NOTES for Eph 4:14-19

In the Letter to the Ephesians, from which we read a passage today, the apostle Paul formulates a view of human life that is very important for us: life as purposeful movement, a path directed toward God. He says that God builds up all the diversity of the Church's life so that we may all “grow to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” The apostle says that we are called to grow “into Him.” And one can move along the path of growth only through true love. This view makes every human life meaningful, which is important in itself. Even more consoling, however, is that following such a path frees us from dependence on the measures by which we assess earthly success: wealth, power, authority, and strength. According to the apostle, the one who acts in love puts on the dignity of Christ. Together with the call to growth, the apostle thus also proposes a new scale of values, a true gradation of good and evil whose starting point is God Himself.