The Letter to the Ephesians calls upon us not to live the useless kind of life that pagans lead. This is important and necessary advice to the newly baptized as in faith they respond to God's grace and take upon themselves the mind of Christ.

All of us Christians must take this call to heart. It supposes that we are aware of the uselessness of a pagan life and what it consists in, what its particular features are. St John speaks of "the sensual body, the lustful eye, pride in possessions" (1Jn 2:16). St Ignatius speaks of "wealth, power, and pride".

Our tremendous advances in technology have brought us many wonderful advantages, but the prudence of faith alerts us to the fact that much modern technology has created a whole new realm of temptations. So many people uselessly spend money on the latest smart-phone or its equivalent simply through pride in possessing what others do not yet possess! Pope Benedict remarked how modern technology allows us to talk more but to say less. The corollary of saying less is that we become less capable of saying anything worthwhile. High-tech means of communication tend to reduce our ability to communicate.