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From: Ephesians 1:17-23

Thanksgiving. The Supremacy of Christ (Continuation)

[17] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a
spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, [18] having the
eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which
he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the
saints, [19] and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who
believe, according to the working of his great might [20] which he
accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at
the right hand in the heavenly places, [2I] far above all rule and authority
and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this
age but also in that which is to come; [22] and he has put all things under
his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, [23]
which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Commentary:

17. The God whom St Paul addresses is "the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ", that is, the God who has revealed himself through Christ and
to whom Jesus himself, as man, prays and asks for help (cf. Lk 22:42).
The same God as was described in the Old Testament as "the God of
Abraham, of Isaac and of Jacob" is now defined as "the God of our Lord
Jesus Christ". He is the personal God recognized by his relationship
with Christ, his Son, who as mediator of the New Covenant obtains from
God the Father everything he asks for. This will be our own experience
too if we are united to Christ, for he promised that "if you ask
anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name" (Jn 16:23;
15:16).

The founder of Opus Dei reminds us that "Jesus is the way, the
mediator. In him are all things; outside of him is nothing. In Christ,
taught by him, we dare to call Almighty God 'our Father': he who
created heaven and earth is a loving Father" ("Christ Is Passing By",
91).

The Apostle also calls God "the Father of glory". The glory of God
means his greatness, his power, the infinite richness of his
personality, which when it is revealed inspires man with awe. Already,
in the history of Israel, God revealed himself through his saving
actions in favor of his people. Asking God to glorify his name is the
same as asking him to show himself as our Savior and to give us his
gifts. But the greatest manifestation of God's glory, of his power, was
the raising of Jesus from the dead, and the raising, with him, of the
Christian (cf. Rom 6:4; 1 Cor 6:14). In this passage St Paul asks God
"the Father of glory" to grant Christians supernatural wisdom to
recognize the greatness of the blessings he has given them through his
Son; that is, to acknowledge that he is their Father and the origin of
glory. By asking for a "spirit of wisdom and revelation" the Apostle is
seeking special gifts--on the one hand, wisdom, that gift of the Holy
Spirit which enables one to penetrate the mystery of God: "Who has
learned thy counsel, unless thou hast given wisdom and sent thy holy
Spirit from on high?" (Wis 9:17). This wisdom which the Church has been
given (cf. Eph l:8) can be communicated to Christians in a special
way, as a special gift or charism of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle also
asks God to give them a spirit "of revelation", that is, the grace of
personal revelations, such as he himself (cf. 1 Cor 14:6) and other
Christians (cf. 1 Cor 14:26) received. It is not a matter of revelation
or recognition of new truths, but rather of special light from the Holy
Spirit so as to have a deeper appreciation of the truth of faith, or of
the will of God in a particular situation.

18-19. Along with this deeper knowledge of God, St Paul asks that
Christians be given a fuller and livelier hope, because God and hope
are inseparable. He recognizes the faith and charity of the faithful to
whom he is writing (cf. 1:15); now he wants hope to shine more
brightly for them; he wants God to enlighten their minds and make them
realize the consequences of their election, their calling, to be
members of the holy people of God, the Church. Hope, therefore, is a
gift from God. "Hope is a supernatural virtue, infused by God into our
soul, by which we desire and expect eternal life, promised by God to
his servants, and the means necessary to obtain it" ("St Pius X
Catechism", 893).

The ground for hope lies in God's love and power which have been
manifested in the resurrection of Christ. This same power is at work in
the Christian. Because God's plan for our salvation is an eternal one,
he who has called us will lead us to an immortal life in heaven. The
fact that God's power is at work in us (cf. Rom 5:5) does not mean that
we encounter no difficulties. Monsignor Escriva reminds us that "as we
fight this battle, which will last until the day we die, we cannot
exclude the possibility that enemies both within and without may attack
with violent force. As if that were not enough, you may at times be
assailed by the memory of your own past errors, which may have been
very many. I tell you now, in God's name: do not despair. Should this
happen (it need not happen; nor will it usually happen), then turn it
into another motive for uniting yourself more closely to the Lord, for
he has chosen you as his child and he will not abandon you. He has
allowed this trial to befall you so as to have you love him the more
and discover even more clearly his constant protection and love"
("Friends of God", 214).

20-21. The Apostle is in awe at the marvels which God's power has
worked in Jesus Christ. He sees Christ as the source and model of our
hope. "For, just as Christ's life is the model and exemplar of our
holiness, so is the glory and exaltation of Christ the form and
exemplar of our glory and exaltation" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary
on Eph, ad. Ioc".).

As elsewhere in the New Testament (cf. Acts 7:56; Heb 1:3; 1 Pet 3:22),
the fact that the risen Christ is seated "at the right hand" of the
Father means that he shares in God's kingly authority. The Apostle is
using a comparison with which people of his time were very familiar--
that of the emperor seated on his throne. The throne has always been
the symbol of supreme authority and power. Thus, the "St Pius V
Catechism" explains that being seated at the right hand "does not
imply position or posture of body, but expresses the firm and permanent
possession of royal and supreme power and glory, which he received from
the Father" (I, 7, 3).

Christ's pre-eminence is absolute: he is Lord of all creation, material
as well as spiritual, earthly as well as heavenly. "All rule and
authority and power and dominion": this refers to the angelic spirits
(cf. note on Eph 3:10), whom the false preachers were presenting as
superior to Christ. St Paul argues against them: Jesus Christ at his
resurrection was raised by God above all created beings.

22-23. In previous letters St Paul described the Church as a body (cf.
Rom 12:4f; 1 Cor 12:12ff). Here, and in Colossians 1:18, he pursues
this comparison and says that it is the body of Christ, and that Christ
is its head. He returns to this teaching elsewhere in the Captivity
Epistles (cf. Col 1:18; Eph 5:23f). The image of body and head
highlights the life-giving and salvific influence of Christ on the
Church, and at the same time emphasizes his supremacy over the Church
(cf. St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on Eph, ad loc.", and also the note
on Col 1:18). This fact fills Christians with joy: by joining the
Church through Baptism, they have become truly members of our Lord's
body. "No, it is not pride", Paul VI says, " nor arrogance nor
obstinacy nor stupidity nor folly that makes us so sure of being
living, genuine members of Christ's body, the authentic heirs of his
Gospel" ("Ecclesiam Suam", 33).

This image also reveals Christ's close union with his Church and his
deep love for her: "he loved her so much", St John of Avila observes,
"that although what normally happens is that a person raises his arm to
take a blow and protect his head, this blessed Lord, who is the head,
put himself forward to receive the blow of divine justice, and died on
the Cross to give life to his body, that is, us. And after giving us
life, through penance and the sacraments, he endows us, defends and
keeps us as something so very much his own, that he is not content with
calling us his servants, friends, brethren or children: the better to
show his love and render us honor, he gives us his name. For, by means
of this ineffable union of Christ the head with the Church his body, he
and we are together called 'Christ"' ("Audi, Filia", chap. 84).

The Apostle also describes the Church, the body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor
12:12) as his "fullness" (cf. note on Col 1:19). What he means is that,
through the Church, Christ becomes present in and fills the entire
universe and extends to it the fruits of his redemptive activity. By
being the vehicle which Christ uses to distribute his grace to all, the
Church is different from the Israel of the Old Testament: it is not
confined to a particular geographical location.

Because the Church has limitless grace, its call is addressed to all
mankind: all men are invited to attain salvation in Christ. "For many
centuries now, the Church has been spread throughout the world,"
Monsignor Escriva comments, "and it numbers persons of all races and
walks of life. But the universality of the Church does not depend on
its geographical extension, even though that is a visible sign and a
motive of credibility. The Church was catholic already at Pentecost; it
was born catholic from the wounded heart of Jesus, as a fire which the
Holy Spirit enkindles [...]. 'We call it catholic', writes St Cyril,
'not only because it is spread throughout the whole world, from one
extreme to the other, but because in a universal way and without defect
it teaches all the dogmas which men ought to know, of both the visible
and the invisible, the celestial and the earthly. Likewise, because it
draws to true worship all types of men, those who govern and those who
are ruled, the learned and the ignorant. And finally, because it cures
and makes healthy all kinds of sins, whether of the soul or of the
body, possessing in addition--by whatever name it may be called--all
the forms of virtue, in deeds and in words and in every kind of
spiritual gift' ("Catechesis", 18, 23)" ("In Love with the Church", 9).

All grace reaches the Church through Christ. The Second Vatican Council
reminds us: "He continually endows his body, that is, the Church, with
gifts of ministries through which, by his power, we serve each other
unto salvation so that, carrying out the truth in love, we may through
all things grow into him who is our head" ("Lumen Gentium", 7). This is
why St Paul calls the Church the "body" of Christ; and it is in this
sense that it is the "fullness" ("pleroma") of Christ--not because it in
any way fills out or completes Christ but because it is filled with
Christ, full of Christ, forming a single body with him, a single
spiritual organism, whose unifying and life-giving principle is Christ,
its head. This demonstrates Christ's absolute supremacy; his unifying
and life-giving influence extends from God to Christ, from Christ to
the Church, and from the Church to all men. It is he in fact who fills
all in all (cf. Eph 4:10; Col 1:17-19; 2:9f).

The fact that the Church is the body of Christ is a further reason why
we should love it and serve it. As Pope Pius XII wrote: "To ensure that
this genuine and whole-hearted love will reign in our hearts and grow
every day, we must accustom ourselves to see Christ himself in the
Church. For it is indeed Christ who lives in the Church, and through
her teaches, governs and sanctifies; and it is also Christ who
manifests himself in manifold disguise in the various members of his
society" ("Mystici Corporis", 43).

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: Mark 16:15-20

Jesus Appears to the Eleven. The Apostle's Mission

[15] And He (Jesus) said to them (the Eleven), "Go into all the world
and preach the Gospel to the whole creation. [16] He who believes and
is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be
condemned. [17] And these signs will accompany those who believe; in
My name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; [18]
they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will
not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will
recover."

The Ascension

[19] So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up
into Heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.

The Apostles Go Forth and Preach

[20] And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked
with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it.
Amen.

Commentary:

15. This verse contains what is called the "universal apostolic
mandate" (paralleled by Matthew 28:19-20 and Luke 24:46-48). This is
an imperative command from Christ to His Apostles to preach the Gospel
to the whole world. This same apostolic mission applies, especially to
the Apostles' successors, the bishops in communion with Peter's
successor, the Pope.

But this mission extends further: the whole "Church was founded to
spread the Kingdom of Christ over all the earth for the glory of God
the Father, to make all men partakers in redemption and salvation....
Every activity of the Mystical Body with this in view goes by the name
of `apostolate'; the Church exercises it through all its members,
though in various ways. In fact, the Christian vocation is, of its
nature, a vocation to the apostolate as well. In the organism of a
living body no member plays a purely passive part, sharing in the life
of the body it shares at the same time in its activity. The same is
true for the body of Christ, the Church: `the whole body achieves full
growth in dependence on the full functioning of each part' (Ephesians
4:16). Between the members of this body there exists, further, such a
unity and solidarity (cf. Ephesians 4:16) that a member who does not
work at the growth of the body to the extent of his possibilities must
be considered useless both to the Church and to himself.

"In the Church there is diversity of ministry but unity of mission. To
the apostles and their successors Christ has entrusted the office of
teaching, sanctifying and governing in His name and by His power. But
the laity are made to share in the priestly, prophetical and kingly
office of Christ; they have therefore, in the Church and in the world,
their own assignment in the mission of the whole people of God"
(Vatican II, "Apostolicam Actuositatem", 2).

It is true that God acts directly on each person's soul through grace,
but it must also be said that it is Christ's will (expressed here and
elsewhere) that men should be an instrument or vehicle of salvation for
others.

Vatican II also teaches this: "On all Christians, accordingly, rests
the noble obligation of working to bring all men throughout the whole
world to hear and accept the divine message of salvation" ("ibid.",
3).

16. This verse teaches that, as a consequence of the proclamation of
the Good News, faith and Baptism are indispensable pre-requisites for
attaining salvation. Conversion to the faith of Jesus Christ should
lead directly to Baptism, which confers on us "the first sanctifying
grace, by which Original Sin is forgiven, and which also forgives any
actual sins there may be; it remits all punishment due for sins; it
impresses on the soul the mark of the Christian; it makes us children
of God, members of the Church and heirs to Heaven, and enables us to
receive the other Sacraments" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 553).

Baptism is absolutely necessary for salvation, as we can see from these
words of the Lord. But physical impossibility for receiving the rite
of Baptism can be replaced either by martyrdom (called, therefore,
"baptism of blood") or by a perfect act of love of God and of
contrition, together with an at least implicit desire to be baptized:
this is called "baptism of desire" (cf. "ibid.", 567-568).

Regarding infant Baptism, St. Augustine taught that "the custom of our
Mother the Church of infant Baptism is in no way to be rejected or
considered unnecessary; on the contrary, it is to be believed on the
ground that it is a tradition from the Apostles" ("De Gen., Ad Litt.",
10, 23, 39). The new "Code of Canon Law" also stresses the need to
baptize infants: "Parents are obliged to see that their infants are
baptized within the first few weeks. As soon as possible after the
birth, indeed even before it, they are to approach the parish priest to
ask for the Sacrament for their child, and to be themselves duly
prepared for it" (Canon 867).

Another consequence of the proclamation of the Gospel, closely linked
with the previous one, is that "the Church is necessary", as Vatican II
declares: "Christ is the one mediator and way of salvation; He is
present to us in His body which is the Church. He Himself explicitly
asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism (cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:5),
and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which
men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be
saved who, knowing that the Church was founded as necessary by God
through Christ, would refuse to enter it, or to remain in it" ("Lumen
Gentium", 14; cf. "Presbyterorum Ordinis", 4; "Ad Gentes", 1-3;
"Dignitatis Humanae", 11).

17-18. In the early days of the Church, public miracles of this kind
happened frequently. There are numerous historical records of these
events in the New Testament (cf., e.g., Acts 3:1-11; 28:3-6) and in
other ancient Christian writings. It was very fitting that this should
be so, for it gave visible proof of the truth of Christianity.
Miracles of this type still occur, but much more seldom; they are very
exceptional. This, too, is fitting because, on the one hand, the truth
of Christianity has been attested to enough; and, on the other, it
leaves room for us to merit through faith. St. Jerome comments:
"Miracles were necessary at the beginning to confirm the people in the
faith. But, once the faith of the Church is confirmed, miracles are
not necessary" ("Comm. In Marcum, in loc."). However, God still works
miracles through saints in every generation, including our own.

19. The Lord's ascension into Heaven and His sitting at the right hand
of the Father is the sixth article of faith confessed in the Creed.
Jesus Christ went up into Heaven body and soul, to take possession of
the Kingdom He won through His death, to prepare for us a place in
Heaven (cf. Revelation 3:21) and to send the Holy Spirit to His Church
(cf. "St. Pius X Cathechism", 123).

To say that He "sat at the right hand of God" means that Jesus Christ,
including His humanity, has taken eternal possession of Heaven and
that, being the equal of His Father in that He is God, He occupies the
place of highest honor beside Him in His human capacity (cf. "St. Pius
V Catechism", I, 7, 2-3). Already in the Old Testament the Messiah is
spoken of as seated at the right hand of the Almighty, thereby showing
the supreme dignity of Yahweh's Annointed (cf. Psalm 110:1). The New
Testament records this truth here and also in many other passages (cf.
Ephesians 1:20-22; Hebrews 1:13).

As the "St. Pius V Catechism" adds, Jesus went up to Heaven by His own
power and not by any other. Nor was it only as God that He ascended,
but also as man.

20. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the evangelist attests that the words
of Christ have already begun to be fulfilled by the time of writing.
The Apostles, in other words, were faithfully carrying out the mission
of our Lord entrusted to them. They begin to preach the Good News of
salvation throughout the known world. Their preaching was accompanied
by the signs and wonders the Lord had promised, which lent authority to
their witness and their teaching. Yet, we know that their apostolic
work was always hard, involving much effort, danger, misunderstanding,
persecution and even martyrdom--like our Lord's own life.

Thanks to God and also to the Apostles, the strength and joy of our
Lord Jesus Christ has reached as far as us. But every Christian
generation, every man and woman, has to receive the preaching of the
Gospel and, in turn, pass it on. The grace of God will always be
available to us: "Non est abbreviata manus Domini" (Isaiah 59:1), the
power of the Lord has not diminished.