GOD’S PROJECT FOR HUMANKIND

XV SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Ephesians 1:3-14

Nowadays, there are many people who despise God. For many, God either does not exist or, if he exists, he is a malevolent God who is intent on destroying our happiness and destroying our freedom. Others still proclaim that God is dead. Indeed, if God is a malevolent God, we do not need him. However, without God, we are left to our own self-destruction. Human beings have proved themselves to be the most violent of all creatures. Moved by pride, with an insatiable thirst for power, they are ready to crush any defiance or opposition. The death of God would mean the death of humankind, and we are the ones who will bring that death upon ourselves. If we try to be gods, we will be laughable gods, dominated by a destructive instinct. Instead of gods, they transform themselves into devils.

The Bible presents us with a different picture of God and of his relationship with human beings. In a process of revelation, which unfolds little by little, as the history of the people of Israel moves forward, God presents himself as a loving and caring God, who has a project for the people. In this Sunday’s liturgy, we are presented with a passage from the letter to the Ephesians that explicitly puts forward God’s project for humankind. God's plan is to “bring everything together under Christ, as head”, since he is the one who has redeemed and reconciled us. God’s project is a project of love, compassion and mercy, made present to us in Jesus Christ. Through Him, we become the adopted children of God. And since we are children, we are also heirs. And all this happens through Jesus Christ. Being the children of God, we are called to be holy, because he is holy (Lev 19:2). It was in Christ that God chose us “before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love" (Eph 1: 4). And for this to become a reality, God "blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph 1:3).  "So that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory” (Eph 1:12).

Let us give thanks to the Lord, singing his glories, because of the greatness of his love