The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to explore how our pursuit of knowledge and tradition fulfills our vision of the Plan of Salvation in Christ.
The Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians proclaims the Father’s Plan of Salvation and Fulfillment through Christ.
* [1:1–2] For the epistolary form used at the beginning of letters, see note on Rom 1:1–7. Twenty-two of the thirty Greek words in Eph 1:1–2 also occur in Col 1:1–2.
* [1:1] [In Ephesus]: the phrase is lacking in important early witnesses such as P46 (3rd cent.), and Sinaiticus and Vaticanus (4th cent.), appearing in the latter two as a fifth-century addition. Basil and Origen mention its absence from manuscripts. See Introduction. Without the phrase, the Greek can be rendered, as in Col 1:2, “to the holy ones and faithful brothers in Christ.”
* [1:3–14] While a Pauline letter usually continues after the greeting with a prayer of thanksgiving, as in Eph 1:15–23 below, Ephesians first inserts a blessing of God for the blessings Christians have experienced, as in 2 Cor 1:3–4 and 1 Pt 1:3–12. The blessing here, akin to a Jewish berakah, is rich in images almost certainly drawn from hymns and liturgy. Many ideas here are also found in Col 1:3–23. Certain phrases are frequently repeated, such as in Christ (Eph 1:3, 10, 12) or in him (Eph 1:4, 7, 9, 11, 13) or in the beloved (Eph 1:6) and (for) the praise of (his) glory (Eph 1:6, 12, 14). Some terms like chose (Eph 1:4) and destined (Eph 1:5) reflect Old Testament theology (Dt 7:7; 9:4–6; 23:5) or Pauline themes (redemption, Eph 1:7, 14; grace, Eph 1:6, 7) or specific emphases in Colossians (forgiveness, Col 1:14). A triadic structure is discernible in Eph 1:3–14: God the Father (Eph 1:3–6, 8, 11), Christ (Eph 1:3, 5, 7–10, 12), and the Spirit (Eph 1:13–14). The spiritual blessings Christians have received through Christ (Eph 1:3) are gratefully enumerated: the call to holiness (Eph 1:4; cf. Col 1:22); the gift of divine adoption establishing a unique spiritual relationship with God the Father through Christ (Eph 1:5; cf. Gal 4:5); liberation from sin through Christ’s sacrificial death (Eph 1:7); revelation of God’s plan of salvation in Christ (Eph 1:9; cf. Eph 3:3–4; Rom 16:25); the gift of election and faith in Christ bestowed upon Jewish Christians (see note on Eph 1:12, we who first hoped in Christ); and finally, the same gift granted to Gentiles (Eph 1:13, you also). In the Christ-centered faith and existence of the Christian communities the apostle sees the predetermined plan of God to bring all creation under the final rule of Christ (Eph 1:4–5, 9–10) being made known (Eph 1:9) and carried through, to God’s glory (Eph 1:6, 12, 14).
* [1:3] In the heavens: literally, “in the heavenlies” or “in the heavenly places,” a term in Ephesians for the divine realm.
* [1:9] Mystery: as in Rom 16:25; Col 1:26, 27 and elsewhere, a secret of God now revealed in the plan to save and sum up all things in Christ (Eph 1:10); cf. Eph 3:3–6. (Ephesians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)
Psalm 98 extolls God for Israel’s victory
* [Psalm 98] A hymn, similar to Ps 96, extolling God for Israel’s victory (Ps 98:1–3). All nations (Ps 98:4–6) and even inanimate nature (Ps 98:7–8) are summoned to welcome God’s coming to rule over the world (Ps 98:9). (Psalms, PSALM 98 | USCCB, n.d.)
In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus connects the mission of the church (apostles) with the mission of the Old Testament prophets.
* [11:49] I will send to them prophets and apostles: Jesus connects the mission of the church (apostles) with the mission of the Old Testament prophets who often suffered the rebuke of their contemporaries.
* [11:51] From the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah: the murder of Abel is the first murder recounted in the Old Testament (Gn 4:8). The Zechariah mentioned here may be the Zechariah whose murder is recounted in 2 Chr 24:20–22, the last murder presented in the Hebrew canon of the Old Testament. (Luke, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB, n.d.)
Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D. considers Ephesians authorship by Paul’s secretary.
Since the early nineteenth century, however, much of critical scholarship has considered the letter’s style and use of words (especially when compared with Colossians), its concept of the church, and other points of doctrine put forward by the writer as grounds for serious doubt about authorship by Paul. The letter may then be the work of a secretary writing at the apostle’s direction or of a later disciple who sought to develop Paul’s ideas for a new situation around A.D. 80–100. (Pauline Letters: Colossians and Ephesians, n.d.)
Candice Tucci, OSF, comments that St. Teresa speaks to her soul. “Be joyful, my soul… Don’t let any earthly thing be enough to separate you from your delight, and rejoice in the grandeur of God; in how He deserves to be loved and praised; that He helps you to play some small role in the blessing of His name; and that you can truthfully say; My soul magnifies and praises the Lord!” How profound or deep might our desired union with Christ be? Do I speak to my soul?
Jesus, to whom we give praise and glory, a prophet in his own time has grown bolder as we find him in conversation with the Pharisee’s and Scribes. “Woe to you…” He has definitely gotten under their skins challenging the hypocrisy of their religious leadership from a historical context. Perhaps this is where St. Teresa, upon praying with Scripture, got her courage to speak out during the Reformation and Counter Reformation of her time! Not the best time in history with the Spanish Inquisition in full force!
“Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge.” Wow! Where might we find the foundation for our courage to speak out to both civil and religious authority. These times when there is clearly a need to point out hypocrisy, and to restore balance, harmony, justice, Peace, the foundation of a country, or the Gospel truth may be something to consider. “The Lord has made His Salvation known.” It is ours to live up to it! Or will it be WOE TO US? (Tucci, n.d.)
Don Schwager quotes The key of knowledge that opens the kingdom of God, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)
"We consider that the key of knowledge means the law [of Moses] itself, and by faith in him, I mean justification in Christ. Although the law was in shadow and type, yet those types show to us the truth, and those shadows depict to us in many ways the mystery of Christ. A lamb was sacrificed according to the law of Moses. They ate its flesh. They anointed the lintels with its blood and overcame the destroyer. The blood of a mere sheep could not turn away death. Christ was typified under the form of a lamb. He endures to be the victim for the life of the world and saves by his blood those who are partakers of him. One might mention many other instances as well, by means of which we can discern the mystery of Christ sketched out in the shadows of the law. When speaking to the Jews, he once said, 'There is one that accuses you, even Moses, whom you trusted. For if you had believed Moses, you should have also believed me, because he wrote of me' (John 5:45-46). 'You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me' (John 5:39). Every word of divinely inspired Scripture looks to him and refers to him. As it has been shown, if Moses speaks, he typified Christ. If the holy prophets that you name speak, they also proclaimed to us in many ways the mystery of Christ, preaching beforehand the salvation that is by him." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 86) (Schwager, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the message in the Ephesian letter and also Colossians are probably written by the same author, likely different than Paul, and written as if Paul had been the author. The texts proclaim the mystery of God’s love and how we are known and called by name. God has forgiven us and made us to glorify God’s creation and redemption. The forgiveness of God continues. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus condemns the Pharisee and the ancestor’s desire to kill the prophets that remain in them. The Scholars have taken away the key of knowledge and twisted it into a scrupulous way that no one can follow. Friar Jude notes that these superficial and hypocritical moves are hostile to Jesus who has been condemning their actions.
The Word Among Us Meditation on Ephesians 1:1-10 notes most commentators believe that Paul began Ephesians this way because he intended for his letter to be read in a number of churches around the Roman province of Asia Minor. So he focused on what is true for any church, regardless of their situation. That means he focused on what is true for you as well. So . . .
And there is so much more! For the next two weeks, as we hear this letter at Mass, take just one phrase from the reading for that day, and sit with it in prayer. Ask the Lord to fill you with the same joy that Paul knew, the joy of knowing “the riches of his grace” (Ephesians 1:7).
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!” (Ephesians 1:3). (Meditation on Ephesians 1:1-10, 2026)
Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Theologian Willie Jennings who recalls how his parents cultivated a sense of safety and belonging through stories told at home. Mary and Ivory Jennings found their home in Jesus, who sustained them in all circumstances.
Running through their amazing stories were several themes. Like large, immovable rocks that shaped the contours of the water’s flow, these themes carried the keys for understanding every story. Foremost was Jesus. Ivory and Mary loved Jesus. To say they were devout Christians is simply too pale a descriptor. A far more accurate characterization would be, “There were Ivory, Mary, and Jesus.” Woven into the fabric of their lives was the God-man Jesus, who, rather than simply serving as an indicator of their orthodoxy, became the very shape of their stories. The stories of Jesus and Israel were so tightly woven into the stories my parents told of themselves, their lives in the South and in the North and then with their youngest children in the North, that it took me years to separate the biblical figures from extended family members, biblical sinners from the sinners all around us, and biblical places of pain from their places of pain. I was never able to separate biblical hopes from their real hopes. They knew the Bible, but, far more important, they knew the world through the Bible…. (Rohr, n.d.)
We seek the inspiration of the Spirit as we exercise our Baptismal anointing as priest, prophet, and leader in piety, study, and action to proclaim the Good News.
References
Ephesians, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/1
Luke, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/11?47
Luke, CHAPTER 11 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/11?47
Meditation on Ephesians 1:1-10. (2026, October 15). The Word Among Us. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/10/15/1694037/
Pauline Letters: Colossians and Ephesians. (n.d.). Catholic Resources. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Paul-Colossians-Ephesians.htm
Psalms, PSALM 98 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/98?1
Rohr, R. (n.d.). Stories of Home. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/stories-of-home/
Schwager, D. (n.d.). Do Not Lose the Key of Knowledge. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/
Tucci, C. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-october-15-2026
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