Fighting and internal strife were common problems in the early church. The letter to the Hebrews reminds early Christians to avoid distractions: “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings.” However, rather than embrace the one true message of the one true Christ, many early Christians were distracted by the “strange teachings” of internal issues of legalism and history. In this week’s passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he speaks sternly to them because they are simply not getting along. Even those who tried to preach the good news to non-believers were setting a poor example because their own words and actions were inconsistent with their preaching.
Paul chastises the Ephesians for fighting amongst themselves and for being rude, disrespectful, insulting, judging, and gossiping: “All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” Paul directs the Ephesians in the same way as Jesus directs His followers in today’s Gospel passage: “Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from Him comes to me.” The lesson we learn from both Jesus and His Father is a lesson of love. Paul reminds the Ephesians (and us) that Jesus Christ is “the way” and they, as followers of “the way” must remain united in Jesus. Nothing should ever interfere with that reality.
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul told them that they should fix their “thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Those excellent, praise worthy things would be the life of Jesus Christ, His sacrifice for us, His love for us, and His desire to be with us for all eternity. The messages to the Ephesians, Hebrews and the Philippians remain relevant and applicable to all Christian churches today; to the Catholic Church in particular as the standard bearer of Christianity; and, to our parish as the face of Jesus Christ in Dana Point. God bless us all as we try to remain focused, forgiving, and faithful!
Comments