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Friday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 1:11–14
Saint Paul tells the Ephesians something very important about their identity:
they have been chosen by God.
Their lives are now part of God’s purpose.
This does not mean that everything in life is easy to understand.
Many things remain confusing.
Many things are painful.
Many things feel unfinished.
But Paul wants believers to know this:
their lives are held within God’s plan.
They belong to Christ.
And because they belong to Christ,
their lives have meaning.
Many people live with uncertainty.
What is the purpose of my life?
Where am I going?
Does my life matter?
Paul answers:
Your life is not meaningless.
You are called to live
for the praise of God’s glory.
That means your life is meant to reflect
God’s goodness,
God’s mercy,
God’s beauty.
The Christian life begins when we hear the Gospel.
We receive it with faith.
We put our trust in Christ.
And in baptism,
we are sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
A seal means belonging.
A seal means protection.
A seal means authenticity.
In baptism,
we are marked as belonging to God.
The presence of God’s Spirit within us
is the sign that we belong to Him.
Paul also says that the Holy Spirit
is the first installment of our inheritance.
This means that we already have
the beginning of salvation.
But the fullness is still ahead of us.
We are still waiting for complete redemption.
We still struggle.
We still suffer.
We still wait.
But the Holy Spirit is God’s assurance
that He has not abandoned us.
What He has begun,
He will complete.
So today, Saint Paul reminds us:
You have heard the Gospel.
You have believed in Christ.
You have been sealed with the Spirit.
Do not let fear tell you who you are.
Do not let confusion tell you who you are.
Do not let the world’s judgment tell you who you are.
You belong to God.
And your life is called to become praise.
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.
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© 2025 Krakus.
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