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"Walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called" (Ephesians 4:1). Compared to walking worthy of Christ, nothing else is really important. Let's review what Paul has taught us from Ephesians 4:1-6. God has chosen and called us to be part of His family, and He expects us to act like His children. He wants us to walk worthy of Christ and be unified. To follow God's will in this, we must, with His help, deal with our sin and develop godly virtues. Our lives must first be marked by "all humility" (v. 2). We...

God exalted Christ "and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fulness of Him who fills all in all" (Eph. 1:22-23). The church was designed to complement Christ. Here Paul uses a graphic analogy to illustrate the relationship of Christ to the church: He is the head; believers are His body. Paul elaborates that we're to hold "fast to the head [Christ], from whom the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ligaments, grows with a growth which is from God" (Col. 2:19; cf. Eph. 4:15-16). Just as...

A "Rule of Life" for Prophets - A Homily for the 4th Sunday of the Year Msgr. Charles Pope January 30, 2016 Prophets are those who speak for God. They Love God and His people; they speak the (often painful) truth of God to His people. They do so not to win an argument, but because of their love and conviction that only the undiluted truth of God can save us in the end.People-pleasing and other forms of human respect cannot supplant reverence for God and His truth. Prophets are willing to endure pain and suffering in order to...

And the ark of the Lord was in the country of the Philistines seven months. And the Philistines called for the priests and the diviners, saying, What shall we do to the ark of the Lord? tell us wherewith we shall send it to his place.( 1 Samuel 6:1-2)We have been seeing in the story of the capture of the Ark of the covenant by the Philistines, in the book of Samuel. Not only did these events truly happen in Israel’s history, but they foretell the future history of both gentiles and Jews in their details. * Israel would endure...

"One God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:6). There is only one God, and we will have a strong testimony by worshiping Him and holding on to what unites us. The last point of Christian unity Paul mentions in Ephesians 4:4-6 is that Christians have "one God and Father." In Paul's day, people believed in many gods; so he emphasizes our God's uniqueness. No person or object can compare with God because He is "above all," which means He is the sovereign creator and controller of the universe; He is...

God exalted Christ "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet" (Eph. 1:21-22). Now and forever Christ is the Supreme One! Yesterday we saw that Christ has both an exalted name and an exalted, authoritative position. In verses 21-22 Paul elaborates on the extent of Christ's authority, which is "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion." "Rule," "authority," "power," and "dominion" are designations for angelic beings, whether...

PHILIPPINES January 28, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) -- A Dominican priest and recent Vatican appointee who believes homosexual activity can "be expressive of Christ’s self gift" has criticized Catholics who, he says, spend too much time focusing on what homosexuals are "doing in bed." I think people always want to know what they're doing in bed. What's in it for me to go around asking everybody what they're doing in bed? I don't do that," said Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe in an interview yesterday with Philippines social news network Rappler. Fr. Radcliffe, who was in the Philippines as a guest speaker at...

Christ's hidden years Question: One of my great frustrations with Scripture as an historical source is that it leaves so much out. Almost 30 years of Jesus’ life receive no mention at all. How can this be that the life of the most pivotal figure in history receives such vague biographical treatment?— Name, location withheld, Answer: Part of the answer to this is to understand that the Gospels do not propose to be chronological histories of the Lord’s life. The Gospels do record the things that Jesus actually said and did, but they do so in a selective way. St....

And the Philistines took the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod. When the Philistines took the ark of God, they brought it into the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon. And when they of Ashdod arose early on the morrow, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the earth before the ark of the Lord. And they took Dagon, and set him in his place again And when they arose early on the morrow morning, behold, Dagon was fallen upon his face to the ground before the ark of the Lord; and the...

How does Mohammad rate as a “prophet” or “messenger” of God A comparison of Mohammad with one of Jesus’ key disciples, Peter:-how does he rate as a “prophet” or “messenger” of God Whilst many in the West focus by the violence of Islamists it provides an opportunity to reflect upon the relative status of Mohammad, the role model of Muslims according to the Quran( Suras 33:6,33:21 & 68:4). What about the disciples of Jesus? Does Mohammad measure up to say Peter? Peter was a self-proclaimed Christian, and Mohammad a Muslim. Since Mohammad claimed Jesus was a “Muslim” prophet then it...

Blessed (and also very smart) Are the Merciful Msgr. Charles Pope • January 28, 2016 • In today's gospel the Lord gives us a very practical reminder: "The measure that you measure to others will be measured back to you." What does this mean?Well, if you were on your way to court and you received advice as to how you could influence the judge to be less severe in your case would you not seriously consider following that advice? Surely you would--unless of course the "advice" involved bribery or some other corrupt activity.And in fact Jesus, our judge, has...

"One Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5). All Christians have a common Lord, common beliefs, and a common public testimony. Yesterday we looked at what Christians have in common through the Spirit. Today's verse teaches us what we share through Christ. Christians have only "one Lord," the Lord Jesus Christ. Acts 4:12 says, "There is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved." Paul says in Romans 10:12, "There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord...

"[God] seated [Christ] at His right hand in the heavenly places" (Eph.1:20). Christ occupies the highest place of power, prominence, authority, and honor. To exalt someone is to elevate that person in status, dignity, power, and honor. As God, Jesus possesses all power and authority and is deserving of all honor and glory. But when He was on earth, most people refused to give Him the glory He deserved. Instead they mocked and eventually murdered Him. Just prior to His death, Jesus prayed to the Father, "Glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I ever had...

And the Word of Samuel Came to All Israel…(I Samuel 4:1)Thus begins the story of the capture of the ARK. The events which would follow, involve all ISRAEL for all time. The story of the capture and recovery of the Ark is the future history of Israel as well as valid salvation history. What we have related so far is that Israel suffered in their own land under foreign domination. Because of their unfaithfulness they were unable to fully dwell in the land, according to the terms of the covenant. Israel sought to throw off the foreign domination, but proved...

And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Ebenezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek. And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men. And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh...

"There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all" (Ephesians 4:4-6). All Christians are part of the same Body, with the same Spirit, who is our pledge of eternal life. Everything God ever designed for the church is based on the unity of believers. Paul emphasizes that by listing seven "ones" in these verses. One is the key; it is the cause of the worthy walk. How many...

"These are in accordance with the working of the strength of [God's] might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead" (Eph. 1:19-20). In Christ you have all the power you will ever need. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the great hope of believers. Because He lives, we will live also (John 14:19). Peter said we have been "born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away" (1 Pet. 1:3-4). We and what we...

Why Holy Days and the Sanctoral Cycle Are Important Msgr. Charles Pope • January 27, 2016 • In last Sunday's Mass we read from the eighth chapter of the Book of Nehemiah. I posted a lengthy commentary on it last week (On the Wonder of the Word of God). In today's post I would like to ponder a rather surprising emphasis of that text. Let's start with a little background.In a stunning reversal for the Jewish people, the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem and destroyed not only the city, but the Temple as well! Prophet after prophet had warned the people...

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (vv. 8-10). - Ephesians 2:1-10 One of the signature confessions of the Reformed tradition, the Westminster Confession of Faith stands out for its comprehensive summary of biblical doctrine. Chapter 14 of this confession deals with saving faith, explaining that "the grace of faith, whereby the...

If you look at an English translation of Ex 18:4, (NIV) and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, "My father's God was my helper; he saved me from the sword of Pharaoh." all versions refer to Eliezer as "the other," when in fact this is a mistranslation of the Hebrew original. In Hebrew Moses' children are referred to as: ...ONE of whom was named Gershom....and ONE of whom was named Eliezer. Whenever there are seeming errors in grammar or syntax, the rabbis expound... The attached class explored the deeper meaning behind this "mistake" in the text of our...