Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 1, 2021
“I declare and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. That is not how you learned Christ, assuming you have heard of Him and were taught in Him, as truth is in Jesus, that you should put away the old self of your former way of life, corrupted through deceitful desires, and be renewed in the spirit of your minds, as you put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth.”
A rather long sentence in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, but also to us today. How often he uses expressions like ‘I urge you’ or ‘challenge you’ to correct error or direct attention to Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life.
To be a true disciple, we must listen and learn from the words of this letter. We have heard and been taught of Christ, but for many it does not make a real difference in their lives. Discipleship and Catholic is only a label. My personal relationship with Christ is so much more. As the letter unfolds ask whether hearing of Christ, and learning His teaching, makes us different. It should. Consider what steps you might take to continue to hear Him speak and grow in your love of Him.