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Saturday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Ephesians 4:7–16
Saint Paul speaks often about spiritual gifts.
Some gifts may seem extraordinary.
Healing.
Miracles.
Prophecy.
Speaking in tongues.
Other gifts may look more ordinary.
Teaching.
Serving.
Encouraging.
Leading.
Helping those in need.
But all these gifts come from the same source:
the grace of Christ
and the Spirit of God.
Today Saint Paul says:
Grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
This means that no one is without a gift.
Each person receives something
for the building up of the Church.
In today’s reading,
Paul mentions apostles,
prophets,
evangelists,
pastors,
and teachers.
Their task is also to help the whole Body grow.
The gifts of God are never given only for ourselves.
They are given for service.
They are given for communion.
They are given so that the Church may become mature.
But does it mean?
To become Christ-like.
Christ is the measure of our humanity.
The world offers us many models to imitate.
Successful people.
Powerful people.
Famous people.
Influential people.
But all of them are limited.
All of them are wounded.
All of them are sinners.
Only Christ shows us what a human life is meant to be.
He is the new Adam.
He is the true image of the Father.
He is the man from heaven.
The first Adam turned away from God,
and sin entered the world.
But Christ, the last Adam,
brings forgiveness,
new life,
and grace.
The goal of Christian life
is not simply to become better people.
It is to become more like Christ.
To think like Christ.
To love like Christ.
To serve like Christ.
To forgive like Christ.
To give ourselves like Christ.
And how do we grow into Christ?
Saint Paul gives the answer:
by living the truth in love.
Truth without love can become hard.
Love without truth can become empty.
But truth in love builds up the Body.
It helps us grow together
into Christ,
who is the Head.
Every gift,
every service,
every vocation,
every act of charity
has one purpose:
that Christ may be formed in us,
and that the Church may be built up in love.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Matthew
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Content License
© 2025 Krakus.
Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0
(Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial).