Word to the Wise
Monday, October 14, 2013 - Monday in the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
[Rom 1:1-7 and Luke 11:29-32]Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an Apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God, which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, the Gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh, but established as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Today we begin hearing passages from St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, one of the most influential documents in the Bible! The opening lines, quoted above, tell us from the very first that this is going to be a document of depth! They literally sum up the vast significance of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ while identifying Paul as an "apostle" who has been given the mission of proclaiming "the Gospel of God."
St. Paul was not the founder of the Christian community in Rome! His only visit there was to stand trial and be martyred. He is therefore writing to a community that has already been evangelized by other preachers and presenting his understanding of "the Gospel of God." Like many of the writings in the Bible, this one has been subjected to many different interpretations. Luther found one line, "....The one who is righteous by faith will live.." [1:17] to be the way out of his moral and theological struggles and served as the platform for his attacks on the church. Some Christian apologists have taken certain statements in the epistle to use against Judaism. Still others use it to condemn Gay persons or non-Christian religious traditions. These approaches as well as other polemical agendas of interpretation are thankfully no longer controlling, but they do indicate how important this letter is. There will be much more to say in the days ahead. For the moment, the majesty of the introduction is worth pondering because it puts God's plan of salvation in one sentence and leaves us to marvel! AMEN