From: Ephesians 4:7-11, 11-13
A Call to Unity
[1] I therefore, a prisoner of the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy
of the calling to which you have been called, [2] with all lowliness
and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, [3] eager
to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [4] There is
one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that
belongs to your call, [5] one Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] one God
and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all.
[7] But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of
Christ's gift.
[11] And his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets,
some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, [12] for the equipment of
the saints, for the work of the ministry, for building up the body
Christ, [13] until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ.
Commentary:
1-16. The second part of the letter points out certain practical
consequences of the teaching given earlier. The underlying theme of the
previous chapters was the revelation of the "mystery" of Christ--the
calling of all men, Gentiles and Jews, to form a single people, the
Church. The second part of the letter begins with an appeal to maintain
the unity of the Church in the face of factors making for division--
internal discord (vv. 1-3), misuse of the different gifts or charisms
with which Christ endows individuals (v. 7), and the danger of being
led astray by heretical ideas (v. 14). Against this, St Paul teaches
that the Church's unity is grounded on the oneness of God (vv. 4-6),
and that Christ acts with full authority in the building up of his
body, through its various ministries (vv. 8-13) and through its
members' solidarity (vv. 14-16).
1. The exhortation begins by stating a general principle: a
Christian's conduct should be consistent with the calling he has
received from God.
Enormous consequences flow from the fact of being called to form part
of the Church through Baptism: "Being members of a holy nation,"
Monsignor Escriva says, "all the faithful have received a call to
holiness, and they must strive to respond to grace and to be personally
holy [...]. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who founds the holy Church, expects
the members of this people to strive continually to acquire holiness.
Not all respond loyally to his call. And in the spouse of Christ there
are seen, at one and the same time, both the marvel of the way of
salvation and the shortcomings of those who take up that way" ("In Love
with the Church", 5-6).
Speaking about incorporation into the Church, which is the way of
salvation, Vatican II exhorts Catholics to "remember that their exalted
condition results, not from their own merits, but from the grace of
Christ. If they fail to respond in thought, word and deed to that
grace, not only shall they not be saved, but they shall be the more
severely judged (see Lk 12:48: 'everyone to whom much is given, of him
will much be required'; cf. Mt 5:19-20; 7:21-22; 25:41-46; Jas 2:14)"
("Lumen Gentium", 14).
2-3. The virtues which the Apostle lists here are all different aspects
of charity which "binds everything together in perfect harmony" (Col
3:14) and is the mark of the true disciple of Christ (cf. Jn 13:35).
Charity originates not in man but in God: "it is a supernatural virtue
infused by God into our soul by which we love God above everything else
for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for love of God" ("St
Pius X Catechism", 898). In its decree on ecumenism the Second Vatican
Council shows the perennial relevance of these words of St Paul: "There
can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without interior conversion. For
it is from interior renewal of mind (cf. Eph 4:23), from self-denial
and unstinted love, that desires of unity take their rise and develop
in a mature way. We should therefore pray to the Holy Spirit for the
grace to be genuinely self-denying, humble, gentle in the service of
others and to have an attitude of brotherly generosity toward them"
("Unitatis Redintegratio", 7).
Charity is basic to the building up of a peaceful human society. 'The
consciousness of being trespassers against each other goes hand in hand
with the call to fraternal solidarity, which St Paul expressed in his
concise exhortation to 'forbear one another in love'. What a lesson of
humility is to be found here with regard to man, with regard both to
one's neighbor and to oneself! What a school of good will for daily
living, in the various conditions of our existence!" (John Paul II,
"Dives In Misericordia", 14).
The peace which unites Christians is the peace which Christ brings, or
rather it is Christ himself (cf. 2:14). By having the same faith and
the same Spirit, "all find themselves", says St John Chrysostom,
"brought together in the Church--old and young, poor and rich, adult
and child, husband and wife: people of either sex and of every
condition become one and the same, more closely united than the parts
of a single body, for the unity of souls is more intimate and more
perfect than that of any natural substance. However, this unity is
maintained only by 'the bond of peace'. It could not exist in the midst
of disorder and enmity.... This is a bond which does not restrict us,
which unites us closely to one another and does not overwhelm us: it
expands our heart and gives us greater joy than we could ever have if
we were unattached. He who is strong is linked to the weaker one to
carry him and prevent him from falling and collapsing. Does the weak
person feel weak?: the stronger person tries to build up his strength.
'A brother helped is like a strong city', says the wise man (Prov 18:
19)" ("Hom. on Eph, 9, ad loc".).
Union of hearts, affections and intentions is the result of the action
of the Holy Spirit in souls, and it makes for effectiveness and
strength in apostolate.
"Do you see? One strand of wire entwined with another, many woven
tightly together, form that cable strong enough to lift huge weights.
"You and your brothers, with wills united to carry out God's will, can
overcome all obstacles" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 480).
4-6. To show the importance of unity in the Church, and the theological
basis of that unity, St Paul quotes an acclamation which may well have
been taken from early Christian baptismal liturgy. It implies that the
unity of the Church derives from the unicity of the divine essence. The
text also reflects the three persons of the Blessed Trinity who are at
work in the Church and who keep it together--one Spirit, one Lord, one
God and Father.
There is "only one" Holy Spirit, who brings about and maintains the
unity of Christ's mystical body; and there is "only one" such body, the
Church: "After being lifted up on the cross and glorified, the Lord
Jesus pours forth the Spirit whom he had promised, and through whom he
has called and gathered together the people of the New Covenant, which
is the Church, into a unity of faith, hope and charity, as the Apostle
teaches us (Eph 4:4-5; Gal 3:27-28) [...] It is the Holy Spirit,
dwelling in believers and pervading and ruling over the entire Church,
who brings about that wonderful communion of the faithful and joins
them together so intimately in Christ, for he [the Spirit] is the
principle of the Church's unity" (Vatican II, "Unitatis Redintegratio",
2). All--Gentiles as well as Jews are called to join this Church; all,
therefore, share the one single hope--that of being saints which is
implied in the vocation they have received.
Recognition of there being only one Lord, who is head of the mystical
body, underlines the unity that should obtain among all the many
members of this single body. All its members are solidly built on
Christ when they confess "only one" faith--the faith that he taught and
which the Apostles and the Church have expressed in clear statements of
doctrine and dogma. "There can be only one faith; and so, if a person
refuses to listen to the Church, he should be considered, so the Lord
commands, as a heathen and a publican (cf. Mt 18:17)" (Pius XII,
"Mystici Corporis", 10). All Christians have also received only one
Baptism, that is, a Baptism by means of which, after making a
profession of faith, they join the other members of the Church as their
equals. Since there is only "one Lord, one faith, one baptism," "there
is a common dignity of members deriving from their rebirth in Christ, a
common grace as sons, a common vocation to perfection, one salvation,
one hope and undivided charity. In Christ and in the Church there is,
then, no inequality arising from race or nationality, social condition
or sex, for 'there is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor
free; there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ
Jesus' (Gal 3:28; cf. Col 3:11)" (Vatican II,"Lumen Gentium", 32).
God, the Father of all, is, in the last analysis, the basis of the
natural unity of mankind. Pope Pius XII, after recalling that the
sacred books tell us that all the rest of mankind originated from the
first man and woman, and how all the various tribes and peoples grew up
which are scattered throughout the world, exclaimed, "This is a
wonderful vision which allows us to reflect on the unity of mankind:
all mankind has a common origin in the Creator, as we are told, 'one
God and father of us all' (Eph 4:6); moreover, all men and women share
one and the same nature: all have a material body and an immortal and
spiritual soul" ("Summi Pontificatus", 18). God is "above all": his
lordship and control over things means that he is the author and
maintainer of their unity. Throughout history he has acted "through
all" his children, that is, believers, whom he has used to bring about
unity among men and over all created things. And he dwells "in all" the
faithful, for they belong to him; even the deepest recesses of their
hearts are his.
7. The diversity of graces or charisms which accompany the various
kinds of vocation given to members of the Church do not undermine its
unity; rather, they enhance it, because it is Christ himself who
bestows these gifts, as St Paul teaches in vv. 8-10. Christ also
provides the Church with ministers who devote themselves to building up
his body (vv. 11-12).
So just as there is a great variety of personality and situation, the
Church evidences many kinds of "charisms" or different ways of actually
living out the calling to holiness which God addresses to all. "In the
Church", John Paul II points out, "as the community of the people of
God under the guidance of the Holy Spirit's working, each member has
'his own special gift', as St Paul teaches (1 Cor 7:7). Although this
'gift' is a personal vocation and a form of participation in the
Church's saving work, it also serves others, builds the Church and the
fraternal communities in the various spheres of human life on earth"
("Redemptor Hominis", 21).
11-12. The Apostle here refers to certain ministries or offices in the
Church, which are performed not only in a charismatic way, under the
influence of the Holy Spirit, but as an assignment or ministry
entrusted to the particular individual by the glorified Lord.
These ministries have to do with preaching (teaching) and government.
In 1 Corinthians 12:27-30 and Romans 12:6-8, mention is made, alongside
ministries, of other charisms which complete the array of the gifts to
be found in the mystical body of Christ. St Paul here presents them as
gifts given by Christ, the head of his body, gifts which make for the
strengthening of its unity and love. In this connection, see the
quotation from "Lumen Gentium", 7, in the note on 1:22-23 above. These
graces are provided by the Holy Spirit who, "distributing various kinds
of spiritual gifts and ministries (cf. 1 Cor 12:4-11), enriches the
Church of Jesus Christ with different functions in order to equip the
saints for the works of service (cf. Eph 4:12)" ("Unitatis
Redintegratio", 2).
In the list which St Paul gives the first to appear are apostles. These
may be the first apostles (including Paul himself) or a wider group (cf. 1
Cor 15:7; Rom 16:7) which includes others sent as missionaries
to establish new Christian communities. Alongside them (as in Eph 2:20;
3:5) come prophets, who are also the bed-rock of the Church, trustees
of revelation. Essentially a prophet was not someone "sent" but rather
one whose role was to "upbuild, encourage and console" (cf. 1 Cor 14:3;
Acts 13:1) and who normally stayed within a particular community. The
"evangelists" were others, who had not received a direct revelation but
who devoted themselves to preaching the Gospel which the apostles had
passed on to them (cf. Acts 21:8; 2 Tim 4:5). It may be that St Paul
mentions them here, along with apostles and prophets, because it was
evangelists who first preached the Gospel in Ephesus. The last to be
mentioned are pastors and teachers, whose role was that of ruling and
giving ongoing instruction to particular communities.
There is no necessary reason why the terminology used in apostolic
times for ministries in the Church should be the same as that used
nowadays; however, the ministries themselves do not change: "Guiding
the Church in the way of all truth (cf. Jn 16:13) and unifying her in
communion and in the works of ministry, the Holy Spirit bestows upon
her varied hierarchic and charismatic gifts, and in this way directs
her; and he adorns her with his fruits (cf. Eph 4: 12; 1 Cor 12:4; Gal
5:22)" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 4).
And, of course, all Christians have a responsibility to spread Christ's
teaching, to cooperate in the Church's work of catechesis. "Catechesis
always has been and always will be", John Paul II teaches, "a work for
which the whole Church must feel responsible and must wish to be
responsible. But the Church's members have different responsibilities,
derived from each one's mission. Because of their charge, pastors have,
at differing levels, the chief responsibility for fostering, guiding
and coordinating catechesis [...]. Priests and religious have in
catechesis a preeminent field for their apostolate. On another level,
parents have a unique responsibility. Teachers, the various ministers
of the Church, catechists, and also organizers of social
communications, all have in various degrees very precise
responsibilities in this education of the believing conscience, an
education that is important for the life of the Church and affects the
life of society as such" ("Catechesi Tradendae", 16).
13. The building up of the body of Christ occurs to the extent that
its members strive to hold on to the truths of faith and to practice
charity. The "knowledge of the Son of God" refers not only to the
object of faith--which is basically the acceptance of Christ as true
God and true man--but also to a vital and loving relationship with him.
A conscientious approach to the personal obligations that faith implies
is the mark of maturity, whereas an undeveloped, childish personality
is marked by a certain instability.
As Christians develop in faith and love, they become more firmly
inserted into the body of Christ and make a greater contribution to its
development. In this way "mature manhood" is reached: this seems to
refer not to the individual Christian but rather to the "total Christ"
or "whole Christ" in St Augustine's phrase, that is, all the members in
union with the head, Christ. "It is due to this communication of the
Spirit of Christ that all the gifts, virtues, and miraculous powers
which are found eminently, most abundantly, and fontally in the head,
stream into all the members of the Church and in them are perfected
daily according to the place of each in the mystical body of Jesus
Christ; and that, consequently, the Church becomes as it were the
fullness and completion of the Redeemer, Christ in the Church being in
some sense brought to complete achievement" (Pius XII, "Mystici
Corporis", 34).
"The fullness of Christ" must mean the Church itself or Christians
incorporated into Christ; the "fullness" ("pleroma") of a boat is the
sum total of the gear, crew and cargo which "fill" the boat, and mean
it is ready to weigh anchor. "As members of the living Christ,
incorporated into him and made like him by Baptism, Confirmation and
the Eucharist, all the faithful have an obligation to collaborate in
the spreading and growth of his body, so that they might bring it to
fullness as soon as possible" (Vatican II, "Ad Gentes", 36).
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.
From: Matthew 9:9-13
The Call of Matthew
[9] As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man called Matthew sitting
at the tax office; and He said to him, "Follow Me." And he rose and
followed Him.
[10] And as He sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors
and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and His disciples. [11] And
when the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, "Why does your
Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?" [12] But when He heard
it, He said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those
who are sick. [13] Go and learn what this means, `I desire mercy, and
not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
Commentary:
9. "Tax office": a public place for the payment of taxes. On
"following Jesus", see the note on Matthew 8:18-22.
The Matthew whom Jesus calls here is the Apostle of the same name and
the human author of the first Gospel. In Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27 he is
called Levi the son of Alphaeus or simply Levi.
In addition to Baptism, through which God calls all Christians (cf.
note on Matthew 8:18-22), the Lord can also extend, to whomever He
chooses, a further calling to engage in some specific mission in the
Church. This second calling is a special grace (cf. Matthew 4:19-21;
Mark 1:17-20; John 1:30; etc.) additional to the earlier calling
through Baptism. In other words, it is not man who takes the
initiative; it is Jesus who calls, and man who responds to this call by
his free personal decision: "You did not choose Me, but I chose you"
(John 15:16).
Matthew's promptitude in "following" Jesus' call is to be noted. When
God speaks, soul may be tempted to reply, "Tomorrow; I'm not ready
yet." In the last analysis this excuse, and other excuses, are nothing
but a sign of selfishness and fear (different from that fear which can
be an additional symptom of vocation: cf. John 1). "Tomorrow" runs the
risk of being too late.
As in the case of the other Apostles, St. Matthew is called in the
midst of the ordinary circumstances of his life: "What amazes you seems
natural to me: that God has sought you out in the practice of your
profession! That is how He sought the first, Peter and Andrew, James
and John, beside their nets, and Matthew, sitting in the custom-house.
And--wonder of wonders!--Paul, in his eagerness to destroy the seed of
the Christians" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 799).
10-11. The attitude of these Pharisees, who are so prone to judge
others and classify them as just men or sinners, is at odds with the
attitude and teaching of Jesus. Earlier on, He said, "Judge not, that
you be not judged" (Matthew 7:1), and elsewhere He added, "Let him who
is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her" (John
8:7).
The fact is that all of us are sinners; and our Lord has come to redeem
all of us. There is no basis, therefore, for Christians to be
scandalized by the sins of others, since any one of us is capable of
committing the vilest of sins unless God's grace comes to our aid.
12. There is no reason why anyone should be depressed when he realizes
he is full of failings: recognition that we are sinners is the only
correct attitude for us to have in the presence of God. He has come to
seek all men, but if a person considers himself to be righteous, by
doing so he is closing the door to God; all of us in fact are sinners.
13. Here Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6, keeping the hyperbole of the Semitic
style. A more faithful translation would be: "I desire mercy MORE THAN
sacrifice". It is not that our Lord does not want the sacrifices we
offer Him: He is stressing that every sacrifice should come from the
heart, for charity should imbue everything a Christian does--especially
his worship of God (see 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; Matthew 5:23-24).
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Reading I 
