Reflection
I sort of figured I would have to suffer through the first few verses of memorization with little or no reward. It is amazing, though, what a day of reflecting on a verse can do. I think the Holy Spirit impressed upon me just how foundational this first verse could be for the rest of the book.
First of all, I noticed the clause "by the will of God..." Paul knows in a powerful way that his identity as an apostle is only by the will of God. He was persecuting Christians before God intervened in his life on the road to Damascus. And Paul wastes no time in establishing God as the author of his life. I realize my life could do with some reframing in this way.
Jonathan, a counselor education student, by the will of God.
Jonathan, a husband and father, by the will of God.
The second thing I noticed was to whom this letter was addressed. The first part of the address is very direct: to the saints. Then he goes on to describe these saints with two clauses: who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus. As I reflected on the second part of the verse during the day, I realized that there are (at least) two ways to read what Paul writes here and the distinction may be very important.
The first way to read it is this. Paul is writing to the Saints. Which saints? The ones who are in Ephesus and who also are faithful in Christ Jesus. The second way to read it this. Paul is writing to the saints. Which saints? The saints who are in Ephesus. How do we know which are the saints in Ephesus to whom Paul is referring? How can we identify them? They are the ones who are faithful in Christ Jesus.
Do you see the difference? Paul is writing to a church here, so that raises the question: is he calling all people who hear his letter saints or is he defining what a saint is so as to include some in his message an exclude others? Do the instructions that follow apply to the whole church or just to the saints? Is there even a distinction to be made there? Nominal Christianity was probably not a concern for the early church. People who were not serious about it would either not attempt to join or would fall away in the face of inevitable persecution.
Paul is attempting to describe a new way of being in the world. It seems that he lays out faithfulness in Christ Jesus as a requirement. The same is required of us. Faithfulness, not perfection. What does this faithfulness mean? I'm hoping that Paul describes this faithfulness more in the next 154 verses.
I'm thankful to have started this journey. My prayer is that God opens my heart and mind to hear Him in my daily life through these verses.
by the will of God,
Jonathan
5 comments:
Dear friend,
I'm humbled to be invited to share your meditations with you.
Saint comes from "sanctus" and sanctified, or holy. I have come to think of the saints as those set apart, as Vatican II says "called by God not in virtue of their works but by his design and grace, and justified in the Lord Jesus, have been made sons of God in the baptism of faith and partakers of the divine nature"(Lumen gentium). The other part of being called a saint would be as you say to be faithful to Christ. I'll add more a little bit later.
Phil, I'm equally humbled that you are willing to journey with me in this. Thanks for your insights.
Your post raised this question for me; how does Vatican II differentiate between "his design and grace" and election? Are we called or are we chosen? I have a hard time with the concept of election. If I'm not mistaken, the Roman Catholic Church does not ascribe to election. Is that right?
Being chosen and being called are not at odds with each other. We were created by God and thus chosen to be created, right?
If everything good is initiated by God, then the very act of being called is also the act of being chosen.
The Church submits itself to Sacred Scripture in the case of predestination and being called. Very quickly in the letter to the Ephesians, in fact verse 4 and 5, you will have to meditate on this mystery.
Ironically, today's feast is almost completely about this very topic; the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The second reading of the Mass was Eph 1:3-6,11-12. The teaching is that these very verses apply perfectly to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
And yet it seems that God does not force Himself on people. Mary is lauded because of her yielding and trusting, right? At least in part? "Let it be unto me as you have said." So even though Mary is chosen, she still must accept, right?
Indeed. Being chosen is ultimately being given freedom to respond to the call.
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