Category: Ephesians

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Immaculate Conception

BEDE:

Now Gabriel means “strength of God.” Rightly he shone forth with such a name, since by his testimony he bore witness to the coming birth of God in the flesh. The prophet said this in the psalm, “The Lord strong and powerful, the Lord powerful in battle”—that battle, undoubtedly, in which he [Christ] came to fight “the powers of the air” and to snatch the world from their tyranny.

Truly full of grace was she to whom it was granted to give birth to Jesus Christ, the very one through whom grace and truth came. And so the Lord was truly with her whom he first raised up from earthly to heavenly desires, in an unheard of love of chastity, and afterwards sanctified, by means of his human nature, with all the fullness of his divinity. Truly blessed among women was she who without precedent in the womanly state rejoiced in having the honor of parenthood along with the beauty of virginity, inasmuch as it was fitting that a virgin mother bring forth God the Son. read more

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Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA:

I now consider it my duty to mention why the door to life is narrow. Whoever would enter must first before everything else possess an upright and uncorrupted faith and then a spotless morality, in which there is no possibility of blame, according to the measure of human righteousness.… One who has attained to this in mind and spiritual strength will enter easily by the narrow door and run along the narrow way.

You may count certain others among those able to say to the judge of all, “We have eaten and drunk in your presence, and you have taught in our streets.” Who again are these? Many have believed in Christ and have celebrated the holy festivals in his honor. Frequenting the churches, they also hear the doctrines of the gospel, but they remember absolutely nothing of the truths of Scripture. With difficulty, they bring with them the practice of virtue, while their heart is quite bare of spiritual fruitfulness. These will also weep bitterly and grind their teeth, because the Lord will also deny them. He said, “Not everyone that says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” read more

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Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus’ healing in today’s Gospel sends a powerful message about authentic religion.  Religion is all about being connected in a life-giving way to God.  Because of our innate desire for security and control, we have a tendency to rely on structures, rules and formalities even though they eventually depersonalize and ossify human life.  The woman hunched over, forced to look at the ground by the oppression of evil resembles an animal more than a human being.  Her religion ought to be liberating her to connect with her God, but the leaders of that religion have a fixation on a very narrow interpretation of God’s revelation that serves only to reinforce her slavery.  Human freedom is only really free when it loves.  Love is the only truly life-giving power of our spirit, and we can only give and receive that life by loving and being loved by something whose essential goodness exceeds our own. read more