Word to the Wise
Wednesday, October 21, 2015 - Wednesday in the 29th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rom 6:12-18 and Luke 12:39-48]WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015 WEDNESDAY IN THE TWENTY-NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME [Romans 6:12-18 and Luke 12:39-48] "What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not! Do you not know that if you present yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient from the heart to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted. Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness." [Romans] If the Mosaic Law, with its 613 precepts which governed much of Jewish life, could not by that fact make a person righteous before God, what happens when one stops regarding it as the principal means of salvation? Does that mean anything goes? Is there moral anarchy? Paul uses the analogy of slavery (very different from our historical understanding in the USA) to describe the new relationship. The person and teachings of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen from the dead, takes the place of the Mosaic Law. This applies equally to Gentiles who may have come from the polytheistic religion(s) prevalent in Rome. We experience something of what St. Paul is speaking about when we face a question of what is "legal" and what is "right in God's eyes." These are not always the same thing. It is common to hear public figures under investigation claim, "I did nothing illegal!" when the investigation shows that their conduct was anything but ethical or right. It is our faith in God that is the source of our "pattern of conduct," and not a given set of regulations. These are put in place to help the community reach its goals and live in the pattern that Christ has given us. The regulations can be changed to meet new circumstances, but they do not save us. A person can always do the "right thing" for the wrong reasons! St. Paul wrote to a community that was trying to find its way under new circumstances and beliefs. Those of us who lived in the Catholic Church of the 1950's in the USA can sympathize! AMEN Sent from my iPhone
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