Knocking Down Walls of Hostility For The New Year
December 31, 2025
Fr. John Riccardo
Brothers and sisters: You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit, namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation. It was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel (Ephesians 3:2-3:3a, 5-6).
Immediately before this excerpt from Ephesians, Paul wrote shocking, unexpected, and revolutionary words: “Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called ‘the uncircumcision’ by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:11-22).
This lengthy quote helps us better understand “the mystery” Paul says has been revealed to him. The mystery is nothing less than this: God’s plan, His design, His desire, is for all men and women to be reunited again as His family, reconciled to Him and to each other. Jesus, after all, didn’t come for one nation only, but to gather together all the scattered children of God (cf. John 11:52).
This mystery is what we have been celebrating all throughout these Christmas days. We hear it in the Second Preface at Mass of the Nativity of the Lord: “For on the feast of this awe-filled mystery, though invisible in his own divine nature, he has appeared visibly in ours; and begotten before all ages, he has begun to exist in time; so that, raising up in himself all that was cast down, he might restore unity to all creation and call straying humanity back to the heavenly Kingdom.” This restoration of unity, even if still very much incomplete, is what we celebrate this Sunday on the Feast of the Epiphany. In the Preface for that Mass we will hear these words prayed aloud, “For today you have revealed the mystery of our salvation in Christ as a light for the nations, and, when he appeared in our mortal nature, you made us new by the glory of his immortal nature.” Not a light for one nation or one people; for all nations and all people.
The day after Christmas, as we celebrated the feast of St. Stephen, Pope Leo XIV challenged us to remember that Christians “have no enemies, but [only] brothers and sisters, who remain so even when they do not understand each other.” Saul certainly did not understand Stephen, and so led the charge against him and was responsible for his execution. Stephen got his “revenge” on Saul, however. In the most genuinely revolutionary way possible. As St. Fulgentius wrote, “And so the love that brought Christ from heaven to earth raised Stephen from earth to heaven; shown first in the king, it later shone forth in his soldier. Love was Stephen’s weapon by which he gained every battle, and so won the crown signified by his name. His love of God kept him from yielding to the ferocious mob; his love for his neighbor made him pray for those who were stoning him. Love inspired him to reprove those who erred, to make them amend; love led him to pray for those who stoned him, to save them from punishment. Strengthened by the power of his love, he overcame the raging cruelty of Saul and won his persecutor on earth as his companion in heaven.”
As we enter into this new year, mindful of the division, resentment, anger, enmity and more that are tearing apart the human race, let us call upon the intercession of St. Stephen and his friend and brother, St. Paul. May their powerful prayers help us to see one another as we should, as brothers and sisters. And may their prayers, and the power of the Holy Spirit, enable us to be something like “spiritual wrecking balls” in order to knock down the many walls of hostility that plague us, and thus further the work of the Lord Jesus until He returns in glory and brings to completion what He has already begun.
ACTS XXIX Prayer Intentions
December 2025
For our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, that the Father would clothe him with courage and ardent charity, so that his shepherding may boldly lead the Church to the renewal and rescue God desires for His family in these days.
That as we close out the jubilee year of hope late this month, each of us will be ever more filled with this supernatural virtue, and be even more intentional about showing an anxious and watching world who God is and invite them into his family.
For all prayer, planning, and preparation for The Jesus Conference: Mobilizing the Church for the World He Loves, that the Holy Spirit would lead, direct, and inspire every decision, so that this gathering becomes a catalyst for the rescue, renewal and transformation of the human family.
For Fr. John Riccardo, the ACTS XXIX missionaries, and our families, that this Advent and Christmas would overwhelm us anew with wonder at the rescue God has accomplished in Jesus, and that we may become radiant witnesses of hope to a weary and crying world.
For our Episcopal Advisory Council, Board of Directors, and faithful partners in mission, that this holy season would be for them a fresh encounter with Jesus the Rescuer - healing, strengthening, and anointing them for the bold mission entrusted to us in these glorious days.
LEARN MORE HERE!