Ephesians 2:19-22
Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
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Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saints Simon and Jude, two of the twelve apostles. I am always so grateful for those who have gone before us in faith when I remember the apostles. These men, even though they may have missed
some of Jesus’ message while they lived with Him, their lives were changed forever when they saw the risen Christ.
They were so convinced of the resurrection that they all gave their lives to spread the Gospel around the world (except St. John, who died of natural causes).
In this letter to the Ephesians, we hear that we are “fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God”. Allow that to sink in for a moment. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we are co-heirs of heaven. We are not citizens of this earth – this world is passing. Our home is with God in heaven with the “holy ones”, the saints.
We too are called to holiness – becoming more like Jesus every day.
The image in this passage is that we are being built into the Church. Jesus is the capstone. The Apostles and prophets are the
foundation. And in Him and through Him and with Him, we too are being built into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Do you see yourself as part of this holy Church?
Are you striving toward holiness, rooting out sin from your life?
Are you proclaiming this Good News of Jesus to others, in the line of Simon and Jude,
without counting the cost?
St. Simon and St. Jude, pray for us, that we may continue the ministry that you started 2000
years ago.
Peace,
Fr. Burke
Fr. Burke Masters 