RBWords

     I have found it helpful in reflecting on St. Paul's Letter to the Romans (and his other letters, too) to keep in mind that he seems to work on more than one level at the same time.  The first level is "cosmic" in that it takes in all of humanity from the beginning of creation.  It is on this level that Christ becomes a "new Adam" who reverses the alienation from God that was created by the old Adam.  The implications of this "cosmic" level arise in the relationship of every human person to God, but especially for those who believe and are baptized.  .  These implications, themselves, have two levels.  The first is that the identity of the baptized person is changed from non-believer (slave of sin and death) to believer (slave of righteousness).  The second is that this change of identity carries a moral imperative to live in accordance with the new Spirit of Christ that is received in baptism.  If the moral code of the Mosaic Law helps, that is fine, but there may be other ethical guides that are compatible with the new "law of Christ."  St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us that "the new law of Christ is nothing other than the Holy Spirit working in the heart through faith in Christ."

     In our American culture of individualism, we often define ourselves according to WHAT we DO rather than WHO we ARE.  St. Paul reverses this by saying that WHO we ARE must determine WHAT we DO.  There are many wonderful people who live in ways that are compatible with Christian teaching, but that does not make them a Christian.  However, baptism is just the beginning of Christian life.  Our actions must reflect that new Spirit of Christ that we receive in that sacrament.  It is not a sacrament of our past, but a sacrament of our present and future!  The holy water font at the entrance of the church is meant to be a reminder of this.  When we come in, everything we do must reflect our faith in Christ.  When we leave, everything we do must reflect our faith in Christ.  AMEN