Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. (Eph 1:1-10)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/101724.cfm
The opening hymn of the Letter to the Ephesians speaks of the dignity of our adoption in Christ. We are not accidents, for we have been chosen. God has blessed us with “every spiritual blessing in the heavens.” As the Letter will go on to say, "For we are God's work of art, created in Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:10). Of course, we know this from some of the first questions of the children’s catechism: Who made me? God made me. Why did God make me? To know, love and serve God in this life, and to be happy with God forever in the next. Saint Ignatius of Antioch (martyred 108) gave his life for this truth!
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop & martyr, October 17
