Elija Mission

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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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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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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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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After commending the Colossians’ religious life, the Apostle Paul writes one of the most beautiful passages in his letters. It is the so-called Hymn to Christ, which begins with a praise of the Father. The glorification of the Father, which was dear to the heart of the Son, logically takes center stage in this praise. How could we understand God’s glorious deeds if we did not recognize Jesus as the Father’s envoy? The church in Colossae must be mindful of the glory of the Son of God, so that their faith may be firmly rooted and any teaching that seeks to overshadow the glory of Jesus may be rejected.

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Since the proclamation of the Gospel is very close to my heart—and thus the testimony of all Holy Scripture—I turn to the Letter to the Colossians, written by St. Paul. For those who prefer the current Scripture readings, we refer to texts I have discussed in recent years at the end.

In my view, these interpretations of Scripture are particularly important at this time, as a modernist approach to the Holy Scriptures is becoming increasingly prevalent—one that often offers no real nourishment for the soul. Yet the Word of God is so rich and so important that we should hear it again and again, pondering it in our hearts as the Blessed Virgin Mary did, so that it may bear abundant fruit.

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