a.d. means after death
"This means that you are strangers and aliens no longer." —Ephesians 2:19
Before we were baptized into Jesus Christ (see Rm 6:3), we "were strangers to the covenant and its promise" (Eph 2:12). We "were without hope and without God in the world" (Eph 2:12). We were far from God (Eph 2:13, 17). Without Christ, a barrier stood between ourselves and God (see Mt 27:51) and between Gentiles and Jews (Eph 2:14).
Jesus changed all this through His cross (Eph 2:16). "This means that you are strangers and aliens no longer. No, you are fellow citizens of the saints and members of the household of God. You form a building which rises on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the Capstone" (Eph 2:19-20). "Once you were no people, but now you are God's people; once there was no mercy for you, but now you have found mercy" (1 Pt 2:10).
Before we lived in and for Christ, we were dead (Eph 2:1). After becoming new creations in Christ, we began to live. Therefore, we:
- owe the Lord constant thanks and praise forever,
- must love people enough to tell them the good news of Jesus, and
- should rejoice in the Lord always (Phil 4:4).
We are in A.D., not B.C. Praise; witness; rejoice!
Prayer: Father, may my every breath be a "thank-you" to You.
Promise: "It will go well with those servants whom the Master finds wide-awake on His return." —Lk 12:37
Praise: St. John was governor of his city. He was captured and imprisoned during a battle. While in prison, he gave his life to Jesus, and when released, he went into the seminary and eventually became a priest.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape Meeting the Risen Christ on audio AV 4A-1 or video V-4A.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, May 10, 2012
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