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One Bread, One Body - Reflection for October 23, 2018

JESUS THE SAVIOR: OUR HOPE,

OUR LORD, OUR GOD! "But now in Christ Jesus..." –Ephesians 2:13

Almost everyone reading One Bread, One Body is a Gentile, that is, not Jewish. In the Bible, we Gentiles were described as:

• having "no part in Christ" (Eph 2:12),
• "excluded from the community of Israel" (Eph 2:12),
• "strangers to the covenant and its promise" (Eph 2:12), and
• "without hope and without God in the world" (Eph 2:12).

"But now in Christ Jesus" (Eph 2:13), we Gentiles:

• "have been brought near through the blood of Christ" (Eph 2:13),
• have been reconciled to God "in one body through His cross" (Eph 2:16),
• "have access in one Spirit to the Father" (Eph 2:18),
• "are strangers and aliens no longer" (Eph 2:19),
• "are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God" (Eph 2:19),
• "form a building which rises on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the Capstone" (Eph 2:20),
• are "a holy temple in the Lord" (Eph 2:21), and
• are "a dwelling place for God in the Spirit" (Eph 2:22).

Jesus has changed our nature and changed our future. He has changed us from weeping in the night to rejoicing with the dawn (Ps 30:6). He has changed our mourning into dancing (Ps 30:12). He has changed our lives from living death (see 1 Jn 3:14) into eternal life. Thank Jesus. Love Jesus. Worship Jesus. Live and die for Jesus.

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Acknowledgement

Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:

· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College