Usually, we hear from the books in the Old Testament in our first readings in mass, but from time to time we hear from some of the books in the New Testament. For example, during the Easter season, we always hear readings from the Acts of the Apostles about the development of the Early Church. The last few weeks, we’ve been hearing from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Today, we hear the opening passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. Paul had founded the Christian community in Ephesus on his second missionary journey. He later returned to Ephesus, where he stayed approximately 3 years. The letter to the Ephesians that we hear from today was written to that community while Paul was in prison in Rome. Scholars believe that in addition to Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon were also written by Paul while he was in prison. Paul is not so much preaching or teaching to the Ephesians as much as he is praising God. Paul praises God for who He is and what He has done. He praises God who is the person and work of Jesus Christ and in the Gospel message. After a brief greeting, Paul’s first words in Ephesians begin, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens.” As I read this passage today, I thought about how we in our modern world have lost a sense of awe and wonder in God’s presence. I think of how in the Old Testament, they thought of God’s presence being associated with great acts of nature, such as a grand mountain or a storm or a wind. We are more in awe of our own human efforts in an era of modern technology. If we take time to listen to God, to be in his presence, to stop and just be, maybe we will rediscover this sense of awe and praise that Paul had.
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