Fr Joe has written this short reflection on the reading from Mass on the Seventh Monday of Eastertide.
St Paul was in Ephesus around 52 AD and again for two years between 54-57 AD. He established a thriving Christian community here despite much opposition, before wisely fleeing when a riot erupted at the instigation of Demetrius the silversmith. St Paul has condemned idolatry and this was affecting his business as he made silver shrines to the goddess Artemis.
In today’s passage, St Paul discovers that some of the disciples had only received the baptism of St John the Baptist, which was a baptism of repentance, a preparation for the coming of Christ, the Messiah. At the Ascension, Jesus commissions his Apostles to make disciples of all the nations, by baptising them, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. St Paul administers this Sacramental baptism to these disciples at Ephesus, imparting the eternal life of the Trinity and through the Holy Spirit, their sins are forgiven
St Paul will spend time preaching and teaching in a complete, methodical, organised, precise and systematic way. He will never improvise when he imparts the deposit of faith. It is very important to St Paul that when we instruct others in the faith, we do it completely and by keeping the faith intact.
St Paul knows that to have any chance in a world of indifference and resistance, it is of paramount importance to be able to preach persuasively and boldly and that comes from knowing God, knowing your faith and avoiding any compromise with the world.
“Each generation is converted by the saint who contradicts it most.”
–G.K. Chesterton
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