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Wednesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time Ephesians 3:2–12
Saint Paul speaks today about the mystery of Christ.
For us, the word “mystery” can sound like a puzzle or a secret code.
But for Paul, the mystery is God’s hidden plan, now revealed in Christ.
And what is this mystery?
That the Gentiles are also heirs.
They are members of the same body.
They share in the same promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.
This was astonishing.
For centuries, Israel carried the covenant, the promises, the worship, and the hope of salvation.
But now, in Christ, the door is opened wider than anyone expected.
Those who were far away are brought near.
Those who were outsiders are made members of the same body.
Those who did not know the promises are now invited to share them.
This mystery did not come from human cleverness.
It was not discovered by philosophers.
It was not invented by religious experts.
Paul says it was revealed by the Holy Spirit.
The mystery of Christ is a gift.
And Paul never forgot that he himself was also a man saved by grace.
He had persecuted the Church.
He had opposed Christ.
He had caused suffering to believers.
And yet God chose him to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles.
That is why Paul calls himself “the very least of all the holy ones.”
This is not false humility.
Paul knew his past.
But he also knew the mercy of Christ.
The one who had attacked the Church became a servant of the Gospel.
The one who had tried to stop the name of Jesus became the one who carried that name to the nations.
This is how grace works.
God does not always choose the impressive.
God does not wait for a perfect servant.
God takes the least, forgives him, changes him, and sends him.
Paul says that he was given the grace to preach “the unsearchable riches of Christ.”
That phrase is beautiful.
The riches of Christ cannot be exhausted.
His mercy is deeper than our sin.
His love is wider than our fear.
His forgiveness is stronger than our past.
His life is greater than death.
No matter how long we follow Christ, there is always more to discover.
But Paul says something even more surprising.
God’s wisdom is now made known through the Church.
Not through a perfect Church.
Not through a Church without wounds, failures, or sinners.
But through the Church that Christ gathers, forgives, teaches, and sends.
This is hard for many people today.
The Church’s weaknesses are visible.
Her sins have caused real wounds.
But Paul reminds us that God still chooses to reveal His wisdom through this fragile body.
Through people who have been forgiven.
Through people who were once far away.
Through people who know they are not saved by their own greatness, but by grace.
And what does the Church reveal?
That in Christ, we have access to God.
We can approach the Father with confidence.
We do not come as strangers.
We come as children.
The Holy Spirit teaches us to say:
“Abba, Father.”
This is the Gospel.
In Christ, the outsider is brought in.
The sinner is forgiven.
The least is sent.
The Church becomes the place where God’s hidden plan is made visible.
So today we can ask ourselves:
Do I still treat some people as outsiders to God’s mercy?
Do I believe that Christ’s riches are also for me?
And am I willing, even with my weakness, to become a witness of His grace?
The mystery has been revealed.
In Christ, no one is meant to remain far away.
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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