Word to the Wise
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 - Twenty-ninth Tuesday in Ordinary Time [San Juan Capistrano, OFM]
[Romans 5:12, 15B, 17-19, 20B-21 and Luke 12:35-38]Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned. If by that one person's transgression the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many.
Oh my! Talk about a theological "can of worms!" Chapter five of St. Paul's Letter to the Romans has been the source of debate for centuries because St. Paul is trying to compare the power of Christ's Resurrection with that of Sin and Death which he ascribes to the sin of Adam. In doing so, he raises all the issues that have been debated about the status of Adam and Eve, the story of the Fall, and death as a consequence (punishment?). Included is the question of the Law of Moses as a means of salvation, which Paul denies. Every commentary I look at goes on for pages. Yet, the topic is important because it touches on the solidarity of all humanity before and after Christ! I could not even begin to do this topic justice in this setting. What is important, it seems to me, is the universal solidarity of humanity in God's creation. Just as we all share the fate of death in the physical sense, we also share the spiritual death that comes from our sinful conduct. In his death and resurrection, Jesus offers a powerful counterforce to these fearful realities. In the garden, God warns Adam that disobedience would surely lead to death. It is also clear that all humans are capable of sin. St. Paul sees the universal fact of human death and sin as a heritage springing from that first act. Whether this is a cause/effect relationship or a "solidarity" based on human nature as subsequently demonstrated (e.g. Cain and Abel), only the death and resurrection of Christ could overcome that universal fate. In this is found the hope of all humanity. This may all seem a bit cosmic and it does challenge us to think on a grander scale. But we are part of this and we are each the beneficiaries of Christ's actions. The old King James and Douai Bibles put it succinctly: "As in Adam all died, in Christ shall all be made alive." AMEN
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