Exhortations and conclusion of the letter

The Apostle continues with his exhortations regarding what the Christian life should look like for the church in Colossae:

“Bear with one another and forgive one another if anyone has a complaint against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as you teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” (Col 3:13-17)

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Errors stand in the way of unity in Christ

The emphasis I placed in my last reflection on the harmfulness of false teachings is very necessary, for even today believers are confronted with erroneous teachings that have crept into the Church. I have written and spoken about this in my publications, and I invite you to read about the teachings and practices endangering the faithful in the Church today:

https://en.elijamission.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/The-5-Wounds-of-the-Church.pdf

Heretical teachings, however, must be clearly rejected, which is usually done through the authority of the Church. The problem arises when the Church itself spreads errors or fails to correct them. Unfortunately, this is increasingly the case. Thus, the faithful must—hopefully with the help of some priests—reject these errors themselves based on the Catholic faith handed down through the ages.

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“GOD’S SHAPING LOVE”

“Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten” (Rev 3:19).

The Word teaches us that in everything He does or permits, our Father always has in mind the lofty goal toward which He wishes to lead us: into eternity, which we are to spend with Him and in His presence in infinite bliss. This goal far surpasses our earthly aspirations, and we must learn to understand it. Our perspective is usually dominated by the pursuit of fleeting happiness, and that is what we strive for, whether consciously or unconsciously. This is why such a word may sound threatening to us. However, we have our lack of understanding and our emotions to blame for this because they are often still too strongly bound to the earthly dimension of life.

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Warning Against Heresies!

We recall that one of the reasons St. Paul wrote his letter to the church in Colossae was his concern about the influence of heresies on the still-young community of Christians there. Epaphras, who carried out the mission there on his behalf, had reported this to him.

Why are heresies so dangerous, and why have they posed such a great threat from the very beginning, throughout the entire history of the Church, and right up to the present day? Saint Gregory the Great is sometimes credited with introducing the prayer for peace that immediately follows the Lord’s Prayer in the Mass, which explicitly states: “Come to our aid with your mercy, that we may always be free from sin and protected from all confusion.”

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“OUR LOVE FOR GOD NEEDS PURIFICATION”

“I am coming to proclaim Myself the Father of all and the most tender of fathers, in order to transform your love, which has become distorted by fear.” (From the message from God the Father to M. Eugenia Ravasio)

Here, our Heavenly Father cites a fundamental reason why He addresses people directly through the message to Madre Eugenia. This text is preceded by His remark that people do not yet know Him as He truly is. The reason is stated here: There is still a distorted image of our Father, one that may be marked by fear.

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“EVERYTHING HAS MEANING”

“Everything, my son, has meaning. Every word, every gesture, every deed.” (Inner Word)

Becoming aware of this is a path to maturity. It is a final awakening to the reality of God. This certainly does not mean anxiously worrying about whether you are doing something wrong, because that would cause you to become inwardly tense. Our Heavenly Father certainly would not have wanted that, and it would run completely counter to His caring love for us.

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The Apostle’s Suffering and Struggles for the Church

Yesterday, at the end of the reflection, I mentioned that I would like to highlight one more sentence from St. Paul to examine more closely. For it is a profound statement that the Apostle to the Gentiles entrusted to the church in Colossae. Here it is:

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister…” (Col 1:24-25a)

Paul is the great apostle to the Gentiles. We remember that, on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians, he experienced his conversion through an encounter with the Lord.

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Conclusion of the Christological Hymn and Exhortations

Having turned our attention to the Christological Hymn in all its grandeur, which illuminates the Lord’s person in an incomparable way, let us now consider its final sacred words: “the Head of the Church.”

“He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Col 1:18-20)

Once again, it becomes clear that Jesus was sent to reconcile all things to the Father. This is the path God has chosen. When we proclaim this as the Church, we are not pointing to ourselves as Christians as if we are better than everyone else; we are simply stating what God Himself has revealed to us. It would be false humility to withhold the Lord’s message just to avoid giving that impression.

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“EVEN ELIJAH WAS WEAK”

“Even Elijah was weak and needed My strength to continue his ministry” (Inner Word)

Who could forget the great prophet Elijah, who guided his people back to God through great miracles? Was it not he who stood up to King Ahab when the king did things incompatible with God? Was it not he who incurred the hatred of Queen Jezebel, who worshiped Baal and persecuted him when he had her priests put to death, not without first proving that he was acting on behalf of the Most High!

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