Because the thought and teaching of this portion of St.Paul’s letter continues as one great truth into chapter 3 of Ephesians, I’ve decided to lead our ponderings all the way through to the end of chapter 3, before we transition into the exhortations and encouragements embodied throughout the remainder of the letter, chapters 4 through […]
Monthly Archives: February 2014
Truly no man can ransom himself, or give to God the price of his life, for the ransom of his life is costly, and can never suffice, that he should continue to live on forever, and never see the Pit (Psalm 49:7-9). The Catholic Church’s teaching undergirds that of Protestants who recognize that by […]
In these verses in St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, two major themes are put forth for our pondering: first, “the heavenly places,” with their “surpassing (or) immeasurable riches”; and second, the relationship between “faith” and “works” in light of the gift of salvation. A deeper understanding of both of these themes, which we can […]
As we embark upon the second chapter of St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, it will be good this week to consider two very important cross-references, one in the Gospel of Luke and one in Paul’s Letter to the Romans, because our understanding of the human condition and of our Creator’s active, personal love is […]
In the next few days, before our first Wednesday meeting together, my reading assignment is this: Acts 17:16-34. This describes the Apostle Paul’s interaction with philosophically-minded Athenians in about A.D. 52, before he wrote his Letter to the Ephesians. The people to whom he was speaking here had not forgotten the great philosopher Socrates’ recognition […]
Faith on the Ferry and the San Juan Islands 