The reading from Ephesians today continues to explain by presenting contrasts. Because of its lengthy sentence structure, it can be daunting to read as well as to understand.
St. Paul begins by reminding his readers that he has been commissioned as a steward of God’s word and has, consequently, revealed God’s plan to them. The message that he has been given is something new. Formerly, he believed that God had reserved his grace and mercy for the Jews alone. Now, however, he has come to realize that God’s plan of salvation is for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike.
“. . .that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same Body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel” (Ephesians 3:6). It would be difficult to characterize this pronouncement as anything but earth-shaking for Paul’s contemporaries. The prejudice that existed between Jew and Gentile was as strong and as vitriolic as any other bias or prejudice witnessed in history. In chapter two of the Letter to the Ephesians (which we did not hear because of yesterday’s feast), St. Paul refers to the Gentiles as “you who were far off” and to the Jews as “you who are near.” He calls the Gentiles strangers and aliens, the uncircumcised. Breaking down the barrier of prejudice between Jew and Gentile was just as difficult as breaking down the barrier that exists between white people and people of color, a prejudice that still exists today.
St. Paul uses at “that was then” “this is now” kind of argument to get the Ephesians to realize that in Jesus, we are all welcome. His reasoning has gained him many enemies, people who believed that God’s chosen people were better than. . . As a result, he was persecuted, beaten, jailed, and eventually executed. However, he asks the people of Ephesus to stay loyal to the message that he has preached, to refuse to return to their old way of thinking.
Keeping in mind that this society was driven by the need to preserve one’s honor and to avoid shame, Paul’s imprisonment tends to demoralize those who have come to believe. To them Paul states unequivocally: “I ask you not to lose heart over my afflictions for you; this is your glory” (Ephesians 3:13.” Once again, remembering what Jesus suffered, he gladly suffers for the sake of the Gospel which has been given to him and of which he is a steward.
Fr. Lawrence Jagdfeld, O.F.M., Administrator