Journey Lesson 37 He Holds All In Unity

By Marcel Gervais

This is lesson 37 of the Journey Bible Study Program series. The objective of this lesson is to describe the teaching of Colossians and Ephesians on Christ as the Lord of all creation and on the privileges and duties of his People the Church. In chapter 1 we describe the teaching of the letter to the Colossians on Christ the Lord who restores the harmony between creation and God, and on the Church's mission to realize and complete this harmony. In chapter 2 we describe the teaching of Ephesians on the blessings and duties which are given to the Church, through Christ her head.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Marcel Gervais
• Release date: Apr 3, 2014
• ISBN: 9781927766408

Marcel Gervais

About the Author Archbishop Gervais was born in Elie Manitoba on September 21 1931. He is the ninth of fourteen children. His family came from Manitoba to the Sparta area near St. Thomas Ontario when he was just a teenager. He went to Sparta Continuation School and took his final year at Saint Joseph`s High School in St. Thomas. After high school he went to study for the priesthood at St. Peter’s Seminary in London , Ontario. He was ordained in 1958. He was sent to study in Rome. This was followed by studies at the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem. He returned to London to teach scripture to the seminarians at St. Peter’s Seminary. In 1974 he was asked by Bishop Emmett Carter to take over as director of the Divine Word International Centre of Religious Education. This Centre had been founded by Bishop Carter to provide a resource for adult education in the spirit of Vatican II. This Centre involved sessions of one or two weeks with many of the best scholars of the time. Students came not only from Canada and the United States but from all over the globe, Australia, Africa, Asia and Europe. By the time Father Gervais became the director Divine Word Centre was already a course dominated by the study of scripture to which he added social justice. This aspect of the course of studies was presented by people from every part of the “third world”; among which were Fr. Gustavo Gutierrez and Cardinal Dery of Ghana. In 1976 the Conference of Ontario Bishops along with the Canadian conference of Religious Women approached Father Gervais to provide a written course of studies in Sacred Scripture for the Church at large, but especially for priests and religious women. This is when Fr. Gervais began to write Journey, a set of forty lessons on the Bible. He was armed with a treasure of information from all the teachers and witnesses to the faith that had lectured at Devine Word. He was assisted by a large number of enthusiastic collaborators: all the people who had made presentations at Divine Word and provided materials and a team of great assistants, also at Divine Word Centre. The work was finished just as Father Gervais was ordained an auxiliary bishop of London (1980). He subsequently was made Bishop of Sault Saint Marie Diocese, and after four years, Archbishop of Ottawa (1989). He retired in 2007, and at the time of this writing, he is enjoying retirement.

Book preview

Journey- Lesson 37 He Holds all in Unity

by Marcel Gervais, Emeritus Archbishop of the diocese of Ottawa, Canada

Nihil Obstat: Michael T. Ryan, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.

Imprimatur: + John M. Sherlock, Bishop of London

London, March 31, 1980

This content of this book was first published in 1977 as part of the JOURNEY Series By Guided Study Programs in the Catholic Faith and is now being republished in Smashwords by Emmaus Publications, 99 Fifth Avenue, Suite 103, Ottawa, ON, K1S 5P5, Canada ON Smashwords

Cover: Besides, you know 'the time' has come: you must wake up now: our salvation is even nearer than it was when we were converted. The night is almost over, it will be daylight soon — let us give up the things we prefer to do under cover of the dark; let us arm ourselves and appear in the fight. Rom 13:11-12

COPYRIGHT © Guided Study Programs In the Catholic Faith, a division of The Divine Word International Centre of Religious Education 1977. Reproduction in whole or in part is Prohibited.

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CONTENTS

Chapter 1 Jesus Christ, the Lord of the Universe (Letter to the Colossians)

Chapter 2 Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church (Letter to the Ephesians)

Answer key to practice questions

Self-test

Answer key to self-test

Recommendations for group meeting on Lesson Thirty-seven

About The Author

Psalm 148

A beautiful hymn of praise in which the entire universe is invited to give glory to God the Creator. The psalmist describes a situation of perfect harmony in the created world. He imagines the earth and the heavens as God intended them to be from the beginning: free of disorder and rebellion, with all people obeying him and giving thanks and praise to their Lord and Creator. God's own People Israel are particularly suited to the task of glorifying the Lord, since they have been chosen by Him to proclaim to all peoples the ideal which is God's will for mankind.

The letters of Paul to the Colossians and to the Ephesians proclaim the good news that the harmony between creation and its Lord has been restored through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All was created by God in and through Christ, the eternal Son; through the Son of God made man all has been reunited to God. Now all people, Jews and Gentiles a like, have been redeemed and granted access to the Father through Jesus. The effect of Jesus' death and resurrection is so marvellous that it can rightly be called a new act of creation by God through Christ. This wonderful reality, the fulfilment of the People's deepest hopes, is one that we accept by faith in Christ the Lord of all creation.

Lesson Objective: To describe the teaching of Colossians and Ephesians on Christ as the Lord of all creation and on the privileges and duties of his People the Church.

Colossians and Ephesians contain sublime teaching on the person of Jesus Christ and on the purpose of his Church, teachings which are the result of many years of prayer, reflection and preaching. These two letters are noticeably different from Paul's others in style and content, so much so, in fact, that a number of scholars have questioned whether or not they were actually written by him. In recent years this question has been much debated. We shall not enter into it here. Suffice it to say that the letters are worthy of the Apostle and since both claim him as their author (Col 1:1; 4:18; Eph 1:1), we will consider them to be his work, though they might have been written by a disciple in his name.

Chapter