truth. "Since therefore all that the inspired authors or sacred writers affirm should be regarded as affirmed by the Holy Spirit, we must acknowledge that the books of Scripture firmly, faithfully, and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to see confided to the Sacred Scriptures (my emphasis in bold).

But while the text itself is divinely inspired, the chapter and verse divisions are of human origin and put in place for human convention. The origin of the divisions has a long history, but most scholarship places the addition of chapters and verses to the 13th century A.D. You can follow these links for further study here and here .

So, when the apostle opens chapter three with the words, "Because of this . . . " we know he is referring to his remarks immediately preceding. Unfortunately, the chapter division interrupts the flow of St. Paul's argument. So, for a quick review, I include the last few verses of chapter two, and then add the first verses of three to create a more fluent flow of the apostle's thoughts:

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Because of this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles . . . . (Ephesians 3:1).

The Romans thought they had imprisoned Paul. But the apostle had a different perspective. He knew Whose he was, and to Whom he belonged. He knew the Romans didn't imprison him. God did -- for reasons known only to the Almighty. But as far as Paul was concerned, that he was Christ's prisoner was sufficient for him because his imprisonment had a purpose -- that the people of Ephesus might hear and understand the gospel message, and find eternal life in the process.

Somehow, St. Paul caught a glimpse of life and its true purpose. Somehow he was able to integrate the Lord Jesus' statement into his own spirit: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains alone. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it. He who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal (John 12:24-25).

St. Paul's entire life-focus was to serve his Messiah. Here is what he wrote to the Corinthians. And here to the Romans. And here to the Philippians.

So what was it that helped St. Paul catch that glimpse of life's true purpose? To say it was the grace of God that captured Paul -- grace that captures any of us -- is always a correct answer. But to satisfy ourselves with only that answer, and not reserve some responsibility for ourselves does us -- and God -- a disservice. Too often Scripture tells us to seek after God, to seek after His righteousness, to seek after heaven for those exhortations to be incidental.

Blessed Mother Teresa said: The more we empty ourselves, the more room we give God to fill us. And St. Augustine summed it very well when he discovered: Late have I loved thee, O Beauty so ancient and so new; late have I love Thee! For behold, Thou wert within me, and I outside; and I sought Thee outside and in my unloveliness fell upon those lovely things that Thou hast made . . . . I was kept from Thee by those things . . .

St. Paul "only late" discovered that to be a prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ grants us freedom that defines freedom. No wonder he could proclaim, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." No wonder he could demonstrate it again and again with his pen and with his life: But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.

What was it that helped Paul lay himself fully at the feet of Jesus? God's grace, yes. But the apostle took it upon himself to also seek after Christ. It seems from the evidence of Scripture that when he had opportunity to serve himself or serve his Lord, he chose the latter.

And so can we . . . so must we . . . if we are to accomplish the mission God gave each of us to bring the only effective message of hope and eternal salvation to others.

Questions for Reflection:

1. What does this passage mean to you as you reflect on our call to be evangelists for Christ?
2. Read this passage. What do you think Paul's comment here has to do with our ability to accomplish Christ's purpose on earth?

Ephesians 2:20-22 part four

2009-10-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

A Special Note:

I recently started a new job that is occupying much of my time as I try to learn the new position. As a result, I might have to put this Bible study on hold for a while . . . or at the least post less frequently. Thanks for your patience and please check back periodically. I will, however, continue posting at my contemplative site with a fair degree of regularity.

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. . . having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:20-22).

Now that you've read the passages in Exodus about the building of the Holy Tabernacle in the wilderness, let's turn our attention to St. Paul's comment here in Ephesians 2.

Those who belong to Christ are being "built together" into a dwelling of God, being "fitted together" and growing into His temple.

The passages in Exodus you read for this lesson describe in wearyingly exhaustive detail the construction of the Tabernacle -- the place God’s Spirit would reside during their forty-year trek through the wilderness, and into the Promised Land. Each board had its place, each ring a role, each thread a value, each cubit a purpose. To the minutest detail, God left nothing to chance.

So, should we think God changed His pattern of meticulous detail when He began to build His Church of baptized and faithful followers of Christ?

The Lord Jesus promised He would build His Church, and "the gates of hell" would not overcome it in the offensive war we wage against Satan's kingdom. St. Paul told the Ephesians that Church is founded on the words of the Old Testament prophets and New Testament apostles -- Christ Himself being the corner stone. Paul also wrote to the Corinthian church that they (and we) were "temples (tabernacles) of the Holy Spirit." And to the Corinthians he also used the human body as an analogy of how God places you and me within His Church with meticulous precision for His purposes.

And it is that analogy of the human body, coupled with what we learned from our reading last time in Exodus, that can give us great encouragement as we expend our energies working for the Kingdom. As God orchestrated the construction of his desert Dwelling with such meticulous precision, so too, He orchestrates with equal precision today the construction of His Dwelling – the Body of Christ. Just as each board and clasp and loop occupied an important place, so too each member of Christ’s universal Church occupies a necessary role and function.

No person is unnecessary. Said a different way, each person is vital to the construction.

Leader and laity, professionals and paraprofessionals, rich and poor, healthy and not-so-healthy, across cultures and backgrounds -- the Master Carpenter knows who we are, where we fit in His Dwelling --and he sets us there with meticulous precision in the right place.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Do you do your best to serve the Lord, but sometimes wonder if God is doing anything with your service? Read this passage and consider what the Holy Spirit might be saying to you.

2. Solomon wrote, If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success (Ecclesiastes 10:10). What might you do to sharpen your skills, techniques and other abilities to co-labor with Christ in building His Church?

Ephesians 2:20-22 Part three

2009-09-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

. . . having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:20-22).

This lesson will be much shorter on the screen (but not in the time required to study the matter) than previous excursions into Ephesians. You will see why in a moment.

It is quite possible that these last few verses in chapter two are among the most important in St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians. And if we rush past them -- and breeze through the following assignment -- we will greatly limit our ability to understand God's intricately detailed and purposefully organized construction of His Church -- which is built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, and comprised of people like you and me.

So, please follow these links to the Book of Exodus which describe the construction of the Holy Tabernacle in the wilderness. Admittedly, the following passages might be tedious to wade through, yet absorbing their detail is critical to a better understanding of the lessons in Ephesians that will follow: Exodus 36:8-38; Exodus 38:1-20; Exodus 26:1-30. (If you are really ambitious, read Exodus chapters 25-38).

A point of reference -- a "cubit" was a measure from the elbow to the tip of the middle finger in an adult (approximately 18 inches).

Questions for Reflection:

1. What one or two things (or more) in the Exodus passages caught your attention?

2. Based on what you learned from those passages, where do you think our next lesson will take us as we look at St. Paul's statement: . . . in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord . . . ?

3. Check back in a few days and see if your guess is correct.

Ephesians 2:20 part two

2009-09-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone - Ephesians 2:20

In ancient times, the corner stone was the first stone placed in the construction of a building. All the angles and other measurements were made from that one stone, ensuring the proper plumb line of the entire structure.

In the last lesson we looked at the foundation of the spiritual building God calls His Church. Let's now look at the cornerstone of that building -- the stone which Scripture calls Jesus Christ.

The "plumb line" of the Church is the doctrine of Jesus' full deity and full humanity in the form of a man. That truth runs throughout Scriptures. For only a few of those examples, see Isaiah 9:6; Micah 5:2; Isaiah 7:14; Daniel 7:9-14; John 1:1-3, 14; Hebrews 1:2-3.

Because of the cornerstone's critical importance to the structure of God's Church, it is not surprising that Christ's full deity and full humanity has been under attack ever since the earliest days of the Church. For example, an ancient form of gnosticism (2nd century) claimed Jesus was not fully human. The Arian heresy of the 4th century claimed Jesus was not fully God. Monophysites (5th C) believed Christ had a human nature that evolved into the divine nature. Apollinarinism (4th century) believed Jesus' human spirit was taken over by the divine "Logos" Spirit.

Those earlier philosophies, judged heresies by orthodox Christianity through the early Church Councils, persist today. For example, Jehovah’s Witnesses follow the Arian heresy and deny Jesus is fully God. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) believe Jesus is God in the same way as all good Mormons will one day become gods. (Mormons also teach that God the Father was at one time just as we are, and we will one day be just as He is).

It is very important that we take a moment to recognize the impact heresies and anti-Christ philosophies can have on the eternal destinies of their adherents. False concepts of Christ can pull people away from the only narrow path that Jesus said leads to eternal salvation. False doctrines about Christ can result in the eternal loss of one's soul.

And that is precisely why the Father gave us the Church -- to protect us from those falsehoods and erroneous philosophies about salvation, sin and judgment (for example, see here, here and here).

Indeed, it was the early Church Councils (such as Nicea, Ephesus, Constantinople and Chalcedon) that handed down to the 21st century Church what is still considered the orthodox Christian faith -- much of which is illustrated in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

It cannot be stressed enough how important is God's Cornerstone. Jesus -- God's cornerstone -- died a bloody, torturous death to ensure the spiritual house of God would remain solid and unmovable from its base, that all of its angles and lines would derive from the true plumb line.

Let's close this section of our study in Ephesians with a look at an excerpt from my book, We Believe: Forty Meditations on the Nicene Creed. I hope the excerpt makes the point, one more time, why it is so very important to our eternal souls that we build our lives around God's cornerstone.
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Creed Statement: We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God . . .

I remember Dr. Thomas. He was one of my college teachers who helped his class prepare for scheduled exams. He used to walk the aisles between our desks and review the information he expected us to know. As he spoke, he’d sometimes pause, clear his throat or make some other gesture to indicate what he’d just read was important. He never actually said, “This will be on the test,” but everyone knew, when Dr. Thomas gestured, we should pay attention.

Well, almost everyone. There were always a few students with other things on their minds – and they’d get the question wrong.

In 325 A.D., Church leaders met in council in Nicea (modern-dayTurkey) to deal with the Arian heresy. The Council leaders knew that the wrong answer to the question of Jesus’ deity would inevitably spread through the Church’s understanding of sin, salvation, atonement, and forgiveness. Humanity’s eternal destiny was at stake.

To help the Church get the right answer, the Nicene Council responded in what I like to think of as the equivalent of clearing their throats. In this case, however, they also clapped their hands and blew a trumpet in a rising crescendo, as if to say, "Hey! Pay attention! This is really important."

So we couldn’t miss the point, the Fathers gave us the correct answer seven times in one sentence, proclaiming Jesus is: The only son of God; eternally begotten from the Father; God from God; Light from light; True God from True God; begotten, not made; one in being with the Father.

Yet, despite the seven-fold response, some got it wrong. Some still do.

Who is Jesus? That’s an easy one, if we pay attention to the pillar and support of truth when it tells us who He is.

That's one test question we don’t want to get wrong.

(end of excerpt)
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Questions for Reflection:
1. Many of the early heresies about Jesus were supported by their proponents from Bible texts (taken out of context). How can you be certain your faith in Jesus is rooted in truth, and not set astray by an insidious and subtle falsehood?

2. St. Jerome warned his followers, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." What are you doing to increase your knowledge of Scripture?

Ephesians 2:20

2009-09-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone - Ephesians 2:20

Last time, we looked at God's ongoing desire for the unity of His Church. Today we will look at the foundation of the Church.

Architects understand how critical foundations are for the stability of the overlying structure. Build something well, but on sand, and at the first hurricane, it falls. Build it well and on a solid footing, and it will weather any storm. Notice what the Lord Jesus said about foundations, here.

The foundation of New Testament faith is rooted in the Old Testament Scriptures, and in the interpretation of those Scriptures by the New Testament apostles. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (129) teaches: . . . . the New Testament has to be read in the light of the Old. Early Christian catechesis made constant use of the Old Testament. As an old saying put it, the New Testament lies hidden in the Old and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.

And so, let's take a brief look at what the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament apostles taught in order to guide and inform Christ-centered faith.

God is one. While most of the ancient world worshiped a multiplicity of gods, the Creator of all that is seen and unseen revealed Himself to Israel as One. For example, see here and here.

God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die so we might live. He communicates with us so we might know who He is and who we are. And one thing He communicates is He requires our obedience, and He expects us to live holy lives.

Our disobedience would result in eternal separation from God. But that is also why God sent His Son -- to pay the penalty our sins deserved, so we could live eternally with Him.

And God gave to His Church (from the Greek, ekklesia -- meaning "the called-out ones") leaders to protect us from false doctrines.

But despite the solid foundation laid by God's prophets and apostles, the entire structure of our salvation would topple if the cornerstone is off-center. That is why God placed a perfect stone upon which -- and from which -- His Church would be built.

Next time we will look at that cornerstone.

Questions for Reflection:

1. St. Paul wrote that the Church is built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles -- the men who gave us the Scriptures. It has been said, "The Scriptures will keep us from sin, or sin will keep us from the Scriptures." What does that mean to you?

2. St. John Chrysostom wrote: "The mind of the Scriptures can never be exhausted. It is a well without a bottom." And St. Jerome wrote, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." What can you glean from these two quotes?

On vacation

2009-09-05T06:33:00.000-07:00

I am on vacation, so am a little slow in posting my next study. Please check back in about a week.

Ephesians 2:14-19

2009-08-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

For he is our peace, he who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of enmity, through his flesh . . . that he might create in himself one new person in place of the two, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile both with God, in one body, through the cross . . . for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God . . . (Ephesians 2:14-19).

One of the points St. Paul makes repeatedly in this letter to the Ephesians is that of God's design for unity among separate -- and sometimes disparate -- groups. In this case, Jews and Gentiles, but in a larger sense, among all peoples for whom Christ died. Indeed, one of the final prayers of Jesus recorded in Scripture is for unity:

"I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.

And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me" (St. John 17:21-23, my emphasis in bold).

Unity.

How are non-believers to know God really exists, and that He sent Jesus into our world as a love offering, if those who know better don't act better?

Many years ago I was a student at an Assemblies of God college. A Baptist Bible college was also in the same town. One day after I had recently arrived in town for the start of classes, I went into a local pharmacy to pick up a prescription. During the friendly chit-chat with the pharmacist, he asked how long I had been attending the Baptist college. When I told him I was a student at the Assemblies of God college, his face turned red and, with sincere regret, apologized for assuming I was a Baptist.

And so, I was introduced to the schism between the two groups, a schism that had spilled over to the community. What kind of reputation do you think Christians had among the many residents in that town?

In my view, things are no different between Protestants and Catholics in many communities in America. My wife (who is Protestant) and I (Catholic) have first-hand experience with snide comments, and sometimes vitriol of both groups toward the other.

These things ought not to be this way.

The Holy Spirit, speaking through the Psalmist, said: Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron's [the high priest during the days of Moses] beard, coming down upon the edge of his robes (Psalm 133).

The Lord Jesus said: A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (St. John 13:34-36, bold is my emphasis).

As we have seen in earlier lessons, Jews and Gentiles in the first century had little to do with each other. For the most part, each group did their best to avoid contact with the other.

But God wanted to reconcile both groups as one body to Himself. And that is one reason Jesus died.

Were there differences of theological perspectives between the groups? Of course. But were those differences insurmountable? Of course not. The gospel message, presented with love and with a unified voice can change the course of cultures and the span of history.

Are there differences of theological perspectives today between Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox? Of course. But are they insurmountable?

I suppose that depends on how serious we are in bringing God's desire for unity to fruition. Surely, if we really take the time to listen to one another, and dialogue with one another, and pray sincerely for one another -- and not insist that unity means interpreting Scripture only my way --the Holy Spirit will enable us to see the common thread among us. That common thread is Christ crucified for our sins, resurrected for our justification, and soon returning for His bride.

Yes, how good and pleasant it will be when brothers and sisters in Christ dwell together in unity.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Read this passage. How might St. Paul's comment apply to this lesson? How might it direct the way you interact with people who don't agree with your understanding of Scripture?

2. What do you think of the message in this passage from the prophet Amos? How might it apply to our work toward unity?

Ephesians 2:13

2009-08-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13).

Long before I became a Catholic, I began wearing a crucifix around my neck. That might not seem unusual to some. Many people wear a crucifix. But as an evangelical Protestant who, for the previous 30 years associated the crucifix with Catholicism, wearing one probably seemed to my friends a theological faux pas.

My decision, however, had nothing to do with differences between Catholic and Protestant theology. It was rooted, instead, in a growing sense of adoration for the Son of God who permitted Himself to be nailed to a cross and spill His most precious blood for me.

That image in my mind of His crucifixion made the empty cross for me seem sterile. Bloodless. Tidy. Friday's cross was anything but tidy. It was dirty, rough, hard and splintered. On those blood-soaked beams Jesus suffered -- suffered -- a torturous and labored death to pay for my sins.

St. Paul told his readers in Ephesus that although they were at one time excluded from God's household and without hope of eternal life, they were now brought "near by the blood of Christ."

I am sure the Ephesians wondered how Jesus' blood could effect such a sea-change in their relationship with the eternal God. But St. Paul's Jewish readers would not have had that confusion. They would have immediately understood the God-ordained relationship of blood to sin, forgiveness and reconciliation.

As early as the third chapter of Genesis, when our first parents sinned in the Garden and sewed leaves together to hide behind, God killed an animal which, many theologians believe, initiated the first blood sacrifice to cover sin. Indeed, the entire Biblical system of atonement revolved around the blood sacrifice of animals (for example, see here and here) and foreshadowed the sacrifice of God's perfect Lamb -- Jesus -- whose blood "takes away the sin of the world" (see John 1:29).

That is why St. Paul could offer hope to his Gentile -- and Jewish -- readers that they could now be reconciled to God. Their sins no longer would separate them from their eternal heavenly home. Through their faith in the efficacy of Jesus' blood they -- and we -- could be justified (declared by God as without guilt). Christ's blood redeems from the punishment of death everyone who comes to God for forgiveness. It is Christ's blood that makes peace between us and God. Jesus' blood cleanses our conscience, washes our sins and sets us apart for His kingdom. And it is by Christ's blood that we overcome Satan.

St. Catherine of Siena, in her Dialogue with the Lord (page 260), records these words from God: You do not see how damned you are because the horns of your pride have blinded you. But you will see it at the moment of death, and then you will not be able to take refuge in any virtue of yours, because you have none." The Lord then warns her that her only refuge is to "trust in the blood and in My mercy." And God adds a further warning, "But let no one be so foolhardy, nor you so blind, as to wait for that last moment."

Pastor and hymnist Robert Lowry wrote: What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the flow, that makes me white as snow. No other fount I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus.

The Ephesians were unaware, at first, of the full ramifications of Christ's sacrifice on Calvary. But soon they learned, where once they had no hope, Christ's death brought them hope. Where once they were separated from the life of God because of their sins, Christ's blood brought them eternal life as it washed away those sins.

And the really exciting part about all of this -- the shouting part about all of this -- is, what Christ's blood did for the Ephesians, it is able to do for everyone today. The blood of the eternal Son of God will never, ever, lose its power to save.

Questions for Reflection:

1. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: The human heart is heavy and hardened. God must give man a new heart. Conversion is first of all a work of the grace of God who makes our hearts return to him . . . Let us fix our eyes on Christ's blood and understand how precious it is to his Father, for, poured out for our salvation it has brought to the whole world the grace of repentance (para 1432).

How can you better fix your eyes on Christ's blood? Is it simply a matter of reflecting on a crucifix, or does fixing our eyes on Jesus require something deeper than that?

2. Reread the paragraph above from St. Catherine's Dialogue. In what are you trusting for your salvation?

3. What does it mean to you to trust in the blood of Christ?

Ephesians 2:11-13

2009-08-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

Therefore, remember that at one time you, Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcision by those called the circumcision, which is done in the flesh by human hands, were at that time without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:11-13).

The Old Testament Scriptures are incontestable about God's selection of Israel. As early as Genesis, God selected only one man to be the father of the one nation God would call His Chosen People. As a result of God’s choice, only the Jews enjoyed God’s covenants and promises. Non-Jews (Gentiles) were excluded.

It is also incontestable that Israel’s role in salvation history was to be God’s ambassador to the Gentiles, to bring light to people in spiritual darkness, and to teach them about obedience to God’s laws and commandments (for example, see here, here, here and here).

But Israel failed in their calling. Instead of bringing God’s message of obedience and holiness to the nations, they intermarried with the Gentiles and quickly adopted their pagan lifestyles and worship – including temple prostitution and human sacrifice. And because of their sins, God sent His Chosen People into exile to teach them a lesson they would never forget.

And they did not forget.

Never again, after the Babylonian exile, did Jews ever fall into idolatry (for example, see 1 and 2 Maccabees). Never again did they intermarry with non-Jews. Those who did were excommunicated from Israel’s covenants and promises (for example, see here and here).

But the Jews pulled themselves so far away from their Gentile neighbors that they failed, once again, in their mission as evangelists to those nations – so much so that, even as late as the first century, Jews wouldn’t even eat at the same table as Gentiles. That was why the apostles were so shocked that St. Peter actually went into Cornelius’ house and broke bread with him and his family. Indeed, St. Peter would never have committed such a near-blasphemous act if the Lord hadn’t first captured his attention – three times(!) – with that vision of the unclean animals (Acts 10).

It was in this climate of religious pride and exclusiveness that St. Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians: “[You] were at that time without Christ, alienated from the community of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world. But God . . . .”

I’m learning to love that phrase – "But God." We first ran into it in verse 4, after the section in which St. Paul tells us we were dead in our sins: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us . . . brought us to life with Christ.”

And now, after telling the Gentiles they were without hope and without God, Paul says, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ.”

We’ll look at that concept more closely next time.

Questions for Reflection:

1. How do you think the Gentiles of Jesus’ day felt when they were ostracized from the table of the Jews? How do you think God felt about that separation?

2. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us our baptized Protestant brethren are part of the Body of Christ (see para 1271 here). How do you think Protestants feel when they want to come to the Eucharistic table of the Lord, but are excluded from it by their Catholic brethren? How do you think God feels about that separation?

3. Since evangelism is such an important mission of the Church, how can we avoid the type of exclusiveness practiced by the Old and New Testament Jews, and bring unity to the Body of Christ to accomplish that evangelistic mission?

Ephesians 2:9

2009-08-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them (Ephesians 2:9).

We've looked briefly during the last few lessons at the salvation God gives us because of His grace, what His grace saves us from, and what His grace saves us for. Today we will look at verse 9 which continues St. Paul's thoughts about faith that saves us, and the working out of that faith.

When the apostle writes, "For we are His handiwork" he uses the Greek word poiēma for "handiwork." It's the same word from which we get "poem." I like that distinction. God created us to be in Christ as a poem to others. Even a love poem, for whatever is not done for others in love falls far short of how God requires us to act toward others.

Scripture and Sacred Tradition could not be more clear, as we have seen in earlier lessons which linked to Biblical texts and to the Catechism of the Catholic Church -- we are "born again" by virtue of our faith in Christ's work on Calvary.

Period.

Nothing we did, or could do, brought us into Christ, because we were "dead in our transgressions." And we remained dead until the Holy Spirit made us new creatures. God reconciled us to Himself --brought us into favored fellowship with Himself -- through the blood of Christ, and imputed to us His very righteousness. No wonder, then, having been brought into the Kingdom by our baptismal faith, we can have such liberating sense of freedom from fear and guilt, knowing we did not enter into God's favor by our works -- nor do we stay in His favor by our works -- but because of His grace working through our faith (for example, see here, here, here and here).

Indeed, St. Paul makes it clear that we are justified (declared guiltless by God) on the basis of our faith in Christ's atonement for us (see also here and here, as well as the Catechism here). That is why St. Paul also tells us that to seek justification on the basis of how well we follow the law does nothing but place us in mortal jeopardy.

Yet, having said all that about faith, good works are nonetheless a vital element in our salvation. We remain in fellowship and in favor with God by faith that is obedient to the Master --as the Lord Jesus said many times and in many ways, "If you love Me, keep my commandments" (for example, here, here and here. See also the Catechism here).

St. James tells us faith, without accompanying works, is worthless faith. He calls it "dead." James uses the same word for "dead" (νεκρός [nekros]) in chapter 2 of his epistle as St. Paul uses in the first verse of chapter 2 in Ephesians describing how we are "necrotic"[dead] in our transgressions and sins.

But the critical nature of faith and works should surprise no one. The Lord Jesus was never one to let people get by only by their faith, for He required a doing faith. Based on the Lord's words in Matthew 25, good works, rooted in a loving affection for the Master, are the key for entry into His kingdom. It is our good works -- and not our faith -- that creates in others a desire for the Kingdom. And we cannot neglect forgiveness, a "work" (and difficult one, indeed) which Jesus also made a requirement for us to extend to others if we hope to receive God's forgiveness ourselves.

Likewise, as we noted a few lessons ago the words of St. Augustine: It is not that we keep [God's] commandments first, and then He loves us; but that He loves us, and then we keep His commandments. This is that grace which is revealed to the humble, but hidden from the proud. Or, as we read in the Catechism (para 546) Jesus' invitation to enter his kingdom comes in the form of parables . . . . Through his parables he invites people to the feast of the kingdom, but he also asks for a radical choice: to gain the kingdom, one must give everything. Words are not enough, deeds are required.

The faith-works question is not best defined as "Faith versus Works," but rather Faith demonstrated by Works. Faith is what makes possible the works that illustrate our salvation.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Some people place the proverbial cart before the horse, believing good deeds more important than faith. Others disconnect the cart from the horse, thinking all they need is the horse to get them into the kingdom. And still others disconnect the two and drag the cart behind them, believing they don't need faith in Christ, for when God weighs their good deeds to their not-so-good ones, they hope to weigh-in on the right side of the equation. Based on your study of the last few lessons, what responses could you make to those philosophies?

2. What are the one or two promises of Scripture in this lesson that stand out most to you? Why do you thing those texts touch you?

3. What do you think St. Augustine meant when he wrote (see above): "This is that grace which is revealed to the humble, but hidden from the proud"?

Ephesians 2:4-8

2009-08-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

" . . . even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved), raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast." (Ephesians 2:5-8).

Last time we looked at the recipients of God's mercy and at the reason for His mercy -- that being His grace toward us. We also defined grace, essentially, as God doing for man what man could not do for himself. And so in this text St. Paul tells us we are saved by grace "through faith, and this is not from you; it is a gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast."

Let's look at what we are saved from, and what we are save to.

First, we are saved from God's wrath against sin.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to say (paragraph 1034): Jesus often speaks of "Gehenna" of "the unquenchable fire" reserved for those who to the end of their lives refuse to believe and be converted . . . Jesus solemnly proclaims that he "will send his angels, and they will gather . . . all evil doers, and throw them into the furnace of fire,"and that he will pronounce the condemnation: "Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire!" (See also here, here, here, and here ).

Referencing the Catechism, Fr. Corapi writes, in his essay The Last Things: Judgment, Heaven, Hell, Purgatory:

This statement of our faith is clear and is not to be nuanced into oblivion. Every soul ultimately ends in heaven or hell. How we live here and now determines how we shall live forever. . . . If we die without repenting, hell is the result. We do not like to think of this, much less speak of it, but it is necessary to do so. Mercy is for now; judgment is for later. We must accept God's mercy now through repentance and the sacrament of reconciliation while there is still time.

Mel Gibson's, "The Passion of the Christ" portrays Jesus' beating and crucifixion the way it likely occurred. Isaiah's prophecy suggests that the Messiah would be nearly unrecognizable from the beating He would receive (52:13-15). And knowing the anger of the mob gathered to demand Jesus' death, and how Romans soldiers in Palestine disliked the Jews, it is reasonable to believe the soldiers were as merciless as Gibson portrays them.

But why did the Father permit His Son to be so brutalized? Scripture tells us that those sacred wounds demonstrate with divine clarity how God feels about sin. St. Paul tells us Christ became sin for us, so we who are in Christ might become the righteousness of God.

God is a God of love. But His justice will not permit unrepented sin to go unchallenged or unpunished. In her Dialogue, St. Catherine of Siena (one of the Doctors of the Church) received these words from God: For my divine justice demanded suffering in atonement for sin . . .Yet I really wanted to restore you, incapable as you were of making atonement for yourself. And because you were so utterly handicapped, I sent the Word, my Son; I clothed him with the same nature as yours . . . so that he could suffer . . . and by suffering in his body . . . would placate my anger.

The Father permitted His Son to suffer and die to pay the penalty our sins demanded. And, by His death, Jesus delivered us -- saved us -- from the demand of God's justice, and opened the way for His mercy.

That is the best definition of grace I know of.

So, God's wrath and judgment are what we are save from. Now let's look at what we are saved to:

We are saved to an eternal life of peace, joy and fulfillment in God's presence. For example, see here, and here. And the Lord Jesus promised He is preparing a place for us in our new home.

Heaven is not an insignificant destination. The older I get, the more I see, the more I lose to death and disease, the more I long to embrace my promised home where there will never again be war. Or heartache. Or death. Or loss. Or separation. We will be in the actual presence of our Triune God and our loved ones forever.

And, speaking of loved ones, I cannot imagine -- and probably neither can you -- I cannot imagine how heaven will truly be heaven for me if those I love are not there because they chose in this life to reject God's mercy. I shudder every day -- every day -- when I think of that possibility. But I have also learned to trust that God's love for them is higher than mine, that His passion for them is greater than mine . . . and that He is not willing for any to perish outside of His embrace. And so I wait for the miracle of His grace in their lives.

St. Paul tells us in today's text that God did not extend to us His salvation on the basis of who we are, how often we attend Mass, or feed the sick, or help the helpless. If those things could save us, then Jesus died in vain (see here) and we could boast before God that we deserve His salvation.

But the reality is completely different. We are saved because of what God Himself did in the form of a Man. Through the second Person of the Trinity, God satisfied His justice against sin, while at the same time extended His mercy toward the sinner.

No wonder St. Paul cried out, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!"

Questions for Reflection:

1. St. Clement (died 99 AD) wrote: This world and that to come are two enemies. We cannot therefore be friends to both; but we must resolve which we would forsake and which we would enjoy. How does this statement compare with that of St. James here? And what might you do to move yourself in the right direction?

2. St. Francis of Assisi said, "Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words." God gives us the privilege of working with Him for the salvation of our family and friends. Does your lifestyle preach the good news of salvation? Do your lips tell others of God's love?

Ephesians 2:4 part three

2009-08-02T21:07:00.000-07:00

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved) . . . (Ephesians 2:4).

Several lessons ago (see here) we examined what it means to have been dead in our transgressions. And in the most recent study we looked at the reason for God’s mercy. This time we will look at the recipients of God's mercy.

I think it is both important and illustrative that St. Paul uses the personal pronouns "we" and "our" in this passage. "We were dead in our transgressions."

Remember, the apostle's background as a Pharisee instructed his faith to believe only Jews -- to be specific, only Jews who obeyed the laws and rituals of Jewish faith -- were pleasing to God. Only they were -- in New Testament parlance --"saved."

But Paul's theology got a complete overhaul when he encountered his risen Messiah on that road to Damascus, and he was infused with the Holy Spirit. We see some evidence of that overhaul in his letter to the Church at Philippi:

If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord . . . and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.

That's why the Pharisee-turned-apostle used the personal pronouns we and our in this text to the Church at Ephesus. Paul recognized that although he thought he was "saved" because of his meticulous attention to the tenets of his Jewish faith -- he was, in reality, dead.

That's a hard place -- a humiliating place -- to be: to think you are pleasing God, only to discover your sins have made you a corpse.

But Paul also recognized -- and this is key to our study today -- Paul also recognized the reason he and those in the Church at Ephesus were "alive." They were alive because of -- and only because of -- God's grace. That is why the Catechism of the Catholic Church says what it does, for example, here, here, here and here.

Grace is what we call God's undeserved and unmerited mercy toward us. As St. Paul wrote to his disciple, Titus:

[God] saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior (Titus 3:5-6).

And as St. Augustine would later write: It is not that we keep [God's] commandments first, and then He loves us; but that He loves us, and then we keep His commandments. This is that grace which is revealed to the humble, but hidden from the proud.

St. Paul's discussion of God's grace flows through the next few verses and culminates in his addendum in verse 8 and 9 to this parenthetical text in verse 4. We'll look more closely at that later.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Read this text from St. Paul's letter to the Colossians. What does this passage mean to you in view of today's study about grace?

2. Former slave trader, John Newton, wrote the words to a hymn you might recognize: Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found. Was blind but now I see.

Have you ever considered yourself "a wretch" and "lost"? If so, reflect on the many times God's undeserved kindness and mercy flowed over your life, and sustained you even to this moment.

3. Re-read the the Catechism (para 2009): What does the last clause of this section mean to you: "Grace has gone before us . . . Our merits are God's gifts"?

Ephesians 2:4b

2009-07-26T13:01:00.000-07:00

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved) . . . (Ephesians 2:4)

In the last lesson we looked at the riches of God’s mercy. Let’s look now at the reason for God’s mercy – “Because of the great love He had for us” -- even as we were shaking our fists in His face.

For some, it is easy to nod in assent to the idea that “God loves me.” Life is good. Serious problems, illnesses and setbacks rarely knock on their front door. They have friends, family, a good income, and a comfortable life.

But what of those for whom the story of Job is a mirror of their own existence? What of those who wake up each morning in chronic pain, or with unrelenting memories of a devastating divorce, or who grieve over a child or spouse who is slowly dying with terminal illness?

For many of them, it is not so easy to nod in agreement when they read of “the great love He had for us.”

At one time I gave glib answers to people who asked, “Where is God’s love in my situation?” I gave glib answers because I was young and, in retrospect, insensitive to the things life can throw at us.

I now know better. And so I respond more along the lines of, “I don’t know where you can see His love in your situation. I only know it is there because He says it is.”

“And God never lies.”

St. Therese of Lisieux is one of my favorite Saints of the Church. She died a painful, slow and suffocating death from tuberculosis when she was 24. Yet, her confidence in God’s love led her to write something all Christians would do well to assimilate into their lives:

"Everything is a grace, everything is the direct effect of our father's love — difficulties, contradictions, humiliations, all the soul's miseries, her burdens, her needs — everything, because through them, she learns humility, realizes her weakness — Everything is a grace because everything is God's gift. Whatever be the character of life or its unexpected events — to the heart that loves, all is well."

Sometimes, during my daily meditation with the Lord, I close my eyes and imagine myself sitting at the foot of Calvary’s cross. Jesus hangs above me, and I lean back on the beam planted in the ground. I usually sit in silence, listening to Him breathe. I don’t speak because I know all He wants is to have someone stay with Him as He dies.

But every now and then I turn my head until I see His nailed feet. They are at eye level as I sit. Blood, where it has not already clotted, still oozes from the wound. And I glance up at Him. He looks terrible. Bruised. Swollen from the beatings. Blood caked around His eyes and cheeks from the crown of thorns.

When the thought passes across my mind, How do You love me? that scene in my imagination answers the question.

It's an image that can answer everyone’s question.

Divorce. Tragedy. Pain. Loneliness. Death. Jesus suffered so we would not have to. He died so we can live. He loved – and loves – so we can have a supernaturally based peace that confounds even hell itself.

But I have learned we must choose to love God – to choose to love Him despite the despair that hangs over us.

I quoted Fr. Pedro Arrupe at the beginning of our study in Ephesians. This is a good place to quote him again:

What you are in love, with what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you'll do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love [with God]. Stay in love, and it will decide everything.

How does one fall in love with God?

Persistent prayer, reading and studying Scripture, receiving the Sacraments with integrity each plays an important role. But all those things are, in my view, valueless without the grace of God to draw us to Himself.

In Solomon's Song of Songs, the Bride says to her Groom, "Draw me after you and let us run together!” Through His prophet, Jeremiah, God said, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness." Centuries later, the Lord Jesus reiterated, “No one can come to Me unless the Father draw him.”

Neither you nor I will get through life without heartache. Nonetheless, the Lord said He came to give us an abundant life. And that is why St. Therese of Lisieux and Fr. Arrupe had it right, because abundant life is rooted in our recognition that everything is a grace because everything is the direct result of our Father’s great love for us. And, as Fr. Arrupe wrote, our love for Him will affect everything we do, and it will affect how we respond to things that happen to us.

Questions for Reflection:

1. St. Francis de Sales wrote, "In the royal galley of Divine Love, there is no galley slave: all rowers are volunteers." How do you understand this statement in light of some of the things you read in this study?

2. St. Margaret Mary Alacoque wrote, What a weakness it is to love Jesus Christ only when He caresses us, and to be cold [when] he afflicts us. This is not true love. Those who love thus, love themselves too much to love God with all their heart.

Do you see yourself in her statement? If so, what will you do to correct yourself?

Ephesians 2:4a

2009-07-21T08:02:00.000-07:00

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved) . . .
(Ephesians 2:4)

In the first verses of this chapter, the apostle paints a grim picture of humanity without Christ. We are dead – necrotic – in our sins (verse 1). We are obedient (whether knowingly or unknowingly) to the devil and disobedient to God (verse 2). We are “children of wrath” (verse 3).

And then St. Paul brings us to the great "But" in verse 4: But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved) . . . .

Over the next few lessons we will look at several wonderful points in this verse.

First, God is rich in mercy. As the word is used in this passage, mercy is what we get when we don’t get what we deserve.

Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio (The Crossroads Initiative) writes:

The first members of the human race had renounced their freedom and dignity as sons and daughters of God and had fallen into bondage to a tyrannical master. Suffering and death were the fruit of this slavery. The price to redeem themselves from this miserable situation was beyond their means. So in bondage they stayed, forging heavier chains for themselves with every passing generation.

Until, that is, the God of Justice manifested Himself as the Father of Mercy. Justice renders to each their due and calls each to assume responsibility for themselves. Mercy goes beyond the issues of who is responsible. Mercy is simply love’s response to suffering. So the Father of Mercy, to relieve our suffering, sent his Eternal Son to be made flesh by the power of the Holy Spirit. God the Son, by nature incapable of suffering, became vulnerable for us. He bound the strong man who had tyrannized the human race and paid the debt that the human race hadn’t been able to cover. His rescue mission succeeded at the cost of his life.

Although God’s justice requires judgment for our sins, God’s mercy grants us complete pardon instead. Christ, by His death, redeemed us -- purchased our pardon -- with His own blood.

The next thing we should consider is the method by which God grants us His mercy, which is His grace -- undeserved favor toward us. After all, we were "dead" in our sins. Necrotic. There was as much we could do about our condition as a corpse can do about its condition. We were completely helpless and hopeless. We need(ed) supernatural intervention. And so God intervened on our behalf, not on the basis of our goodness, but only and exclusively on the basis of His goodness.

Mercy and Grace mingled on Calvary and flowed from Christ's wounds to you and me.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Read Romans 2:4. How might frequent meditation on Christ’s suffering and death focus our minds on the kindness of God, and thereby lead us to deeper repentance?

2. Read this passage in Hebrews. What does it mean to you to “draw near with confidence to the Throne of Grace”? How might your confidence in God’s mercy increase through your own acts of mercy toward others? (consider 2 Cor 1:3-4 and Matthew 6:12 in your response).

Ephesians 2:3,4a

2009-07-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh, following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us . . . . (Ephesians 2:3, 4)

Many Christians I meet don’t like the idea of a wrathful God. Wrath sounds too much like the Old Testament deity – the one who went around smiting nations with judgment for their sins.

The New Testament deity, they say, is much nicer.

The idea that the Old and New Testament gods are different is not a new concept. As early as the 2nd century, an apostate Catholic bishop, Marcion, taught the same thing. He went so far as to reject the entire Old Testament, and portions of the New in which God seemed more angry than Marcion thought necessary. After all, the New Testament God is a god of love. There is no room for an angry, wrathful God in the new era.

Eventually, Church leaders declared Marcion a heretic and excommunicated him for persisting in teaching his false doctrine. But, his ideas live on – if not openly, then in principle.

The idea that the Old Testament God is different from the New Testament God confuses me. It is very difficult to read the New Testament and not recognize God’s absolute and unequivocal wrath against sin and those who practice it. Golgotha’s hill comes immediately to mind. It was there that the Father sent His only Son to hang brutalized, bleeding, with his skin flayed open by the Roman whip – all because He bore the Father’s wrath against our sin. And so, St. Paul tells us, “[God] made [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21).

And what was it Isaiah prophesied 700 years earlier? But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed . . . But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief . . . (Isaiah 53. Bold type is my emphasis).

And then there are these warnings from the Lord Jesus Himself, for example, here, here and here. The Holy Spirit added yet more warnings, here, here, here and here. And can we forget about the Book of Revelation? Nearly the entire book is devoted to illustrating the certainty of God’s wrath against those who remain unrepentant and who reject Messiah’s sacrifice for them. For example, see here, here, and here. That is why the Church also warns the unrepentant, for example, here, here, here and here.

The God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New. “For I, the Lord, do not change” (Malachi 3:6). “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).

Yes, God is a God of love and mercy and compassion. That is what Golgotha is all about. But God is also a God of wrath against sin and those who commit sin. That is what Golgotha is all about.

And it is our recognition of God’s wrath that makes St. Paul’s next words so weighty with promise: But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us . . . .

We’ll look next time at that important clause which begins with, “But God . . . ."

Questions for Reflection:

1. Does the idea of God's wrath make you feel uncomfortable? Why, or why not?

2. Does the idea of God's mercy toward those who live for Christ bring you comfort? Why, or why not?

Ephesians 2:3 (part one)

2009-07-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

All of us once lived among them in the desires of our flesh, following the wishes of the flesh and the impulses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like the rest (Ephesians 2:3).

From our vantage point, we understand why Paul included himself in the “All of us.” The one-time Pharisee made it his personal mission to destroy the fledgling Church. He dragged disciples from homes, killing some, imprisoning others. However, what is often overlooked about the Pharisee Paul is that he became a saint.

That’s an important point, because what God did with Paul, He wants to also do with you and me.

What was it that God did with Paul? First, He captured Paul’s attention. I don’t think God preferred to do it the way He did – knock him to the ground and blind him for three days. I like to think God would have rather come to the Pharisee gently in the night, revealed Himself to Paul, and sent the new apostle on his way. But I believe God knew Paul would more likely pay attention to -- shall we say -- the direct approach.

What does that point have to do with us? It should behoove us, then, to listen when God calls us gently in the night – lest He exercise His other options.

Second, God forgave Paul’s murderous sins.

I made that a stand-alone paragraph because I don’t want us to miss that. Even for murder (remember St. Stephen in Acts 7 and 8:1?), God is willing to forgive the penitent – to cast such sins as far from us as east is from west (Psalm 103:12). And the application for us, then, should be clear – regardless of what we have done or how often we’ve done it – God is willing to forgive the penitent (1 John 1:9).

Third, God brought someone to Paul to teach him the gospel of Christ (Acts 9). But the important thing here is Paul had to be teachable. Remember, Paul was very knowledgeable of his Jewish faith -- far more than most of his colleagues. (Phil 3:4-7 and Galatians 1). Therefore, Paul had to be humble enough to accept the words of a non-Pharisee (Ananias) who brought him the gospel message.

The application for us? No matter who we are, what our age, rank or position in the Church, we must be teachable. Jesus said even children could lead us to a closer relationship with God (Matthew 21:16). On the other hand, pride will often blind us to Truth Himself in our midst.

And finally, God sent Paul to others. And that application should also be clear for us. God wishes to use us – you and me – to tell others of His love, mercy, and offer of forgiveness in Christ. That’s one reason St. Paul wrote this to the Romans (10:14-17). But if God is going to use us, we must be prepared for service by exercising things we have covered several times in this study already: living a holy life, studying God’s word, being a person of prayer, participating faithfully in the Sacraments.

That’s what God did with the murderous Pharisee who became the foremost apostle of Jesus Christ. Think of what God can do with any of us who pay attention to Him, repent, are teachable about the Gospel, and are willing to tell others the wonderful news of Jesus.

Questions for Reflection:

1. St. John Cassian wrote: No structure of virtue can possibly be raised in our soul unless, first, the foundations of true humility are laid in our heart.

Are you teachable? Do you think so highly of your works of mercy, or your knowledge, that you cannot hear God speak through the mouths of others?

2. Are you engaged in activities that prepare you tell others of Jesus? (Remember the 3 Ss – Sacraments, Scripture and Supplication (prayer). If not, will you begin? If so, shall you persevere?

Ephesians 2:1-2 (part four)

2009-07-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

You were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you once lived following the age of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient. (Ephesians 2:1-2)

In part three of this lesson on spiritual armor we looked at the Christian soldier’s belt, breastplate, shoes and shield. Today we will look at the last two parts of our armor St. Paul spoke of – the sword and prayer: And take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit . . . (Ephesians 6:17,18)

St. Jerome warned, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” To that, I add, "To be ignorant of Scripture is also to be ignorant of Satan’s tactics and how to defeat his assault against us and those we love.”

And that is a very serious danger.

The Church teaches much about the Word of God. For example, see here, here and here. Furthermore, the writer to the Hebrews tells us, “The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword.” The Lord Jesus said to Satan, during the Temptation in the wilderness, “Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4); And St. John tells us that it is through the word of God we “overcome the evil one” (1 John 2:13-14).

In fact, the Roman soldier’s sword was the only offensive weapon in his arsenal. And it (along with Christian prayer) is our offensive weapon as well. King Solomon wrote: If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength (Ecclesiastes 10:10). Which means to me, if we do not have a well-honed sword we will have to work harder at both defense and offense.

So, how does one sharpen his or her sword? Scripture gives us abundant advice. “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it (Joshua 1:8). Or here in the Psalms. Or St. Peter, or St. Paul.

Did you know if you read only two chapters of the Old Testament each morning (about 10 minutes) and two chapters of the New Testament each evening (about 10 minutes) you will read the entire Old Testament in a bit more than 13 months, and the New Testament three times in a year? That means for the person who makes a habit of honing his or her sword, in five years he or she will have read the Old Testament nearly five times and the New fifteen times. That’s a lot of sharpening.

And finally (if there really can be a final word about our armor and the battle), prayer is an absolutely essential element in our warfare.

Of prayer, the Church has much to say on the subject. Here are only a few paragraphs: here, here, here, here and here. St. Francis Xavier Cabrini wrote: We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success; nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does it depend on arms and human industries, but on Jesus alone.

St. Ephraem wrote, Virtues are formed by prayer. Prayer preserves temperance. Prayer suppresses anger. Prayer prevents emotions of pride and envy. Prayer draws into the soul the Holy Spirit, and raises man to Heaven.

In a Dan Rather interview with Mother Teresa, Mr. Rather asked her what she says to God when she prays.

"I don't say anything," Mother Teresa said. "I just listen."
Mr. Rather then asked what God says to her.
"He doesn't say anything," she responded. "He just listens."

In his book, Time for God, Fr. Jacques Philippe writes, “No one ever starved to death because he didn’t have enough time to eat.” Yet, many a Catholic is spiritually anemic and weak for the battle because they think they don’t have time to pray.

It's an old adage, but quite true: We have time for the things we consider important. Satan fears a strengthened Christian adversary, so he willl convince us to leave our spiritual armor hanging in the closet, and to avoid things that will make us more formidable foes -- things like faithful participation in the Sacraments, Scripture study and prayer.

We know what we should do. St. Jerome, pray for us that our God will help us to do it with persistence.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Can you find 10 minutes in the morning and 10 in the evening for Bible reading? Can you find an additional 15 minutes a day for prayer? You might have to sacrifice something else to make the time. What will it be?

2. Is there a Bible study activity going on at your parish? If so, can you find time to join it? If there isn't one, perhaps your pastor, deacon (or another member of the parish designated by your pastor) would begin one if asked.

Ephesians 2:1-2 (part three)

2009-06-30T21:30:00.000-07:00

You were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you once lived, following the age of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient (Ephesians 2:1-2).

Last time we took a brief look at our supernatural enemy – Satan -- and some strategies he uses to imprison us and (if possible) drag us with him to an eternal hell. We also saw how God has not left us defenseless. This lesson (and the one or two that follow) will review those defenses – defenses that can be summed up in St. Paul's words to the Christians at Ephesus in Ephesians 6. It will be helpful if you review that section before moving on with this lesson.

Now let’s look at each piece of the armor in turn.

First in the Christian's armor are the "loins girded with [the belt of] truth." The Roman soldier’s belt kept his chain armor – and everything else attached to the belt -- in place. Without the belt, the soldier’s armor would flap around during the battle and expose him to the enemy. Likewise, Jesus said of Himself, "I am the way, the truth and the life” (St. John 14:6). And St. Paul tells us the Church is the “pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). Without our "belt of truth" tied properly around us, we expose ourselves to the deadly, “flaming missiles of the evil one” (Eph 6:16). That exposure will render us susceptible to great -- and possibly mortal -- injury through false teachings and heresies.

Next, is the breastplate of righteousness. Scripture declares Jesus has "become to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30). And as the Catechism reminds us, our righteousness is rooted squarely and solely in Christ’s work on Calvary, effected to us by faith, baptism, conversion and the Sacraments, especially of baptism, the Eucharist and of Penance. For example, see here, here, here and here. Just as one would not dare enter a battle without his breastplate, so the Christian ought never be without the protection of Christ’s righteousness.

Next, we find the feet "shod with the preparation of the gospel." Roman soldiers’ shoes were designed to provide not only a good grip on the soil so the soldier wouldn’t slip during hand-to-hand combat, but also be comfortable and sturdy enough for long marches. Likewise, the Christian's armor includes a firm and sturdy foundation for the life-long journey as we engage in one spiritual battle after another. What is that foundation? The Church teaches our foundation rests on three primary principles – the Sacraments, the Scriptures and Supplication (prayer). I call them the Three Ss. (We looked at them a few lessons ago).

Then there is the “shield of faith which will extinguish all the flaming missile of the evil one.”
The Roman shield was rectangular and about as tall as the soldier. He could use it while wielding his sword or he could crouch behind it to protect himself from arrows and spears. Also, before a battle, soldiers soaked their shields in water, which aided in extinguishing any flaming arrows shot at them by the enemy.

And what is the Christian’s shield of faith? Scripture brims with promises that ought to be sufficient shielding against Satan's lies, even for the most faint-hearted among us. For starters: God will never leave us or forsake us; Jesus' death redeemed us (notice, this is past tense -- it is already accomplished) from the power of Satan; we always receive forgiveness when we make good confessions; our heavenly Father loves us as much as He loves Jesus . And God’s word is a pure mirror which, as St. Paul wrote to Timothy -- and St. Peter wrote to the Church -- is vital for our spiritual strength and safety.

These pieces of armor are a lot to consider for now, so next time we will look at the last few critically important pieces. Until then, consider the following questions.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Verse 12 of Ephesians 6 reminds us: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

You and I do not have a choice about joining this battle. It has already come to us. And it is already wounding and killing people all around us. But we do have a choice how we will prepare for the fight. What is your plan? (Remember, ignoring the battle is still a plan).

2. The Sacrament of Confession is a key to our righteousness before God. Confession, of course, implies a decision to not only repent of that sin but also to avoid situations and circumstances that tempt you to commit that sin in the future. Identify one sin that easily trips you up. Now, what will you do about it?

Ephesians 2:1-2 (part 2)

2009-06-26T18:00:00.001-07:00

You were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you once lived following the age of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient (Ephesians 2:1-2).

According to a 2004 research conducted by the George Barna group, only 17 percent of Catholics, 18 percent Methodists, 20 percent Episcopalians, 21 percent Lutherans, and 22 percent of Presbyterians believe Satan is real.

Another way to say the same thing is, 83% of Catholics, 82% of Methodists, 80% Episcopalians, 79% Lutherans and 78% of Presbyterians do not believe Satan is a living, active being.

It seems CS Lewis was prophetic. In his Screwtape Letters, Lewis writes: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They [demons] themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight.

Another of Satan’s tactics is to convince humanity that he is little more than a buffoon, a fool who trips more over his own feet than he causes others to fall. Surely you have seen his cartoonish caricature with horns and tail, wearing a red suit and carrying a pitchfork. William Congreve, a 17th century playwright had this unwise thing to say: If I were a painter, I would draw the Devil like an idiot, a driveller with a bib and bells.

Look again at those numbers from Barna. When we consider how often Scripture speaks of Satan as a living being (I mean, after all, Jesus Himself spoke with the devil face to face during the Wilderness Temptation!), those statistics are very troubling.

Scripture pictures the Devil quite differently than he is believed to be. Jesus called him the "father of lies," a "murderer" and a wolf that scatters God's sheep (John 8:44, 10:12). St. Paul called him and "angel of light" and his ministers "false apostles, deceitful workers" who disguise themselves as disciples of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). St. John warned that the “whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church also devotes a number of paragraphs to the Devil. We find a few of those here, here, here and here. And yet, despite such frequent references to Satan and his demons in Scripture and Church teaching, it is clear the Devil has convinced large swaths of people who should know better (i.e. Christians) of his non-existence. And this has proven for him to be a very effective (and deadly) ploy, for if one does not believe Satan exists, there is no reason to guard against him.

St. Paul warned his readers in Ephesus against knowingly – or unknowingly – following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the disobedient. And St. Peter cautioned, Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). And we should consider ourselves in great danger if we reject the teaching of Scripture and the Church, for in rejecting that teaching, we strip ourselves of any hope of defending against Satan.

What is our defense? God has provided us a defense that is more than sufficient for the task. St. Paul wrote, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).

God has not left us without supernatural resources to battle our supernatural enemy. Next time we will look briefly at both the strategy – and the battle armor -- God has given us for our protection, and for the defeat of Satan’s influence in our lives.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Do you believe in a living being called Satan? If not, why not? If yes, why?

2. St. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 10 (see above) that our weapons are not fleshly, but divinely powerful. Though we will talk of those weapons next week, what do you think those weapons are? More importantly, how do you use those weapons in your daily life?

Ephesians 2:1

2009-06-16T19:42:00.001-07:00

You were dead in your transgressions and sins . . . . (Ephesians 2:1)

The Greek word St. Paul used for "dead" is νεκρός (nekros). From it, we get the word "necrotic," which means -- dead, as in "without life." In the New Testament, the word also refers to those who are spiritually dead, and unable to recognize God because they have given themselves over to sin. As St. Paul wrote in another epistle, "The wages of sin is death." Or as the Church teaches in #981 of the Catechism: [The Church] has received the keys of the Kingdom of heaven so that, in her, sins may be forgiven through Christ's blood and the Holy Spirit's action. In this Church, the soul dead through sin comes back to life in order to live with Christ, whose grace has saved us. (my emphasis)

If the text in Ephesians 2 stopped here, all of us would be left without hope. But Paul's argument continues to what is my favorite verse in this chapter -- verse 4. We'll talk more about that later. For now, though, let's reflect on what it means to be dead to God.

As in physical death, there is nothing a corpse can do to save itself. Poke it with a knife, and it feels nothing. Warn it of danger, and it can never respond. Likewise, from a spiritual perspective, before the Holy Spirit "quickened" us, you and I were dead to God. As St. Thomas Aquinas writes in his Summa Theoligica (volume 5): "Sin is the spiritual death of the soul."

In other words, we could do nothing to save ourselves. Our hearts were callous toward God, seared over as with a hot branding iron. Which is why the Apostle's message of God's mercy is so powerful: But God, being rich in mercy . . . made us alive in Christ (verse 4).

St. Paul, Old Testament scholar as he was, understood the concept of spiritual death from the Prophets. For example, in this passage from Isaiah (Isaiah 59:1-2), God tells Israel He does not hear their prayers because their sins have separated them from Him. In Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:1-14), God gives us a picture of His mercy as he takes dry bones and give them new life.

It's critical to our spiritual maturity to recognize our former "deadness" to God, because our new life in Christ is not about us, our goodness, or anything inherent in us. Nothing we did or could do could bring us new life.

It was all about Jesus -- as it always has been and always will be.

That is why, for example, the prayer to God in the Chaplet of Divine Mercy is so beautiful -- "For the sake of His sorrowful passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world." For only by God's mercy can anyone be made alive to Christ. As the Lord Jesus said, only by God's mercy can anyone come to salvation -- our family, friends -- the whole world.

Questions for Reflection:

1. What does this passage from St. Paul's letter to the Romans add to your understanding of the text we have been looking at in Ephesians 2:1?

2. We will look at these verses later, but for now, how do these texts add further to your understanding of Ephesians 2:1?

3. As we have seen in earlier studies in Ephesians, we are made children of God at our baptism. How then do you understand Ephesians 2:1 and the rest of this study in light of our baptism into Christ?

Ephesians 1:22-23 part three

2009-06-15T15:39:00.000-07:00

And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23).

Last time we looked briefly at the differences in how evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics understand the Church. This lesson will present an overview of the differences between both groups in their understanding of the Scriptures, the Pope, and Mary. At the outset, I want to stress this is an overview.

The Catholic Church, teaches the Bible is the fully inspired Word of God (for example, see here, here, here and here). (Catholic Bibles contain several additional books, sometimes called Deuterocanonical, or Apocryphal. These books include 1 & 2 Maccabbees, Wisdom, Baruch, Judith, Sirach and Tobit. It is beyond the scope of this lesson to discuss the reason Catholic Bibles include these books, and Protestant and Jewish Bibles do not).

Evangelical Protestants also believe the Bible is the fully inspired Word of God. The difference in the theologies of each group, however, is related to the interpretation of God's word.

As we saw last time, Catholics interpret Matthew 16:16-19 as the origin of God-inspired Church hierarchy and leadership. Indeed, St. Paul argues in his first letter to Timothy that the Church is the "pillar and support of truth." Further, we can see the unfolding of this understanding of Church hierarchy and leadership in the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15) and in St. Paul's address to the leaders in the church at Ephesus in Acts 20. In the Acts 15 example, the apostles make a binding decision regarding orthodox faith. In Acts 20, Paul warns the church that "from among" themselves, wolves will come and scatter the sheep -- thus implying the need for apostolic Church leadership. And there are many other examples one could cite in support of church authority.

In fact, a cursory study of the early heresies that attacked the Church (e.g. gnosticism, Arianism, Docetism, Nestorianism, and Marcionism), will show that if it were not for the Church leadership in those early centuries in Rome (and Constantinople), orthodox Christian faith would look quite different today.

Evangelical Protestants, on the other hand, believe basically that the Holy Spirit guides His people "into all truth," and therefore, by diligent systematic study of the Scriptures, one can know God's truth for himself or herself. As a consequence, Protestants are generally skeptical of a central authority deciding what is "true" doctrine.

Which brings us to the reason for the fundamental difference in Catholic and Protestant view of the Sacred Tradition. While Catholics believe the Word of God is fully inspired and is "profitable for doctrine . . . .") Catholics also believe Christ (through the Holy Spirit) gave to the Church (again, see 1 Timothy 3:15) the sacred right to correctly and authoritatively interpret Scripture -- much like the Apostles did here and here, for example.

Doctrines specific to Catholic faith are based on Sacred Tradition originating from Church councils and early Church Fathers. Those councils and Fathers interpreted Scripture to demonstrate Catholic truths such as Mary's immaculate conception (meaning, she was born without the taint of original sin), her perpetual virginity and her Assumption into heaven. The same can be said for Catholic doctrines such as Indulgences, Purgatory and the Seven Sacraments.

Evangelical Protestants, on the other hand, rely only on Scripture (called by some, sola scriptura), and while they may look to early Church Fathers for an historical understanding and commentary on any given text, the Fathers do not pull any greater weight on the interpretation of Scripture than more recent commentators such as Luther, Wesley, Calvin, Matthew Henry or C. I. Scofield.

As I said at the beginning, this lesson is nothing more than a very broad overview of the reasons why evangelical Protestants and Catholics look at the Church through different colored glasses.

Nor is it my intent to elevate one view over the other (although I certainly believe the Catholic view to be the correct one).

It is my intent, however, to help each group understand a little about the other, because understanding is the first step toward dialogue. And dialogue is a first step toward Christian unity.

Next time we will continue our study in Ephesians with chapter 2 and verse 1.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Compare this passage in 2 Timothy with that of St. Jerome,"Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ." What do you think St. Paul meant when he wrote, "Be diligent to present ourself . . . .?

2. Read this Psalm. What might you do to work with the Holy Spirit toward unity of the Church?

Ephesians 1:22-23 part two

2009-06-09T17:34:00.000-07:00

And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23).

Last time we looked briefly at what it means to be part of Christ’s body – the Church. We shouldn't move on in our study of Ephesians without, at the very least, investigating what some Christians mean when they talk about the Church.

In this lesson we will take a look at what the Church means to Protestants and Roman Catholics. By “Protestants” I mean specifically the fellowships my wife and I worshiped and served in for more than 30 years, groups who call themselves (and by practice, are) evangelical Protestants, such as Assemblies of God, Baptist, Church of God, and non-denominational Protestant groups that spun off from those type of churches. Evangelical theology is best illustrated by the works of Protestant leaders such as Billy Graham, A. W. Tozer, Dwight L. Moody, J. Vernon McGee, Oswald Chambers, Bill Bright, and Chuck Swindoll. (A helpful resource that further defines what these groups believe and practice is found here).

It is beyond the scope of this study to present more than an overview of Protestant and Catholic understanding of important doctrinal subjects such as salvation, the Church, and the Scriptures. My intent, however, is to present as accurate as possible a picture of each church's beliefs.

Roman Catholic View of Salvation --

Salvation has to do with one's relationship with God . . . a "friendship" with Him that results from being in a state of Grace. A basic explanation of the Catholic view of salvation might be summed up in the statement in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (para 830): [In the Church] subsists the fullness of Christ's body united with its head; this implies that she receives from him "the fullness of the means of salvation."

In other words, salvation resides in the Church through the fullness of the faith given by Christ to His Church (through the Apostolic Teaching), and (perhaps especially) through the seven Sacraments (see here, for example).

Sacraments are external expressions of an internal work of the Holy Spirit. They consist of words and actions that, through the power of the Holy Spirit, unite the person to the Risen Christ in a way that enables him or her to experience and share God’s life-giving love with others. And finally (if we can really say, "finally"), Sacraments are encounters with the Risen Christ through which a person can experience by faith God’s life-giving presence and transformative love.

Thus, by participating through faith in the Sacraments, a person participates in the saving work of God. For example:

The Sacrament of Baptism frees the person from the mastery of sin, in much the same way as the Hebrew people were freed from slavery to Pharaoh. At baptism the Holy Spirit indwells the baptized and brings that person into a familial relationship with God so that, with Jesus, the baptized can now call God, "Abba" (daddy). Some of the many Biblical texts cited in support of the salvific effect of Baptism are found here, here, here and here.

The Sacrament of Confirmation “confirms” that relationship and the salvific work of the Holy Spirit in that person’s life. Confirmation marks an 'adult' commitment to follow Christ in obedience to His commandments (Catholics are often confirmed in their teen years). Some of the Biblical texts to support an adult commitment are found here and here.

The Sacrament of the Eucharist unites the person with Christ in a substantive way, and nourishes him or her for the spiritual journey toward (and in) eternal life by consuming in faith the flesh and blood of Jesus (called “transubstantiation”). Some of the Biblical passages cited in support of this view are found here, here and here.

The Sacrament of Holy Orders (received by deacons, priests or Bishops) confers the privileges of representing Christ to our world in a way reserved only to those called by Christ to this sacrament. Some New Testament passages in support of this view are found here and here. These same texts also are used to support the Sacrament of Penance (Confession). This sacrament is sometimes called the second baptism because it enables a person to confess his or her sins, turn from the wrong way and walk again with Christ. Through this sacrament, the penitent receives forgiveness of his or her sins when confessing to the priest (who is appointed by God to stand "in the place of Christ").

Through the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, a man and woman reflect the relationship Jesus has with His Church (His Bride) on earth. For example, see here.

The Sacrament of the Sick (Last Rites) is celebrated with those who are seriously ill or dying so they may experience God's strength and peace. Through this Sacrament, the person is also offered a final opportunity to confess his or her sins and receive absolution (forgiveness). See texts such as here, here and here.

Each Sacrament is rooted in New Testament Scriptures, and can be traced to Christian faith as early as the first and second centuries. For more information, see here. Or, see the Catechism of the Catholic Church and search "sacraments."

For Catholics, salvation is an ongoing process rooted in continuing in the faith and evidenced by works appropriate to salvation. For example, see here, here , here and here. Now let's take a look at how evangelical Protestants view salvation.

The Catholic Church (post-Vatican II) recognizes baptized non-Catholics to be Christians. For example, see here, and here.

Evangelical Protestant View of Salvation --

The evangelical Protestant view of Salvation can be summed up in Biblical texts such as Ephesians 2, or Romans 10, Romans 3, or Galatians 2 -- and many others which link faith (and associated repentance before God) with salvation. For a broadly applicable example of an evangelical "Statement of Faith," see here for the Assemblies of God, or here for a Baptist statement.

Please note the similarities in the Assemblies of God and the Baptist views of salvation – that being, salvation is conferred by Christ on the basis of a personal confession of sins to God, in which a person asks God's forgiveness on the basis of Christ's sacrifice. Evangelical Protestants also make it clear to the penitent that he or she must also live a holy lifestyle by obeying Christ. Having made this confession, by faith the person is immediately “born again” into the kingdom of God.

For many evangelicals, salvation is recognized as a one-time event. A person is saved immediately upon confession of sins to God through Christ. When that person dies -- whether a minute later, or fifty years later, evangelicals believe that person enters immediately into God's presence (assuming the person has lived a faithful life). There is no concept of Purgatory in evangelical thought because his or her confession -- and subsequent confessions of sins committed after the initial prayer of salvation -- completely erased all sins for which the person was guilty. See here and here, for examples.

In many evangelical Protestant churches, Baptism is an “ordinance” of the Church and is considered a symbolic “dying to self” and being raised to new life in Christ -- for example, here and here.

Holy Communion is a symbol of Christ’s death and atonement, and through partaking of Holy Communion, the participants rededicate themselves repeatedly to obedience to Christ in all things.

Confirmation, likewise, occurs repeatedly in the evangelical Protestant’s Christian life as he or she rededicates himself or herself to Christ -- most often done through personal prayer.

Confession of sin occurs when the penitents confess their sins directly to God and repent. Confession and repentance have very deep significance to evangelicals who want to serve Christ and please Him above all things.

Marriage is a solemn occasion and, as in Catholic faith, is understood to represent Christ and His Church on earth.

What Catholics call Holy Orders, Protestants regard as a singular call of God on a person’s life to devote himself or herself to full-time Christian ministry (for example, as a pastor or missionary). And, finally, what Catholics call the Sacrament of the Sick, evangelical Protestants recognize as a prayer for the sick. Because evangelical Protestants believe in the "priesthood" of all believers (for example, see 1 Peter 2), they believe all Christians -- laity or pastor -- have the privilege and duty to share the gospel message of salvation and forgiveness with everyone they meet . . . including and especially those near death.

So, there you have it: A brief (but reasonably accurate) comparison of the theological views of evangelical Protestants and Roman Catholics related to salvation. Next time we will look at the differences between Catholic and Protestant beliefs with regard to the Pope, Mary and the Scriptures. I hope you will find it valuable.

Questions for Reflection:

1. What do you think are the similarities of doctrine/theology between evangelical Protestants and Catholics? What are the differences?

2. What might be the common ground for each group to discuss the concept of unity among all baptized believers?

Ephesians 1:22-23 Part One

2009-06-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:22-23).

If this were the only text in Scripture that spoke of the Body of Christ and the Church, we would miss the full wonder and significance of this mystery – especially in light of the next verse in Ephesians in which St. Paul writes: And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.

More on that in a later lesson.

For now, let's focus on these last two verses in Ephesians chapter one. Scripture teaches, as does the Catechism of the Catholic Church, that all baptized Christians are part of Christ’s body.

So what does that really mean to be part of Christ's body? Let’s look at only a few of the treasures inherent in our being baptized into Christ:

We have been born again. We are new people in Christ. Whoever we were before, we are no longer the same. No longer a slave to sin and temptation, we are now free to live a new life after the manner of Christ.

Repentance and confession always results in God’s forgiveness. Always.

We will rise from death to never die again. St. Thomas Aquinas writes: As Christ destroyed our death by His death, so He restored our life by His resurrection.

Our life has eternal purpose. God has given us charisms – spiritual gifts – useful for the building up of His Church. We are co-laborers with Christ, working together for the eternal salvation of souls – souls of our family, our friends, neighbors . . . even of those across the globe.

We have an eternal inheritance with God, the saints, martyrs and the whole cloud of the Faithful who have served God.

We can speak to God – and He hears us. St. Teresa of Avila wrote: However softly we speak, He is near enough to hear us. Neither is there any need for wings to go to find Him. All one need do is go into solitude and look at Him . . . .

We are a son or daughter of God, and He cares so much for us that He lovingly sent His Son to die in our place. Abbe Henri de Tourville reminds us: Remember that God loves your soul, not in some aloof, impersonal way, but passionately, with the adoring, cherishing love of a parent for a child.

Jesus our Messiah, our Anointed One, Savior, Redeemer, Brother and Friend is the eternal head of His Church which is comprised of all baptized Christians. That vital truth is our seque – our transition -- into the next lesson. I hope you will come back again.

Questions for Reflection:

1. I had two dads while I was growing up. Neither of them loved me. As a consequence, it took years before I could begin to grasp the truth that my heavenly Father is nothing like my earthly fathers. Perhaps your childhood was something like mine. You lived without the love of one or both parents. Read this verse from St. John's gospel (we've looked at this passage before. Obviously it is a very important one for me). How would your life change if you began to understand -- really know -- your heavenly Father loves you as much as He loves Jesus?

2. When was the last time you stubbed your little toe? Or got something in your eye? Now read this passage from 1 Corinthians 12. Whether you think you are an eye -- or a toe -- you are very important to the Head, who is Christ. When you hurt, He hurts (and so should the rest of the body). When you rejoice, so does He. So, how do you think it should make you feel to know you are so highly valued by the Head?

Ephesians 1:20-22 part two

2009-06-01T09:10:00.000-07:00

. . . seated him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his feet . . . (Ephesians 1:20-22).

Last time we looked briefly at Scripture's assurance of Christ's absolute power over all of humanity -- power and authority that I sometimes forget. And so, it is no wonder I get spun up over the news I hear on radio or read on the internet. I forget who's really in charge. I forget, "the king's heart is like channels of water in the hands of the Lord" (Proverbs 21:1).

And there is something else I tend to forget, as well. I thought of it as I prepared for this lesson by re-reading my comment about the Nicene Creed. Those who memorized the Creed know the sections following "God from God, Light from Light, true God from True God . . . " declare that Christ, who is seated at the right hand of the Father, will also "come again in glory to judge the living and the dead."

It is that glorious promise -- Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead -- that I want to focus attention on in this lesson. To do that, I decided to include an excerpt of an essay I published in my book, We Believe:Forty Meditations on the Nicene Creed. The essay speaks to the second advent of Christ:
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Creed Statement: He Will Come Again . . .

It shouldn’t have surprised me. For two weeks, the highway department had posted notices that they planned to resurface the asphalt, fill the potholes, and smooth the roadway. As far as I was concerned, they couldn’t fix the road soon enough. I’d slammed into the craters so many times my teeth were loose.

I suppose it’s because I saw the notices each day that I stopped paying attention to them. Before long, the signs blended into the background as I swerved down the street, trying not to crack the front axle. So when I left the house that morning and turned the corner, the unusually smooth ride startled me. For the first time in months, the mini-van didn’t rattle. I didn’t dodge potholes or worry about losing my teeth. When I stopped for the traffic light at the next corner, I noticed even my palms were dry.

Asphalt highways are not the only places ravaged by potholes. Many of us slam into craters along life’s highway. Heartaches jar us to the roots of our teeth. Failures break our confidence.

Then one day we see notices posted along the path. One promises, The rough places will be made smooth (Isaiah 40); another promises, In the twinkling of an eye we shall be caught up to be with the Lord (1 Corinthians 15); and, I will come again and receive you to Myself (John 14), declares a third. There are so many declarations we have to slow down to read them all.

Over and over, season after season, we hear them. We talk about them. We debate their meaning. Before long, they become old friends.

And that could become a problem for us.

Perhaps because the promises grow so familiar, we stop paying attention. The signs get lost in the busy-ness of punching time clocks, fighting traffic, washing clothes, paying overdue bills . . . We focus so much on dodging potholes, we no longer remember the promise that one day all who belong to Christ will leave the house, turn the corner – and find the road paved.

When we recite the words of the Creed, “He will come again,” we remind ourselves to not become complacent or grow weary in waiting. We remind ourselves to focus instead on Scripture’s unshakable promise – Christ will come again. And when He returns, He will caress every grieving heart and embrace every splintered life with His eternal love. Never again will we worry about rough roads.

Sometimes I think it can’t happen soon enough.

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Questions for Reflection:

1. Read this passage from St. Luke. How would you compare the Lord's instruction in this passage with the warning in St. Peter's epistle?

2. This warning from the Church ought to cause each of us to consider what might shake our faith. And having recognized the possibility, what can you do to strengthen your faith now, while you have opportunity?

3. In chapter 21 of St. Luke (see question one), we find this instruction from our Lord. How might Jesus' words help you answer question two (above)?

4. In his book, Time For God, Fr. Jacques Philippe writes: "No one ever died of hunger because of not having time to eat." Is there an application of this principle to prayer?

Ephesians 1:20-22

2009-05-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

. . . seated him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his feet . . . (Ephesians 1:20-22).

I have to admit, sometimes I forget who really is in charge of this planet: people, Satan, or God. To surf the internet news, or listen to the radio, one could get the idea that the sky is falling.

And it very well may be.

When I put what I know of bible prophecy about the End Times together with current national and international politics and economics, I can almost hear the trumpet.

I have to also admit, I sometimes (and quite unconsciously) place the Lord Jesus in my mind as less than He truly is – God. That’s as in -- uh, G-o-d. Almighty. Omnipotent. Omniscient. Co-eternal and co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus is seated physically at the Father’s right hand (as we discussed briefly in the last study), but He is no less Almighty God than either of the other two Persons in the Holy Trinity.

As the writers of the Nicene Creed (325 A.D.) so ably stated, Jesus is “God from God, light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being (essence) with the Father.”

And that is the point St. Paul is driving home when he tells his readers Jesus is “far above every principality, authority, power and dominion" -- that ALL things – as in ALL things – are under Jesus’ feet.

One of my favorite passages from the prophet Isaiah speaks directly to this point -- and a person would have to work very hard to miss that point -- “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Behold, He lifts up the islands like fine dust. . . . All the nations are as nothing before Him, they are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.”

I'm not sure if Scripture makes God's view of humankind's prowess any clearer.

And then there is this passage in Psalm 2 in which the Lord derides all of earth's rulers and princes who cast God's authority aside. Nor should we forget this telling verse in the last chapters of Scripture that record earth’s future history (history which is, from God's vantage point, already accomplished), or this passage from the prophet Daniel.

And, while we are talking about the absolute power of Jesus, this scene in St. John’s gospel is among my favorites in the New Testament and concludes with this passage: So Jesus . . . went forth and said to them, "Whom do you seek?" They answered Him, "Jesus the Nazarene." He said to them, "I am He". . . . So when He said to them, "I am He," they drew back and fell to the ground."

Can you see the scene in your mind? A furious and malevolent mob surrounds Jesus, wielding their clubs and swords. Jesus knows why they are there. But what does He do? He walks up to them (see who's really in charge here?) and when He identifies Himself the mob falls to the ground, overcome by the sheer (and, as I imagine, the VERY controlled) power of God.

I'm surprised they didn’t jump to their feet and flee in terror for their lives. But they – as political, religious and economic bullies have always done (and do) – they brushed wisdom aside, grabbed the Lord and dragged Him away -- and in so doing, merely fulfilled the master plan of the Master.

Listen -- I need to hear this truth about Jesus' power again and again. And perhaps you also can benefit from being reminded of it a time or two, as well. Heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain the power of our almighty God. Demons tremble at the very name of Jesus; how much more at His presence? And God’s children, born through baptismal faith, are invincible as long as Jesus says we are. And He permits us to be touched only when our suffering is for our good and for His glory.

And that, (as some might say it), is shoutin’ stuff. Glory to God!

Questions for Reflection:

1. You and I – indeed, everyone on planet Earth – has the choice how we will serve the Master. Some will do so as His children. Others, as His tools. Which will you be?

2. God is forever on His throne. That is why God-in-the-form-of-Man told us, when we see the sky falling, “look up and rejoice, for your redemption draws near.” Why shall we be afraid when Jesus promised He goes before us, and nothing will overtake us that He has not prepared us to meet?

Ephesians 1:20

2009-05-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

. . . . in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens . . . (Ephesians 1:20).

The resurrection of Christ is the foundation of Christian salvation faith. Without Christ's physical resurrection from the dead, then you and I -- everyone on earth -- is without hope for eternal life. Without the historical resurrection, everything the Church has taught related to faith and morals rests on sand. If the scriptures are wrong, and Christ did not rise from the dead, then nothing else in Scripture can be trusted for veracity. If Jesus is still in his grave, then biblical Christian faith is a malicious lie and the Church is guilty of unconscionable fraud.

And that is why Satan and his "angels of light" have, for the past two thousand years, sought to discredit the resurrection story of the New Testament.

Four of the more prominent theories surface from time to time, especially around Easter. Those theories are commonly labled the Wrong Tomb theory, the Hallucination theory, the Swoon theory and the Stolen Body theory. Many Christian theologians, apologists and teachers have addressed these theories (and others). A simple Google search of each theory will bring up thousands of hits , and do a reasonable job describing those theories and their associated problems, and I urge you to explore some of those sites. However, for the sake of time, I will summarize them below:

Wrong Tomb -- The disciples didn't know where the Lord was buried, so they went to the wrong tomb. When they didn't find His body, they claimed Jesus had risen. Problem: All the religious and political leaders needed to do to disprove the resurrection claim was to go to the correct tomb and retrieve Jesus' body.

Hallucination -- the disciples wanted so badly to see their Lord again that they "hallucinated" His resurrected body. Problems: Again all the authorities needed to do was produce the body.

Swoon -- Jesus didn't actually die, but simply passed out. Problem: Read these accounts of a typical Roman crucifixion, as well as how such crucificion applied to Jesus, and you will immediatly recognize the problem with this theory.

Stolen Body -- the disciples somehow slipped past the Roman soldiers guarding the tomb, rolled the boulder from the opening to the grave, and slipped away into the darkness with their dead Lord. Problem: 1) Roman soldiers knew they would be burned alive if they were found sleeping on their watch, and 2) each of the disciples suffered a torturous martyrdom knowing they were dying for a lie they themselves perpetrated.

It has always amazed me why some people go to such illogical lengths to deny the historical event known as the resurrection of Jesus. I can only speculate as to their possible motives.

However, what is important to our lesson here is this: Jesus did, according to the Scriptures and the historical evidence, rise physically from the grave. He ascended physically into heaven where He is now seated physically "at the right hand of the Father." And because Jesus lives forever, you and I can boldly face the future --uncertain as it may seem -- because the power that raised Jesus from the dead is the same power that gives you and me the grace to live for Christ despite the most sinister obstacles Satan and his children place in our way.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Consider, in the quietness of your thoughts, the Passion of Christ -- the beating, the whipping, the mournful "I thirst" from the Cross -- and then consider what it might have been like to stand by the tomb that Easter morning as the stone began to roll away.

2. Do the lyrics of this hymn many Catholics sing at Mass encourage you? Then share the hymn with others.

Ephesians 1:17-18 part four

2009-05-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

Ephesians 1:17-19 part three

2009-05-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

. . . that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of (your) hearts be enlightened, that you 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 . . . (vv 17-19).

The Lord Jesus asked His closest friends a simple question. And their answer was the same mine had been for thirty-two years of my Christian walk.

They fell asleep.

It’s not that I didn’t want to spend time with Him. I did. But though my spirit was willing, my flesh was often not. Restlessness pulled me toward getting on with my day. Then there were the distractions, or weariness, or simply running out of things to say that offered a plethora of excuses that trumped my desire to quiet myself for very long with the Father. Soon, my prayers dwindled into little more than a quick “Lord, bless me, mine and ours.”

I don’t know why it took me so long to discover that prayer – the kind I longed for – is a discipline-driven exercise. In his book, Seeking Spiritual Direction, Fr. Thomas Dubay wrote: Most of us assume that world-class excellence in music, scholarship, or sports is due mainly to extraordinary talent, but . . . while talent does play a part, the chief factor is drive and determination. And then he added the clincher: Am I as determined in my pursuit of God as the worldly are in seeking prestige and power, fame and fortune?

The Psalmist wrote often of specific times of prayer, for example here, here and here. And we know the Jews in the New Testament continued the practice of specific times of prayer, for example here and here.

For many Christians, an extended and uninterrupted period of worship each day is easy to start, but difficult to continue. Other thoughts whisper in our ears to draw us from our place at Christ’s feet. Such distractions should not discourage us. Brother Lawrence knew of distractions, and his advice should encourage us: "We should not wonder if, in the beginning, we often fail in our endeavors.” Brother Lawrence learned if we persist in prayer we will create, in time, a habit of prayer that produces its fruit in us -- “to our exceeding great delight."

In the last few lessons we looked briefly at the idea of knowing God, instead of simply knowing about God -- and how knowing God is directly related to the amount of time we spend with Him. Let’s look now at some tools available to anyone who yearns to draw deeper into Christ. (By the way, I do not necessarily endorse everything contained in the following websites. I include them only for illustration).

1. Find a quiet place (a room or large closet) where you can be alone for a time. Mine is a corner of my study which I have screened off from the rest of the room. I hung a crucifix on the wall, opposite where I sit, so I can often meditate on our Lord's passion.

2. Pray the Scriptures. I often pray scriptures I've memorized, or a passage that spoke to me during my daily reading.

3. Pray the Scriptural Rosary (for the history of the Scriptural Rosary, see here: For examples of Rosary prayers, see here). I find the Scriptural Rosary a very valuable method of remaining focused on the Lord and on His word.

4. Pray the prayers of Saints. Their words, born sometimes out of a deep union with God, can become a wonderful pattern for us.

5. Pray hymn lyrics. Many Christian hymns began as prayers, and so their lyrics lend themselves well to be prayed. A modification of praying lyrics is to listen to Christian choruses and sing them to God -- which is one reason a quiet room or area is nice to have.

6. Meditate on passages of scripture. Place yourself in the scene described in the chapter. How do you feel being there? Can you see or hear the people in the scene you are imagining.
What are the thoughts God brings to your mind?

7. Pray spontaneous prayers. Pray for people you know, situations you or others are experiencing. Pray for the Church, for political leaders . . . there is no end of the circumstances and people we can lift up to God. Make a list and keep it handy. Mine includes those I pray for each day, and those I pray for on specific days of the week.

8. Pray -- not just recite -- the Apostles’ or Nicene Creeds. Pause at each phrase and consider what those words mean to you.

Tools are simply that -- tools. Recitation of prayers without thought is nothing more than useless rote. And rote will not move us toward intimacy. But prayers spoken with honesty and a hunger to communicate with the One who loves us so much that He gave His son for our redemption will accomplish much. These tools (and you will discover your own, as well) can help us stay focused and disciplined during our time with Jesus.

And that's the whole point, isn't it?

As we will discover, knowing God is far greater than knowing about Him. Surely that is why St. Paul prayed here in Ephesians: May the eyes of (your) hearts be enlightened, that you 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 . . .

To which we say, "Amen."

Questions for Reflection:

1. Jesuit priest, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, wrote: God does not offer Himself to our finite beings as a thing all complete and ready to be embraced. For us He is eternal discovery and eternal growth. The more we think we understand him, the more he reveals himself as otherwise. The more we think we hold him, the further he withdraws, drawing us closer into the depths of himself.

What do you think about Fr. Pierre's comment in relation to your own spiritual journey? How can an enhanced prayer life help you along that journey?

2. The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes this: Prayer is a vital necessity . . . If we do not allow the Spirit to lead us, we fall back into the slavery of sin. How can the Holy Spirit be our life if our heart is far from him? (paragraph 2744)

What can we learn from the Church's teaching in this paragraph? What steps will you take to bring your heart closer to God?

3. Author Rhonda Cervin writes: How sad that God may be drawing us closer and closer to Him, but we prefer to remain distant, safe on our own territory and seemingly in control. The saints lure us into praying for greater intimacy with the God of love.

What might our preference to remain safe and in control have to do with a subconscious reluctance to draw closer to God through prayer and meditation on His word?

4. Won't you comment to the others who read this blog how YOU stay focused in prayer? If your comment does not appear within 18-24 hours, please email me a copy (richmaffeobooks@gmail.com). Sometimes I don't see all the comments in my inbox.

Ephesians 1:17-19 part two

2009-05-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

Growing Old with God.

Deepest communion with God is beyond words, on the other side of silence. – Madeleine L'Engle

I hadn’t slept well the night before, and weariness settled over me like a heavy rug. Nancy and I returned home from Mass, ate lunch, and were unwinding on the couch where she continued our conversation about her passion for art. But I couldn't keep my mind from drifting. As it did, my eyes focused on her face.

I’d noticed her changing features before, but somehow this time I saw her anew. Creases feather her cheeks and forehead where her skin was once smooth and supple. Gone is her naturally dark auburn hair. She colors it blonde to mask the gray.

When I asked Nancy to marry me more than three decades ago, I thought I knew her. I thought I loved her. Now, half-listening to her describe the colors she planned to use in her next project, I realized how little I really knew or loved her in 1975.

We’ve weathered many storms during our years together. Some of them were tsunamis. I don’t even like to dredge them up in my memory. Our son suffered through divorce. Nancy’s beloved stepfather died. Two years later, I lost mine. Financial crises and long periods of unemployment often rocked our marriage. Friends turned their backs on us because of our commitment to Christ. And then there were a dozen military-related moves from one end of the country to the other, which forced us to leave family, friends, and familiar places.

Sometimes I wonder how we survived it all. God’s grace? Unquestionably. Intervening from the shadows, often without revealing His hand, our Father brought peace when turmoil overwhelmed us, and freedom when fear bound us. He quieted us when, in frustration, we lashed out at each other instead of going to our knees before our God.

God’s grace, certainly. But something else has proven vital to our relationship: our communication with each other.

I suppose better than eighty percent of our discussions over the years have been casual. You know the kind: What’s for dinner? What happened at work? The kids have colds . . . . But because of that casual eighty percent, she and I can also meet in intimate, deeply personal conversations. We are able to talk about our hopes, joys, fears and dreams because we have spent so much of our time learning about each other. That’s why I know her – and love her – so much more today than I did when we married.

Which brings me to the real point.

Thirty-six years ago, I thought I knew Jesus. I thought I loved him. But, oh, how my knowledge of Him and my love for Him are so very different today than they were in 1972 when I first offered Him my heart.

Why? Unquestionably, because of God’s grace. But I am sure there is something else at work.

Early in my walk with Christ, I learned the importance of communing with Him in prayer, study of Scripture – and more recently since I joined the Catholic Church – in the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Over the years, I’ve worn out three Bibles, memorized scores of Scripture texts, and can allude to hundreds more. I’ve spent time with Him each morning, evening, and throughout each day.

To be honest, most of my prayers – eighty percent? – are not what I would call passionate. You know the kind: Lord, I need a good evaluation at work. Mom needs guidance about moving from Florida. Gerry needs a job. Helen’s son is ill. But because of that eighty percent, because I communicate so often with Him, I know how to be intimate with Him when battles rage beyond my control.

In the first stanza of his poem, Rabbi Ben Ezra, Robert Browning wrote, Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be. The last of life, for which the first was made, our times are in His hand who said ‘A whole I planned, youth shows but half; trust God: see all, nor be afraid!’

As husbands and wives grow old together, they learn what love and intimacy with each other looks like. When men and women grow old with God, they learn what love and intimacy with Him is like. When life’s storms rip at our foundations, when the hot breath of Satan prickles down our neck, our deeply personal knowledge of God will be our fortress. Our passionate love for Him, born through intimate communion, will be our strength.

Surely, it was for our good, for our help and hope, that the prophet urged: “Seek the Lord while He may be found, call Him while He is near” (Isaiah 55:6).

Live near to God, and all things will appear little to you in comparison with eternal realities.
– Robert Murray M’Cheyne

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church offers many valuable statements about prayer here. Take time to meditate on paragraphs 2700-2724.

Prayer is so foundational to growing into a deeper relationship with God that we will spend another lesson or two on the subject. Please reflect on the following questions.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Did my essay about communicating with someone you love awaken within you a deeper understanding of relationship-building? How will that understanding affect your relationship with the people closest to you, as well as between you and God?

2. I -- as well as others who read this study -- would be interested to know how YOU pray. What methods or tools do you use? Do you follow a pattern or plan? Do you have a special time or place? Let us know in a paragraph or two (or three). We can each learn from each other.

I will share my pattern with you next time.

Ephesians 1:17-19 Part One

2009-05-06T17:55:00.000-07:00

Pope John Paul II warned in 1996, "Increasing religious indifference leads to the loss of the sense of God and of His holiness, which, in turn, is translated into a loss of a sense of the sacred, of mystery and of the capacity for wonder."

How terribly sad is the prospect -- loss of a sense of the sacred, of mystery and of wonder, all of which is rooted in our loss of the knowledge of God.

In my years as a Christian, I have come to recognize it is quite easy for nearly anyone to know about God. Libraries and the internet brim to near-overflowing with information about Him. We can hear about His love and justice, compassion and discipline in daily homilies, radio broadcasts, and religious journals. But knowing about God is entirely different from knowing God. The first is an intellectual pursuit. The second is rooted in the supernatural, as St. Paul writes here.

And knowing God is a process founded on certain criteria. Here are a few:

1. We can know only what God permits us to know through His grace. For example, the Lord Jesus said, ". . . no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him" (Matthew 11:27). And St. Paul wrote this to the Galatian church. And, speaking of the Church, read this comment in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

In other words, everything God does for us, everything He teaches us, every time He moves closer to us, all things find their origin in His grace, mercy and love for us.

2. The psalmist understood, "If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear [me]" (Psalm 66:18). St. Peter warned Christian husbands -- but the application to all Christians should be clear --"live with your wives in an understanding way . . . so that your prayers will not be hindered" (1 Peter 3:7). Can we expect our holy God to reveal more of Himself to us when we refuse to repent and turn from our sins?

3. We also need to forgive others. There are many unnerving passages in the bible, and surely this one spoken by the Lord ranks up there with the most disturbing. And, as if to highlight the point, the Lord offers this parable to His disciples. We should not expect God to reveal Himself to us if we are unwilling to forgive as we have been forgiven.

4. If we hope to know God more intimately, we should seek God more passionately. St. Paul wrote to the Christians at Colossae, "if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth" (Colossians 3:1-2). I like that phrase -- Keep Seeking. It's the same message the Lord spoke to His disciples here, in which the Greek tense carries the idea of continually asking, seeking and knocking.

Perhaps if we sought intimacy with Christ as some people seek wealth, power or popularity, we would know true wealth -- that being knowing Him and sensing His presence.

5. If we want to know Him, we ought to practice walking as He walked. St. Paul adds additional guidance: "Live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:1-3).

6. The Psalmist wrote here, here and here an admonition we would do well to heed if we hope to know God better. And St. Peter added: "like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation" (1 Peter 2:2).

The Lord Jesus said, "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father." And so, if we want to know God, we must know the Son -- which, I am sure, is why St. Jerome said, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."

In this lesson's Scripture passage, St. Paul speaks of the "hope that belongs to [God's] 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."

Why do we settle for trinkets and toys, when the wealth of heaven is within our reach?

Questions for Reflection:

1. The Lord Jesus invites us, "Come." Obedience and faith can be yoke to those of us (I am high on that list) who would often rather do as we want to do. When have you found His yoke easy? Why was it easy? What resulted from wearing His yoke?

2. Might the lyrics of this song be a worthwhile prayer?

Ephesians 1:15-16

2009-05-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

Therefore, I, too, hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus and of your love for all the holy ones, do not cease giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers (Ephesians 1: 15-16)

A friend recently sent me a note about his experience at a local health care clinic. A woman entered the clinic and asked her physician for a prescription for “morning after” medication. The physician refused, stating he was opposed to providing medication designed to produce an abortion. After the patient left, my friend stated how pleased he was that the physician sent her away. “I’m a Catholic,” my friend said.

The doctor glanced at him and then scoffed, “Oh, like Pelosi and Sebelius?”

For those who do not understand the reference, Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi and Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius both claim to be Catholics . . . . and both are openly and shamelessly pro-abortion.

In his play, Othello, Shakespeare puts into Iago’s mouth these words: “[He] who steals my purse steals trash . . . But he that filches (steals) from me my good name . . . makes me poor indeed.”

Reputations are important in business, in friendships, in families. But when related to our claim of being a Christian, reputations can have eternal consequences -- for others, and for ourselves. It is the wise man and woman who takes the Psalmist’s words to heart.

St. Paul told the church at Ephesus their reputation preceded them. And their reputation was a good one. Thus, we would do well to ask ourselves two questions based on this passage of Scripture. First, who has heard of our faith? And second, what do they say about our faith?

Do people even know I am a Christian? Do I keep my faith in Christ a secret, never thanking God for my food when I eat in a restaurant or the break-room on the job? Have I ever shared with others the Church’s teaching about issues related to morality and faith? Do I act any differently from non-believers in the kinds of jokes I laugh at – or tell? Am I different from them in where I find entertainment or how I spend my Sundays? Do I know more about sports statistics than I do about the bible? Can I quote pop culture icons, but know nearly nothing of St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Padre Pio, St. Maximilian Kolbe, or virtually any other of our Catholic saints?

What might people say of our faith – of yours and mine? St. John wrote, “Let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18). In other words, the apostle admonished us, “Don’t say you follow Christ if you don’t do as Christ did.” Otherwise, we give scandal to the Church and to Christ – as do politicians and others who claim one thing, but live as if God is not watching and listening – and keeping an account.

Living as a faithful Catholic is not easy.

I should repeat that for emphasis.

Living as a faithful Catholic is not easy. It requires submitting ourselves daily to God’s commandments. It requires carrying His cross, denying ourselves and, yes, dying to ourselves.

It is not easy. But it is, nonetheless, the way of Christ,

Questions for Reflection:

1. How might making this prayer your own help your reputation?
http://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/b005rp.htm

2. How might making this prayer your own help your reputation? http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Francis/peaceprayer.asp

3. Listen to this song. What questions come to your mind?

Ephesians 1:14

2009-04-27T08:54:00.001-07:00

In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace . . . In him we were also chosen . . . so that we might exist for the praise of his glory . . . sealed with the promised holy Spirit . . . to the praise of his glory. (1:4-14)

Why is it so difficult to admit our guilt to God? What is so hard about telling Him, "I am the one who sinned"?

Maybe pride stands in our way. We rationalize our disobedience with well-thought-out excuses and rehearse them so often we begin to believe our own stories. Or, perhaps fear keeps us aloof. If we admit our guilt to God, we fear His judgment – as if God doesn’t already know what we’ve done.

Would things have been different for Adam and Eve if they had been absolutely certain of their Father’s love and mercy? Had they known in their inner core that nothing they could do would separate them from the Father’s love, would they have passed the blame for their sins to another? I suppose it’s a rhetorical question.

Or is it?

If you and I were really convinced of God’s unconditional love for us, that even His discipline is simply an extension of His mercy and compassion for us – would we be so quick to rationalize our sins, or pass the blame on to others?

Three times in the first fourteen verses of this chapter, St. Paul uses the phrase, “to the praise of His glory” or “to the praise of the glory of His grace”(verses 6, 12, 14).

Three times.

As I re-read chapter one in preparation for this lesson, those words caught my attention. To whom (or what) might St. Paul be referring? Who, or what, would extol God’s glory because of the “grace that he granted us in the beloved”? Who would celebrate His glory for having chosen us to “exist for the praise of His glory,” having made us “God’s possession”?

I have a theory. I believe the apostle is thinking of angels and other supernatural beings, along with the Church in heaven who praise the glory of God’s grace when they behold His unfathomable mercy. Angels understand the justice and the judgment of God. But only humanity can understand His mercy.

Regardless of how dark and ominous our past might be, you and I receive God’s forgiveness not because of who we are, but because of who He is. God is love, and in love He renders Justice, as well as Mercy; Judgment, as well as Compassion.

No wonder heaven itself praises the “glory of God’s grace” as He extends to us mercy instead of what we deserve.

Then why is it so difficult to admit our venial and – perhaps especially – our mortal sins to God? Don’t we know our holy and righteous Judge stands ready to take us into His arms – and hold us close to Himself?

St. Therese of Lisieux wrote: If my conscience were burdened with all the sins it is possible to commit, I would still go and throw myself into our Lord’s arms, my heart all broken up with contrition. I know what tenderness He has for any prodigal child of His that comes back to Him.

Oh, may the Holy Spirit help us put aside our pride and fear, and run to the confessional – and from there, into the Father’s arms.

Questions for Reflection:

St. Paul of the Cross wrote: Should we fall into sin, let us at once humble ourselves sorrowfully in His presence, and then, with an act of unbounded confidence, let us throw ourselves into the ocean of His goodness, where every failing will be cancelled, and anxiety will be turned into love.

1. Is your sinfulness greater than God’s mercy?
2. What holds you back from the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
3. Will you memorize these two passages of scripture?

Ephesians 1:13-14

2009-04-22T20:03:00.000-07:00

In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God's possession, to the praise of his glory. (1:13-14)

For a moment, paint the picture in your mind of Golgotha's hill.

Our Blessed Lord and the two criminals hung for hours on their respective crosses, ravaged by thirst, and mocked by the mob. And for hours, the two watched the One in the middle. Nothing escaped their notice. They heard His groans, His agonized, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” And they heard Him pray for those who hated Him: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”

Yet, despite what the two heard and saw, only one was changed. Only one believed.

Each time I read that crucifixion passage, I feel as if I am looking back through the lens of eternity at Christ, still hanging on Calvary’s cross, bloodied and dying to purchase our reconciliation with the Father. It is that image that makes Mass so meaningful for me. Each time the priest consecrates the bread and wine, I see eternity's fingers reach into our timeline and Christ literally steps into our presence. He is there when we receive Him in the Eucharist. He is at our side while we hear His voice in the Mass readings, the homily, hymns, and prayers.

One of my greatest fears is that after meeting Him, after hearing Him, I remain unchanged – or worse, I grow lukewarm toward Him; that I receive the Eucharist, recite the prayers – do all the expected things during the Mass, but become passionless about knowing my Savior, about loving Him, and imitating Him.

What could be worse than to see and hear the King of Glory during each Celebration, and not be continually changed? What could be worse than to witness His love and sacrifice, and remain satisfied with a tepid faith?

It’s not enough to hear -- or even to understand the truth of the gospel. We must believe it, which means to adjust our lives and lifestyles to God’s word and to the authentic teaching of His Church.

Part of that teaching, as we saw last week, has to do with evangelism . . . to move within and beyond our sphere and teach others about sin, forgiveness, righteousness and, yes, judgment. Indeed, the fervor for evangelism consumed the early Church. The Lord Jesus commanded it. The apostles preached it (for example, here, here, here, here and here). We cannot read the Book of Acts without seeing it fleshed out on every page. And neither can we acquaint ourselves with the lives of the Saints and not catch the passion for the salvation of souls.

Another part of that authentic teaching -- as we saw in the last study -- has to with living a sanctified life, a life separated to God. St. Paul said it well, and the Lord Jesus told us He separated Himself from worldly temptations to be an example to His disciples -- you and me -- to do the same for the sake of others

St. Paul reminded the Ephesian Christians -- and, by extention, us -- that they not only heard the gospel, but also believed the gospel. As a result, they were sealed with the Holy Spirit through their baptism, a down payment on their eternal dwelling, where neither moth nor rust corrupts, and thieves do not break in and steal.

Why, then, are we so satisfied with such trifles in this earthly life?

Questions for Reflection:

1. As you read this passage, pay special attention to the types of soil. How can you make your soil the most productive?

2. St. Paul writes often about the gifts, or charisms, God gives to members of the Church (for example, here and here). What are your gifts? Just as important, how can you use them more fruitfully for Christ? If you are not sure, seek guidance from your priest.

Ephesians 1:8-12

2009-04-15T19:49:00.000-07:00

In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will . . . with the purpose of the one who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory . . . (1:8-12)

Last time we looked briefly at God's forgiveness. Let's now examine what we know about God's will. The following list is certainly not exhaustive, but it will get us started:

1. Quoting St. Peter, the Church tells us, “Our Father desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." She further states, God "is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish." God’s will – God’s great longing – is for you and me to live with Him forever. But He gives us the choice to meet Him, or ignore Him.

2. God’s will is to give us the inheritance He promised to His sons and daughters. (See the Catechism of the Catholic Church here, and Scripture here, here and here). To me, that means regardless of our station in life, we are not paupers. We are children of the eternal King of Glory if we hold fast the profession of our faith.

3. God’s will is that we become conformed to the image of Christ who -- as our example par excellence, "learned obedience by the things which He suffered."

The Greek word for conformed carries the idea of "having the same form as another, [or] similar to" or "fashioned into." The same word is used by St. Paul in Philippians 3:21 where he writes, the Lord Jesus will "transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself."

What does that concept of conforming to Christ mean to you? Perhaps more important, what might we do to make that conforming process less difficult for us?

4. God’s will for us is our sanctification. The Greek word used here describes a life consecrated – set apart – for God. The word is also translated as holiness in various places in the NT. No wonder St. John wrote: "Everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

A fair question might be, "How do we grow in purity and sanctification?" St. Peter tells us studying God’s word is an important practice, and St. Paul urges us to pray. The Church also reminds us of the special value of the sacraments to our sanctification. I like to think of them as the "Three S's" – Supplication (prayer), Scripture and Sacraments.

Does purification and sanctification occur immediately? Typically not. As Solomon wrote, it is a gradual process. However, if we continue walking with Christ, it is a sure process.

5. God’s will is that we thank Him in all situations. But that's hard for me to do, especially when my life takes a detour through disaster.

I've given much thought to that conflict, and I finally concluded my response to trial often depends, at least in part, on my view of God. Is He good all the time and in all situations . . . even when I don’t understand or like those situations? Or is He sometimes good and sometimes not so good?

If the latter is true, then we are of all people, most miserable because we serve a capricious god. However, if the former is true, then the consistent message of the biblical writers -- for example here, here and here -- as well as the words of St. Therese of Lisieux make great sense and serve to guide us through even the most heart-wrenching trials: Everything is a grace, everything is the direct effect of our father's love — difficulties, contradictions, humiliations, all the soul's miseries, her burdens, her needs — everything, because through them, she learns humility, realizes her weakness — Everything is a grace because everything is God's gift. Whatever be the character of life or its unexpected events — to the heart that loves, all is well.

Which view of God would you like to make your own?

(More) Questions for Reflection:

1. St. Theresa of Avila said, Let nothing trouble you, let nothing make you afraid. All things pass away. God never changes. Patience obtains everything. God alone is enough.

What does that mean – God alone is enough? What might it mean to you after a month of practicing the three S’s mentioned above?

2. When God’s will conflicts with yours, how can you learn to submit more fully to His hand?

3. Great question here to ponder through our days.

Ephesians 1:7-14

2009-04-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions . . . In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favor that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth. In him we were also chosen . . . so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit . . . to the praise of his glory. (1:7-14)

I don’t usually include large passages of text in these studies because the eye tends to gloss over long paragraphs. In this case, though, I made an exception because this section is one of the more succinct and yet expansive testaments to the gospel message.

And that message? Our life, hope, salvation and eternal destiny are tied to, and intricately woven in and with, Jesus.

It is in Jesus we have forgiveness. In Jesus the Father made known the mystery of our redemption. In Jesus God summed up all the important things of life, death and beyond. In Jesus alone the Father brings praise to Himself. And it is through our faith in Jesus the Holy Spirit sealed us to Himself.

Yes, it's all about Jesus. Always has been. Always will be.

We will look more closely at each of these wonderful promises in later lessons, but for now, let’s look at the first one:

In Him we have . . . forgiveness.

Oh! How I needed -- and still need -- forgiveness. St. Paul called himself the foremost of sinners because he persecuted Christians. But my life also qualifies as deserving the most severe of judgments. And my life also qualifies as a demonstration of God's great and merciful patience.

St. Paul murdered Christians because he thought they were blasphemers. But I murdered my baby because I didn’t want to be bothered with the responsibility of taking care of a child. If you’ve read my story in either of my books, you know what I'm talking about it. St. Paul lived as a Pharisee, a life wholly and holy devoted to God as best he knew how. My life, in contrast, degenerated year by year into deeper immorality, depravity, selfishness and deception. No one who came into close contact with me during my teen and young adult years left without some of my stain on their own souls. How I rue those days.

And then, in the midst of it all, stinking with the filth of my life -- I met Jesus. To say those words quickly makes the encounter seem so unnoteworthy, almost like saying I visited a great restaurant last evening.

But I remember that moment in December 1972 as clearly now as I have ever remembered it. And that moment changed my life literally overnight. I discovered my savior wanted to lavish His love on me, to give me -- as incomprehensible as it seemed -- His forgiveness, despite all, all, ALL that I’d done to deserve His wrath.

I only needed to turn away from my sins, ask His forgiveness, and strive to obey Him the rest of my days.

And when I turned toward Christ, His mercy and grace and compassion fell over me as it fell over the woman caught in adultery, or the harlot of Samaria, or over the likes of St. Francis or St. Augustine before their conversions, or as it has fallen over every other person in history who experienced what the Church teaches is a personal encounter with the living, loving, and merciful Savior.

No wonder the gospel seems a mystery to many– for who would believe that the almighty, holy, pure and undefiled God would love defiled sinners such as we!

Oh, how I thank God for His amazing grace, and His amazing forgiveness! And what He did for me, He does for anyone who turns to Him. That surely is why we read here, and here, here and here of Christ's continual invitation to us for repentance and a changed heart, and why we have from Christ the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Questions for Reflection:

1. The Lord Jesus said, “He who is forgiven much, love much. He who is forgiven little, loves little.” Now ask the Holy Spirit to unveil to your mind your deepest sins, especially those you have hidden from yourself. And then consider how much deeper is Christ’s love for you.

2. A personal encounter implies a personal relationship. How do you nurture relationships with others . . . spouse, child, friends? How can you apply those principles of relationship nurturing with your relationship with God?

3. Listen to this song by Hillsong. Wouldn't the lyrics make a good prayer?

What's So Good About Good Friday?

2009-04-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

In great respect of this day, I am taking a short detour from our regular Ephesians bible study and posting this reflection instead:

-----------
This was not simply disappointment. It was gut-wrenching tragedy. What could be “good” about it? Their hopes, like precious china, lay shattered. Their dreams were nailed with Him to a splintered wooden cross. The disciples, glancing over their shoulders in fear with each step, wondered who among them would be next. For those who loved Him, darkness smothered Friday like a damp woolen blanket.

But what was that Friday like for Christ?

It began with flogging. Roman soldiers fashioned a leather whip, studded with small rocks and bone. Every blow against Jesus’ back ripped open new strips of skin. His muscles and tendons quickly turned into a mass of quivering, bleeding flesh. Most prisoners died of shock and blood loss long before being nailed to the cross.

After the brutal beating, Jesus -- with help from a stranger in the crowd -- dragged the cross to the execution site where soldiers laid it the ground and threw Jesus down onto it. The seven-inch spikes hammered through His wrists and feet tore through exquisitely sensitive nerves. Electrifying pain exploded along His arms and legs.

As He hung between heaven and earth, breathing became an all-consuming struggle as gravity restricted His respiratory muscles. Moment by moment, Jesus had to push against his feet and flex His arms just to breathe. But every movement intensified the strain on His ravaged nerves. Adding to His torment, each breath forced His back against the splintered wood, reopening the raw wounds. Every breath, every movement, every moment on the cross inflamed His anguish.

For Jesus, for the disciples, for anyone standing at the foot of the cross, Good Friday seemed anything but good.

What, then, is so good about that Friday nearly 2000 years ago?

That Friday proved God’s faithfulness. As early as Genesis 3:15, the Lord promised the human family a redeemer, someone to set us free from the Serpent’s grasp, someone to take “captivity captive” to Himself. On that Friday, Satan bruised God’s heel-- but more importantly, through Christ, God crushed Satan’s head. The Serpent forever lost the right to enslave anyone in his devilish grasp. His power is nullified by the blood of Christ.

That Friday tore through sin’s impenetrable barrier between us and God. As Isaiah wrote, “Your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God and your sins have hid His face from you, so that He does not hear.” But on that Friday, God shattered the barrier. He rescued the prisoners. Laying our sins upon Christ’s shoulders, the Father threw open the gates of reconciliation between us and Himself.

That Friday proved God’s love for us. It is easy to read quickly over John 3:16 and not sense the searing emotions the Father suffered as He watched His Son agonize on Golgotha. But when we meditate on the Roman scourging, the spikes in His limbs, the flesh wounds -- perhaps we can better understand the personal nature of that verse -- “God so loved me . . . that He gave.”

That Friday clothed us with Christ’s righteousness. The harlot, the thief, the murderer, the adulterer . . . think of it! There is no sin which cannot be cleansed by Christ’s blood through repentance. There is no sinner who cannot be made as righteous before God’s eyes as Jesus Himself.

Finally -- if there can be a final point about Good Friday -- that Friday challenges us to repentance. When the crowd gathered forty days later in Jerusalem for Pentecost and learned it was their sins which nailed Christ to the cross, “they were pieced to the heart.” In unison they cried out, ‘Brethren, what shall we do?” St. Peter responded, “Repent,” and three thousand among them were converted to Christ.

Standing at the foot of Christ’s cross, nothing about Friday looked good. But no one knew Resurrection Sunday was coming . . . and with it, God’s redemptive plan for all humanity, conceived before the foundation of the world.

Good Friday? You bet it was!

Questions for Reflection:

Mother Teresa once said, Put your sins in the chalice for the precious blood to wash away. One drop is capable of washing away the sins of the world. The Eucharist is connected with the Passion. If Jesus had not established the Eucharist we would have forgotten the crucifixion. It would have faded into the past and we would have forgotten that Jesus loved us. There is a saying that to be far away from the eyes is to be far away from the heart. To make sure that we do not forget, Jesus gave us the Eucharist as a memorial of his love.

One of the great dangers of celebrating the Eucharist is that it can become for us routine. Mechanical.

1. What do you usually think about as you approach Christ's body and blood in the holy Eucharist? How can you make the Eucharist even more meaningful to you?

Watch this YouTube.

2. Why would the almighty King of Glory stand meekly and take such a beating for you?
3. What do you think can separate you from His love?

Ephesians 1:4-5

2009-04-04T13:01:00.000-07:00

In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. (verses 4-5)

The Greek word for destined (προορίζω, pro-o-re-zo) carries the idea of being predetermined or known beforehand. This “beforehand” knowledge should not surprise us. God, for whom time is not linear, and who lives outside of time and space – God knows all things from the beginning to the end of our life's timeline. And so, at this very moment, God is there when I was conceived; He is, at this very moment, with me as I type these words, and He is also, at this very moment, with me when I take my last breath. He is just waiting for me to arrive at that distant point in my life's timeline.

And He is, at this very moment, already in all your moments – beginning to end – as well.

So, before the world existed, God destined us for adoption as children into His family. That concept – we are His children – ought to give us great comfort . . . and it should give us great pause, for God always disciplines His children, sometimes severely -- but always in love and always with the view to conform us to the image of His Son.

It also is important to remember, especially during times of discipline, the words that surround the phrase “. . . destined us for adoption to Himself.” Those words, In Love and Favor, can help us better endure and acquiesce to whatever discipline falls to us because we know God's chastening is sandwiched between His love and His favor.

Finally (if there can ever be a final point about God’s love), the Father did not adopt us into His family through (or because of) our heritage, our position, wealth, looks or talent. Nor did He adopt us through a religious system such as Islam, Judaism, Buddhism or even Christianity.

He adopted us through Jesus Christ.

Period.

The Lord Jesus and the writers of the New Testament declared it quite unequivocally, for example, here, here, here, here and here. And so the Church teaches, "Jesus Christ himself is the definitive "Amen" of the Father's love for us."

If ever we begin to forget that, all we need do is meditate before a crucifix.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Who are we, that the Lord of all the earth should do as He did? Listen to this song, and reflect again on this question.

2. Read Psalm 23. What do you think the psalmist meant when he spoke of the rod and staff bringing him comfort? How might you better accept His rod and staff?

Ephesians 1:4b

2009-03-31T20:34:00.000-07:00

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. (verses 3-4)

Last time I asked what it means to be holy and without blemish. Is it simply obedience to a list of do’s and don’ts? It's really an important question, because our answer will, in many ways, determine how we live our faith before others, and before God.

The word St. Paul uses here for "holy" (hagios) is the same word he used in verse one (Paul . . . to the holy ones who are at Ephesus . . . ). Some bible expositors translate hagios as "saints." In other words, God chose us to be saintly.

The Oblates of Santa Francesca Romana remind us, "We are all called to be saints, to hallow our lives within God's hallowed Creation, to reflect God as do saints, in whose image we all are." And a Vatican newswire of November 2007 quoted Pope Benedict, "holiness is the responsibility of every Christian" and that we are each called to be saints.

But the question remains, "what constitutes holiness, or saintliness?" Is it a matter of outward works, of things we do that make us holy, or is holiness a more profound thing -- something more internal?

Fr. Thomas Dubay wrote: Most of us assume that world-class excellence in music, scholarship, or sports is due mainly to extraordinary talent, but studies of the question find that while talent does play a part, the chief factor is drive and determination. So it is with sanctity.

Saints are not born saints. They do not have a superior human nature. They are as weak and wounded as the rest of us. The difference lies in their resolution [my emphasis]. Men and women on fire do not simply admire holiness or merely wish it were so. They make up their minds to take the Lord at his word and with no dilution of his message.

And then Fr. Dubay asked a question I now ask myself: Am I as determined in my pursuit of God as the worldly are in seeking prestige and power, fame and fortune?

Oh, such a question I should ask myself every day! Indeed, holiness should be the normal Christian life. Problem is, because so few of us determine to become saints, when we meet one, he or she stands out as extraordinary.

Thomas a Kempis, in his Imitation of Christ, addressed the same issue of inner saintliness: What good does it do to speak learnedly about the Trinity if, lacking humility, you displease the Trinity? Indeed it is not learning that makes a man holy and just, but a virtuous life makes him pleasing to God. I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it. For what would it profit us to know the whole Bible by heart and the principles of all the philosophers if we live without grace and the love of God? Vanity of vanities and all is vanity, except to love God and serve Him alone.

And Archbishop Fulton Sheen wrote: Neither theological knowledge nor social action alone is enough to keep us in love with Christ unless both are preceded by a personal encounter with Him. Theological insights are gained not only from between two covers of a book, but from two bent knees before an altar. The Holy Hour [e.g. Adoration] becomes like an oxygen tank to revive the breath of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the foul and fetid atmosphere of the world.

Lord! Give us a fiery determination to become holy in heart, as well as in deed, to live a virtuous life in public as well as in private, and to gain theological insights on our knees, as well as through the faithful study of your holy word.

Questions for reflection:
1. Read this passage in Romans 2. As you read, substitue the word Christian for Jew, and baptism for circumcision. What lesson did you glean from the reading?

2. Read Psalm 51, and especially verses 16-17 with 1 Samuel 15:22-23. What is the Holy Spirit revealing to you through these passages?

Ephesians chapter 1, verses 3-4

2009-03-25T17:39:00.000-07:00

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. (verses 3-4)

The Holy Spirit reminds us here that God chose us before the foundation of the world, that in the beginning, before there was a beginning, God knew your name. He chose you to be His child.

Stop a moment and consider the weight of that statement. Don't breeze past it. How can the realization of His choosing you change your life as that understanding seeps deep into your spirit?

The almighty, most holy Lord of creation, the One before whom angels fall prostrate and mountains and hills clap their hands, indeed, everything that has breath gives Him homage -- this Great One chose YOU as His child. And there is yet more, for we will see a few verses later in this chapter that God lavished His love on you!

St. Paul is not the only one through whom God reminds us of His love. We find similar illustrations, for example, in Psalm 139, and Micah 7 , Zephaniah 3 -- and then there are these words of Jesus during His High Priestly prayer in St. John 17 in which He tells us the Father loves us just as much as He loves Jesus.

Consider a while what that means!

No wonder St. Paul writes, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? If God is for us, who can be against us? What power in hell or on earth can keep Him from wrapping us in His arms and holding us to himself? What tribulation or distress or darkness can kidnap you from Him? (See Romans 8).

None. Nada.

Never.

That, my friend, is – as they say in some circles – “Shoutin’ stuff."

Questions for Reflection:

Part of St. Patrick’s prayer is:
1. "Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left."

Having been reminded in this study of God’s choice of you, meditate on these few words of St. Patrick’s prayer. See Christ before, behind, beneath, beside and above you. What images come to your mind? How can you hold them there, or at least revisit those images through your day?

2. Jump ahead to the next clause in this verse; you will find why we have been chosen: To be holy and without blemish before Him. What does that mean to you – to be holy and without blemish? Is it simply obedience to a list of do’s and don’ts? Give it some thought over the next few days. We will look more closely at that section next time.

Ephesians 1:1f (end of verse one)

2009-03-21T11:56:00.000-07:00

“ . . . grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."

Peace.

The word used by the biblical writers means so much more than simply the absence of conflict. The Hebrew shalom carries the idea of safety, prosperity, tranquility, friendship with others -- and especially friendship with God in a covenant relationship.

The Greek eirene is similar, but carries an added meaning of the tranquil state of those who are assured of their salvation through Christ; therefore they ear nothing from God and are content with their earthly lot, whatever that might be.

Sounds a lot like St. Therese of Liseiux’s comment noted in the last lesson, doesn't it?

But being able to define a word is not quite the same as experiencing what the word means. I did a quick word-search for peace in both testaments, and this is some of what I found:

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You! (Isaiah 26:3 NLT); Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful (John 14:27 27).

But the passages that spoke most to me, especially in light of the question, HOW does one acquire God's peace, were here and here and here. And from this biblical direction, the answer to the puzzle is pretty straightforward: Our sense of God’s peace is directly related to our sense of being in His presence . . and that sense of being in His presence is tied to our commitment and perseverance in keeping our eyes and thoughts focused on Christ.

What is robbing your peace? Unemployment? Chronic illness? Divorce? Turn your eyes to Jesus (the link takes you to a YouTube music file). That advice is not a platitude. It’s a biblical comfort, a biblical prescription. The prophet Isaiah tells us, God shall be the stability of our times, a wealth of salvation, wisdom and knowledge. The fear of the Lord is our treasure (see Isaiah 33:6).

I'd like to share with you how I am learning to turn my eyes to Jesus in several ways through the day (those of you in our Monday night bible study can skim this paragraph. You’ve heard it before ;)

1. My wristwatch chimes every hour on the hour. When I hear it, I take a few seconds to turn my attention toward Jesus. I recite a quick memory verse, meditate on a scripture I've memorized, or say a short prayer.

2. When I see the color red, I take a moment – just a few seconds -- to thank God for the blood of Jesus, and that the precious blood of the Lamb of God took away my sins.

3. I placed a picture of a crucifix in my wallet. Every time I open my wallet, I see it, and my thoughts turn to the cross on which my savior died . . . and I give Him thanks.

4. I wear a crucifix around my next. When I absently touch my chest and feel the cross, or touch my neck and feel the chain, my thoughts turn once again to the Savior.

5. When I sit down to eat a meal, whether at home, on the job or out with friends, I bow my head and make the sign of the cross – once again turning my thoughts toward God.

None of these actions take more than a few seconds. But added together through the day they help increase my attention on Jesus and serve to teach me to lean ever closer into His arms.

Questions for Reflection:

St. Bernard of Clairvaux wrote:
The name of Jesus is more than light, it is also food . . . What other name can so enrich the man who meditates? What can equal its power to refresh the harassed senses, to buttress the virtues, to add vigor to good and upright habits, to foster chaste affections? . . . Write what you will, I shall not relish it unless it tells of Jesus. Talk or argue about what you will, I shall not relish it if you exclude the name of Jesus. Jesus to me is honey in the mouth, music in the ear, a song in the heart.

1. How might you apply St. Bernard’s statement to nudge yourself toward focusing more fully on Christ through your day?
2. Consider how you might make this prayer from St. Ignatius your own.

Ephesians 1:1e (continuation)

2009-03-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

“ . . . grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Who really understands God’s grace? How can the finite understand the infinite, the pot the potter, or dust the One who created it? Grace, charis, is simply (simply?) God’s favor toward us – favor granted us not because of anything we’ve done -- after all, we were dead in our trespasses and sins and had to be made alive only by the move of the Holy Spirit in our life. No, God grants His grace toward us because of how wonderful He is, not how wonderful we are.

And yet, as often as I meditate on God’s undeserved favor, I still have difficulty understanding -– why did He do what He did for someone like me? Why did He stoop to even look at me while I so often turned from Him – willfully turned – because I wanted to do what I wanted to do? Why did God demonstrate His love for me by sending His son to die in my place?

Again, the answer is grace.

Speaking of grace, I like to think of St. Therese of Lisieux’s comment: "Everything is a grace, everything is the direct effect of our father's love — difficulties, contradictions, humiliations, all the soul's miseries, her burdens, her needs — everything, because through them, she learns humility, realizes her weakness — Everything is a grace because everything is God's gift. Whatever be the character of life or its unexpected events — to the heart that loves, all is well."

Can you imagine knowing God so well – trusting God so well, loving God so much – to be completely at rest with life’s events that befall, regardless of their depth of heartache?

I wonder if St. Therese knew something about God that I don’t yet know.

St. Peter wrote: “May grace and peace be yours in abundance through knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has bestowed on us everything that makes for life and devotion, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and power” (my emphasis).

Maybe therein lies an answer.

How can I – how can we – know God’s grace? I think the answer is simple: Knowledge of God. And how does one know God? I think that one is also easy: knowledge of the scriptures.

St. Jerome wrote, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ,” and so teaches the Church, for example, here, here and here.

Surely that is why St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Therese and others throughout our history could face even martyrdom with praise of God on their lips. They knew God’s grace in such as way as comes only from really knowing God -- not just knowing about Him.

Many years ago I discovered if I read two chapters of the Old Testament and two chapters of the New every day, I would read through the New Testament three times every year, and the Old Testament every thirteen months. And while I am in no way close to Sainthood, I understand more of God’s grace today than I did even five years ago.

Why not establish your own daily pattern of reading God's word?

Questions for Reflection:

1. What does St. Peter's comment in 1 Peter 2 mean to you? What about Psalm 119:9-11, 97, 116?
2. We will look at this chapter later in our study, but how does this passage in Ephesians 6 apply to the members of Christ's Body?

Ephesians 1:1d (continuation)

2009-03-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the holy ones who are (in Ephesus), faithful in Christ Jesus: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:1-2

It’s easy to glide past the phrase, “holy ones” in this verse (translated saints – with a small "s" – in many bible versions). But if we do, we miss an important principle and an equally important application to our lives in Christ.

The term holy ones in this verse is inseparably linked with “faithful in Christ Jesus,” for it is their faithfulness that makes them holy ones, and not the other way around. So, let’s spend a few moments looking first at what it means to be faithful.

The Greek word πιστός (pistos) carries with it also the idea of trustworthiness. Thus, it is not wrong to translate the verse, “to the holy ones who are trustworthy in Christ Jesus.” (For other examples of the word in the New Testament, see here, here, and here).

God could trust the Ephesian believers to do what was right. They were not ones who played church, who attended for show. They did not show up in the pew to please others, or gain a political or social advantage. They attended because they wanted to please God and grow in their love and knowledge of Him. Yes, God could count on them to behave in a manner worthy of representatives of Christ. He could trust them, even if they fell temporarily into sin, to repent, make penance, and move forward in their faith journey.

Their faith journey was the subject also of St. Paul’s prayer for them later in this chapter (and would be a valuable prayer for us to pray as well).

Because the Ephesian believers were faithful to God to walk side by side with Jesus, God called them “holy ones” – not because of any intrinsic holiness in themselves, but because of the intrinsic holiness of His Son who lives in each believer, as St. Paul reminds us here, here and here.

It is all about Christ’s holiness – not our own. And it is about our permitting Him to live His life through us that leads God to impute to us the phrase holy ones.

Are you a believer? Are you baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit? Do you believe the faith taught in the Nicene Creed? Do you participate in the Sacraments with a pure heart, cleansed from sin in the confessional? If so, then God also calls you a holy one -- and God is faithful (trustworthy) to fulfill His promise to you of eternal life.

Thanks be to God.

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Questions for Reflection:

1. St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that he disciplines himself for the sake of the Gospel. What steps can you take to place your fleshly desires more faithfully under the control of the Holy Spirit? If you are not sure, why not ask Him in prayer?

2. Do you consider yourself trustworthy to God? If yes, why? If not, ask him how you might change to please Him.

3. How does the list of holy ones in Hebrews 11 illustrate today’s lesson? What do their lives teach us about living faithfully (trustworthily) for Christ?

Ephesians 1:1c (continuation)

2009-03-01T15:11:00.000-08:00

We saw last time that Jesus’ Hebrew name (Yeshua), means “the Lord is salvation,” and those who know Christ recognize the reality of that wonderful, powerful name in their lives; for the Lord, indeed, is our salvation.

We will now look a little more at what could yet be said about the Lord’s name and title.

The word, Christ, is Jesus’ title (it is not His last name, as many people think). The word means “Anointed One.” Christ comes from the Greek, Christos – which comes from the Hebrew Meshiach, and translated into English as Messiah.

The word Meshiach comes from the verb mashach, which means to “smear, anoint or spread.” The verb in its various forms is found nearly 150 times in the Old Testament, and is often used for the ceremonial induction of people into leadership. For example, Prophets who represented God to the people were anointed with oil, as well as Priests and Kings were all mashach-ed (so to speak).

And so, an anointing meant that someone was authorized to serve God in a position of honor and responsibility. But while many were anointed, only one person in all of Scripture was given the title of "the Anointed One" -- Mashiach, or, Christos.

So when St. Paul uses the phrase Christ Jesus in verse one of Ephesians, he is telling his readers that Jesus, our savior, God’s Son, is specially anointed by the Father to be for you and me, “Wisdom from God, and righteousness, sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Are we hurting? God sent Messiah Jesus to be our comfort (Isaiah 61). Are we lost? Christ is anointed as our shepherd (Psalm 23 and John 10). Hungry for spiritual things? Jesus is anointed to be our Bread (John 6). Thirsty for God’s truth? He is the flowing river of life (John 4). Lonely? Jesus is our eternal companion who never leaves us (Matthew 28:19-20). Confused? He is our Way, Truth and Life (John 14:6). The Lord Messiah said in John 10:10 He came that we might have an abundant life.

Indeed, it is at the name of Jesus, St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians (chapter 2), every knee will eventually bow – some will do so in reverence and love, and others by force, in much the same way as enemy soldiers were forced to bow to their conquering king before their execution – “every knee will bow, of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Further, all creation echoes St. Peter’s declaration in Acts 4:12, “Neither is there any other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

So then, is there a life-application of all this information we find in this first verse? Does it affect me? Should it affect me?

Yes, to all those questions.

Jesus is Lord of Creation by default. He is Lord simply by virtue of His being God. But – is He Lord of my life? Is He Lord of yours? Will we give Him all of our freedom, our memory, understanding and will? Are we happy to surrender everything to Him – our wealth, our health, our life and our love to His hand?

The apostle Paul was sent specifically by God to tell his readers – even us in the 21st century – about the forgiveness and hope and purpose we can have only in Christ. If we've not made a conscious decision as an adult to follow Jesus, to obey Him and His Church, if our relationship with Christ hasn’t made a difference in our life, then now would be a good time to turn to the Savior.

And a good place to start is by praying a prayer similar to this, now, or later in the confessional with our priest this week:

O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee,and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of heaven,and the pains of hell; but most of all because they offend Thee, my God,Who are all good and deserving of all my love.I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins,to do penance, and to amend my life. Amen.

And so we come to the close of this lesson. But there is plenty more to say about verse one of chapter one. We will leave that, though, to next time. For now, consider the following questions for reflection:

Questions for Reflection

1. Compare Malachi 1:6 and St. Luke 17:7-10. What is the Holy Spirit saying to His children in these two passages?
2. What is the Lord warning His listeners about in Matthew 7:21-27?
3. How can we avoid calling Jesus "Lord," but not treating Him as Lord?

Ephesians 1:1b

2009-02-21T19:17:00.000-08:00

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the holy ones who are (in Ephesus) faithful in Christ Jesus: grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:1)

Paul identifies himself as an apostle. The Greek word used here for apostle denotes someone called by another to an important work. Paul identifies God as the one who called him.

What was the work God called him to do? These passages to the Corinthians here and here might help us understand how Paul perceived his calling.

For the apostle Paul, as well as for Peter and the other New Testament writers, the mission of an apostle . . . indeed, the mission of a Christian . . . is to tell the lost they can be found, to tell the sick of the great physician, to tell the dying they can have eternal life, to tell the guilty and depressed and hopeless there is forgiveness, joy and hope available for them through Jesus Christ.

That is what the Lord meant when He commissioned the Church -- you and me, in chapter 28 of St. Matthew’s gospel, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

Regarding the missionary call upon each Christian, the Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

863 The whole Church is apostolic, in that she remains, through the successors of St. Peter and the other apostles, in communion of faith and life with her origin: and in that she is "sent out" into the whole world. All members of the Church share in this mission, though in various ways. "The Christian vocation is, of its nature, a vocation to the apostolate as well." Indeed, we call an apostolate "every activity of the Mystical Body" that aims "to spread the Kingdom of Christ over all the earth."

1268 The baptized have become "living stones" to be "built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood." By baptism they share in the priesthood of Christ, in his prophetic and royal mission. They are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that [they] may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called [them] out of darkness into his marvelous light." Baptism gives a share in the common priesthood of all believers.

1269 Having become a member of the Church, the person baptized belongs no longer to himself, but to him who died and rose for us. From now on, he is called to be subject to others, to serve them in the communion of the Church, and to "obey and submit" to the Church's leaders, holding them in respect and affection. Just as Baptism is the source of responsibilities and duties, the baptized person also enjoys rights within the Church: to receive the sacraments, to be nourished with the Word of God and to be sustained by the other spiritual helps of the Church.

1270 "Reborn as sons of God, [the baptized] must profess before men the faith they have received from God through the Church" and participate in the apostolic and missionary activity of the People of God.
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We will return to the missionary call on the baptized in a moment. But to move on, we should focus our attention next on Paul's use of Jesus' name and title, Christ Jesus.

For the apostles, as well as for all Jews in the first century, a person's name meant more than a word that was used to identify a particular person. Children and adults were often named for their appearance, or the circumstances surrounding their birth, or (for example, Daniel and his three friends) their capture.

God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, meaning, father of many nations. God changed Sarai’s name to Sarah which means "noble lady." Daniel, whose name means, God is my Judge, and his three friends, Hananiah (which means, The grace of the Lord), Mishael (meaning, God who is strong) and Azariah (meaning, the Lord is a help) had their names changed by king Nebuchadnezzar to honor Babylonian Gods. Daniel was called Belteshazzar (the keeper of the hidden treasures of Bel); Shadrach—(The inspiration of the sun, which the Chaldeans worshipped); Meshach—(referring to the goddess Shach); Abed-nego (The servant of the shining fire).

The Lord Jesus supernaturally received His name. St. Matthew (1:21) tells us, "But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.' All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel' - which means, 'God with us.'"

Jesus’ Hebrew name, (Yeshua), means The Lord is Salvation.

Next time we will look at the Lord's title, Christ.

Questions for Reflection:

1. As Catholics, we understand it is the purview of the priest (or deacon) to baptize and to "preach." However, the Catechism reminds us that all baptized Christians are called by God to evangelize. Review the Catechism paragraphs above, and consider how are you fulfilling the purpose of God in your sphere of influence. How might you do a better job?
2. As we noted above, Yeshua means, The Lord is Salvation. Now read this passage in St. Luke, and the fuller text in Isaiah from which the Lord quoted. How does the passage in Isaiah reflect the Lord's work in your life and home? If you are not sure, ask the Holy Spirit to open your understanding to the answer.

Ephesians 1:1

2009-02-17T17:05:00.000-08:00

We will now begin our study of Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. For context, read the first several verses here. This lesson will focus on verse one: "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the holy ones who are (in Ephesus) faithful in Christ Jesus . . . "

Ephesus was the cultural center of Asia Minor. The city was also the center of the worship of Diana, the goddess of fertility (also known by her Latin name of Artemis). The temple dedicated to Diana in Ephesus was the largest Greek temple ever constructed. You can read more about Ephesus here, and here. For a glimpse into the religious fervor of the Ephesians for Diana, read this account in Acts19 beginning with verse 24.

It is important to note that the words “at Ephesus” are not found in the earliest manuscripts. Consequently, some scholars believe this letter was more of an encyclical to be read in the churches within Asia Minor, such as Laodecia, Colossea, Lydia and Smyrna. Church Tradition, however, gives us the title of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

Regardless of the specific audience, the subject matter of this letter focuses on issues faced by those churches – that being all forms of idolatry and sexual immorality. Issues, by the way, not too dissimilar to those you and I face in our culture today, as we shall address in later lessons.

But for now, the take-home lesson is this: Whether to the Ephesians, the Laodiceans, the Colossians . . . or to the Americans, Canadians, or whomever we might be, the gospel entered this milieu of immorality and changed individuals. As a result, the culture in Ephesus experienced a transformation, so much so that Ephesus became a center of Christian worship within a generation.

This is not a point we should forget. When people receive and believe the gospel, their lives are changed.

That shouldn't surprise anyone. As St. Paul noted in his letter to the Romans, the message of Christ is the “power of God unto salvation to all who believe, to the Jew first, and also to the Greeks. (Romans 1:16)

If you remember the story, you know Paul experiences the gospel’s power first hand.

Paul, known as Saul before his conversion, was a Pharisee of Pharisees, a fierce persecutor of the Church, and responsible for the martyrdom of many Christians, including St. Stephen. And then Saul met Christ on the road to Damascus and life for him . . . and for the Church . . . was never the same.

Saul never forgot what he had done to the Christians. I’m sure he never forgot the look on the faces of those who died under his hand or his authority. We catch a glimpse of his remorse during his defense before King Agrippa here and in his letter to Timothy here.

St. Paul’s conversion is a great example of the gospel's power. When the message of Christ takes root in our hearts, we are never the same. We cannot be the same. That is why Paul exhorted his Corinthian readers in 2 Corinthians 13:5, "Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?" And in 2 Cor 5:17, he wrote, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

When St. Paul wrote his letter to the Corinthians, he wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and so, Paul's words also apply to you and me. That is why I often ask myself, Is Jesus Christ in me? How do I know? Am I a new creature? Have old things, old ways, old habits, old lifestyles passed away and given way to new ways, habits and lifestyles? If not, why not?

Questions for Reflection:

1. Think about your life before you experienced an adult conversion. How is your life different today than it was before your decision to follow Christ?
2. Ezekiel 16 is a graphic picture of ancient Israel’s spiritual adulteries. What is the relationship between this passage and, for example, James 4:1-4?
3. What do St. Paul’s words in Galatians 2:20 mean to you, in light of question 2?
4. Here is something to help you further reflect on these questions. (Sadly, I cannot edit out the obscene and spiteful comments at the bottom of the YouTube. I consider them the Enemy's method of attempting to distort the beautiful music our faith has to offer the world).

An Introduction

2009-02-14T15:20:00.000-08:00

Father Pedro Arrupe, SJ, wrote: “Nothing is more practical than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love, with what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you'll do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love (with God). Stay in love, and it will decide everything.”

I hope through this study of St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, my fellow Catholics and Christians in other churches will grow more deeply in love with God, serve Him in increasing fruitfulness – and will make the cry of the Lord Jesus for unity (John 17) our cry as well.

After all, in light of the growing anti-Christian sentiment rising in many areas of America, Canada and Europe, if we do not stand together we face a very serious risk of falling separately. A house divided against itself still cannot stand, and it is prudent to remember the words of Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran pastor during the Nazi years:

"In Germany they first came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me — and by that time no one was left to speak up."

Surely, it is “way” time for all of us to come together.

As we study Ephesians we will not limit ourselves to only Catholic sources. I like to think all baptized Christians can learn from each other, and so in our study we will certainly refer to the official teaching of the Catholic Church, but we will also look to the thoughts of Christians such as Oswald Chambers, Pope John Paul II, C. S. Lewis, St. Catherine of Siena, Pope Benedict XVI, Watchman Nee, Thomas a Kempis, Bishop Fulton Sheen, A. W. Tozer, Mother Teresa, St. Ignatius, St. Francis De Sales, and many others.

We will also use various translations of the Scriptures, such as the New American Bible, the New American Standard Bible, the Amplified Bible, and the Catholic Douay-Rheims version. I also will keep a lexicon of Greek, Hebrew and Aramaic nearby.

So, let us press on to know the Lord, taking up the full armor of God that St. Paul speaks of in Ephesians 6, verses 10-20. All Christians, whether Catholic or Protestant or Orthodox, are engaged in a great spiritual battle for the souls of the lost, and we would do well to make Saint Terese of Avila’s prayer our own:

"Lord Christ,You have no body on earth but ours, No hands but ours, No feet but ours. Ours are the eyes through which your compassion must look out on the world. Ours are the feet by which you may still go about doing good. Ours are the hands with which You bless people now. Bless our minds and bodies, that we may be a blessing to others. Amen."

Questions for Reflection:

Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church here and here (click on your "back" arrow after each viewing). Compare these sections with 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and 13, along with St. John chapter 17.

1. What do you think unity in the Church looks like?
2. What do you think the Lord Jesus meant by His prayer for unity in John 17:23?
3. How does sanctifying oneself (compare John 17:17-19) move the Church toward unity?