Ephesians 4:1-6 begins the exhortatory part of the letter. It is distinguished from the preceding by the Doxology of 3:20-21 and to the following by a change in theme, that of the gifts of the Risen and Glorified Lord (see 4:7-14). The phrase "I, a prisoner of the Lord" (4:1) recalls 3:1 -- "I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ". It has been suggested that, given the idea of the dependency of Ephesians on Colossians, the present section of Ephesians was inspired by Col. 3:12-15
12. Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13. bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. 14. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. 15. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.
In this passage from Colossians, the baptismal image of garment that is put on to represent the new man emerging from the waters is associated with a set of virtues that appear in the catalogue of virtues that Paul recommends for community life. "Bearing with one another" and "forgiving one another" are characteristics of a lifestyle proper to those who have been forgiven by the Lord (see Col. 1:14). The Lord's "peace" becomes the commitment of the Christian; it is the peace into which the baptized have been called into the one Body of Christ, the Church. Finally, gratitude -- thanksgiving -- should permeate the life of the Christian who owes all to God (see Col. 1:12-14)
Note that in Ephesians 1:2-3, one finds the following similar words: humility, patience, bearing with one another, peace, love, call. The Ephesians -- like the Colossians -- are called to be Church and admonished to live expressing in their lives unity in the Lord's peace.
Your Call
Paul exhorts the Ephesians to behave worthily according to their call. Earlier, he had expressed his prayer that the Ephesians know with enlightened hearts the hope of their vocation (1:18), which is the inheritance of the saints. The verb for "to call" is in the theological passive and appears twice (1.4) together with the noun klesis (call, vocation) in this section of Ephesians. The Ephesians are to behave worthy of their call with three virtues: humility, meekness and long-suffering (patience, forbearance) (v. 2). While the Greeks would not consider humility and meekness as qualities that denote a strong character, since these are qualities of slaves, Paul insists on these in his letters. These qualities not only reflect the qualities of the Suffering Servant; these are also sine qua non to any community life as Paul understands it. The virtue of long-suffering or patience completes this trio of virtues. Two other qualities are to characterize the way the Ephesians behave with one another; these are formulated as participles: bearing with one another in love (v.2) and striving to preserve the bond of peace with one another (v. 3). What Paul has described in 2:11-22 is now given its practical blue-print in the community life of the Ephesians.
Unity
In 2:11-22, Paul recalls how both Jews and Gentiles have brought together in Christ's blood (2:13). They have been brought together by His flesh (v. 14, an allussion to the eucharist?), creating one new person out of the two, establishing both in peace turning their enmity into friendship to God. Through the cross both Jews and Gentiles have become one Body, the Church (1:22-23), that is being built up into a new temple, a dwelling place for God in the Spirit (2:21-22).
Paul gives emphasis to this idea by invoking the seven qualities that characterizes the bond of peace that the Ephesians are to preserve: one body (= one Church), one Spirit, one call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all. Among these qualities, three refer to the Trinity (Father, Lord Jesus, the Spirit) and four are related to the life of the Christians (faith, baptism, call, Church). By baptism, one becomes a member of the Church and partakes of its call (in Greek the word for "call" is also the basis for the word for "Church"). "One faith" here is a set of beliefs to which the believers subscribe. It is similar to the idea of a faith that is "handed down to the holy ones" (see Jude v. 3). ((The alternation of the mention of the persons of the Trinity with the qualities that make up the Church may allow for the idea that the Church is the icon of the Trinity in its oneness. I say "allow" because as it is, there is no clear-cut Trinitarian doctrine in St. Paul.))
This section ends with a four-fold repetition of the word for "all" in a statement that contrasts the One God in its relation to the multiplicity that characterizes the Christian's world.
In the Liturgy
The Feeding of the Multitude
In the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year B), this selection from Paul appears with the account of the Feeding of the Multitudes in John 6:1-15. The choice of the Gospel reading from John at this point in the liturgical season instead of from Mark is due to the Church's desire to highlight the Eucharist. John 6:1-15 is the occassion for the Discourse on the Bread of Life (vv. 22 till the end of chapter 6). The Eucharist is in St. Augustine's words "the sacrament of love, sign of our unity, bond of our fraternity". Taking note of the repetition of "one" in Ephesians 4:1-6, one can use the phrase "one body" as a link to the eucharistic idea behind John 6:1-15.
In Votive Masses
This reading from Paul is also included among the selections of passages meant to be used in the following votive masses
- Adult Baptism
- Child Baptism
- Confirmation
- Consecration of an Abbot/Abbess
- Mass for Christian Unity
