Ephesians 4 and the Mass of the Assumption at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help

The visible manifestation of Ephesians 4 in the twenty-first century was experienced here at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help on August 15.  We, the participants in the Mass, procession, benediction, led by Bishop David Ricken, contrast the immoral world outside, as opposed to the “living stones” along the grounds of the shrine, growing toward the “fullness of Christ”.    It was the unity of the church family grounded on the oneness of God “through the work of the Trinity- one Spirit, one Lord, one God and Father.”

Each one there was baptized in Christ, giving dignity to each other.  Life is vocation, as seen on the t-shirts; each one’s unique gifts help each one to live out their individual call to holiness. Our procession around the grounds imitated Psalm 68:19 “when he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”  It was ”the head of creation, raising all things to find total fulfilment in him for the glory of the Father,”  ...“to unite all things in him - things in heaven and on earth.” (Ep 1:10)   Thus, we were building up the body of Christ, because we had a vital and loving relationship with him and a “mature manhood” was reached to the ”whole Christ” in St Augustine’s phrase.   Those there will not be led astray by erroneous ideas that devalue the dignity of another, not being reeds shaken by the wind of change.

“When man is put in the place of God, the mind operates in a vacuum and the resulting knowledge produces nothing but mere illusion and total deceit.” (Letters of St Paul, Navarre Bible Study and Commentary, p.397)  These are the called “callous” people “who have lost their desire to try to live a good life and who have even lost their very sense of morality.”

We believe God is the source of all truth. (Rom1:18-32) To those who see truth as merely a matter of opinion, or who in fact regard truth as something quite the opposite, we must refuse to accept the error proposed, but as St Escriva writes,” A disciple of Christ will never treat anyone badly, but convert with kindness.  St John of the Cross adds, “Where there is no love, put love and you will find love. “Coercion makes peace impossible; on the contrary it leads to endless strife.”

The words of St Paul are as true today as in the first century, if we but look for his truth in our lives.