Study and Meditations on this Sunday's Scripture Readings: December 19th

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To help us prepare for this coming Sunday, here are the readings, studies and reflections for this coming Sunday’s Scripture readings. This Sunday is the 4th Sunday of Advent, Cycle A. In the Gospel Reading, we see the events surrounding the coming of Jesus into the world–events foretold long ago through the prophets of Israel.

Here are the Scripture readings from the U.S. Catholic bishops website.

My own weekly study can be found here under “Current Study.”

Here are three audio reflections on the readings by Sister Ann Shields, Dr. Scott Hahn and Fr. Robert Barron.

Here are a trio of Catholic Bible study podcasts on the Gospel Reading, each about an hour long:

–Sunday Gospel Scripture Study
–Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother
–St. Martha’s Adult Faith Formation

The Navarre Bible Commentary for each reading can be viewed here.

Further study resources for the Readings: St. Charles Borromeo Bible Study can be found here, and Catholic Matters can be found here.
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Please consider supporting those who provide these free resources. Discussion, questions and charitable comments are always welcome. Have a blessed week!

http://english.op.org/uploaded_images/The_Dream_of_Saint_Joseph-780107.jpg

 

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1st Reading - Isaiah 7:10-14

These words of Isaiah form one of his most descriptive and definite prophecies foretelling the future messianic king, Christ. Judah, separated from Israel (the northern part of Palestine), since the revolt of 931, was in dire straits when Isaiah uttered those words. King Ahaz, who ruled Judah from 736 to 716, was expecting an attack from the combined forces of Israel and Syria. Instead of trusting in God, he had asked for help from the pagan Assyrian king, a request which later led to the overthrow of the kingdom of Judah.

*“This shall not stand, it shall not be! Damascus is the capital of Aram, and Rezin the head of Damascus; Samaria is the capital of Ephraim, and Remaliah’s son the head of Samaria. But within sixty years and five, Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation. Unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm!” *(verses 7b-9)

The prophet tried to persuade Ahaz not to take this fatal step, but instead to put his trust in Yahweh, his God, who was ready to give him any proof, any sign, in the heavens or under the earth, “as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven,” to convince him, the king, that Yahweh was on his side. Ahaz stubbornly refused—he had no faith in Yahweh—and then Isaiah gave him the sign that we hear about in our Reading:

Here is the 1st Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:
The LORD spoke to Ahaz, saying:
Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God;
let it be deep as the netherworld, or high as the sky!
But Ahaz answered,
“I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!”

Then Isaiah said:
Listen, O house of David!
Is it not enough for you to weary people,
must you also weary my God?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign:
the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall name him Emmanuel.

 

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From the *Navarre Bible Commentary *on this passage:

The Sign of Immanuel (Continuation)
-----------------------------------
[10 Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, [11] ”Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” [12] But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” [13] And he said, “Hear then, 0 house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? [14] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bean a son, and shall call his name Immanu-el."

7:10-17. Even though the king did not listen, the Lord offers him a sign that he has no reason to fear the threats made by the kings of Israel and Syria: a maiden will conceive and bear a son, who will be called Immanuel; within a few years, before the boy reaches the age of reason, the two kingdoms that Ahaz fears will be laid low, and Judah will enjoy even greater prosperity than it had prior to the Assyrian threat.

The prophet’s words, which at the time and taken literally would have been easy enough for the protagonists to understand, can have further significance: and as Revelation develops this becomes clearer. Verse 14 has three elements in it which, taken separately and together, can be read as a sign of peace and salvation–the mother, the child, and his name; “Immanuel”. The mother is a maiden, that is, a young woman who has had no children previously. This could refer to the young wife of Ahaz or to some other young woman. In any event, by setting her pregnancy in the context of a sign given to the king, the point is that something quite important is involved. It is not surprising, therefore, that, to stress this, later interpreters, particularly those who translated the text into Greek in the second century BC, translated the Hebrew word for “young woman” into the Greek word for “virgin”. Later, the evangelists St Matthew (Mt 1:23) and St Luke (Lk 1:26-31) indicated that the virginity of Mary was the sign that her son was the Messiah, the true God with us, who brings salvation.

The child, the son, is the most significant part of the sign. If the prophecy refers to the son of Ahaz, the future King Hezekiah, it would be indicating that his birth will be a sign of divine protection, because it will mean that the dynasty will continue. If it refers to another child, not yet known, the prophet’s words would mean that the child’s birth could manifest hope that “God was going to be with us”, and his reaching the age of discretion (v. 16) would indicate the advent of peace; the child’s birth would, then, be the sign that “God is with us”. In the New Testament, the deeper meaning of these words find fulfillment: Mary is Virgin and Mother, and her Son is not a symbol of God’s protection but God himself who dwells among us.

The word “Immanuel" is a prophetic indication of the revelation that the child’s birth implies, just as the names of Isaiah’s sons also contain revelation–Shear-jashub, which means “a remnant shall return” (7:3), and Mahershalal-hash-baz, meaning “the spoil speeds, the prey hastens” (8:1-3). In the New Testament, the name conveys the joyful news that Jesus is truly “God with us”.

Concluded on the next post…

 

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Christian tradition has treated this lsaian oracle with great reverence: “Learn from the prophet himself how all this could come to pass. Does it, perhaps, follow the laws of nature? Absolutely not, replies the prophet: 'Behold, a virgin… What a miracle! A virgin will become a mother and remain a virgin! …] It is fitting that he who enters into human life to save all mankind …] should be born of a woman of perfect integrity who has given herself wholly to Him” (St Gregory of Nyssa, “In Diem Natalem Christi”, 1136).

Therefore, expounding the Church’s interpretation, the Second Vatican Council has this to say: “The Holy Scriptures of both the Old and the New Testament, as well as ancient Tradition, show the role of the Mother of the Savior in the economy of salvation in an ever clearer light and draw attention to it. The books of the Old Testament describe the history of salvation, by which the coming of Christ into the world was slowly prepared. These earliest documents, as they are read in the Church and are understood in the light of a further and full revelation, bring the figure of the woman, Mother of the Redeemer, into a gradually clearer light. When it is looked at in this way, she is already prophetically foreshadowed in the promise of victory over the serpent which was given to our first parents after their fall into sin (cf.Gen 3:15). Likewise she is the Virgin who shall conceive and bear a son, whose name will be called Immanuel (Is 7:14; Mic 5:2-3; Mt 1:22-23). She stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who confidently hope for and receive salvation from Him. With her the exalted Daughter of Sion, and after a long expectation of the promise, the times are fulfilled and the new economy established, when the Son of God took a human nature from her, that He might in the mysteries of His flesh free man from sin” (“Lumen Gentium”, 55).

The fact that the oracle was spoken in a specific historical context does not mean that it does not have a more transcendental that is, messianic meaning; in the light of salvation history, past events should be read as part of God’s plan of salvation and of its climax, the advent of Jesus Christ. Only by adopting this viewpoint can we see that what happened in the Old Testament, taken as a whole and many of the stages in it, are a prophecy of New Testament events, a “preparation for the Gospel”. Therefore, a Christian reading of the text, Which in a way enjoys “hindsight" and gives a messianic interpretation to the Immanuel Oracle, is perfectly compatible with its literal meaning.

The Words of the prophet, which find fulfillment in Christ, have been given many lovely spiritual interpretations: “This Immanuel, born of the Virgin, eats curds and honey, and asks each of us to provide him with the curds that he eats …]. Our good deeds, our sweet and noble words, are the honey eaten by the Immanuel born of the Virgin …]. For truly he consumes our good words and intentions and actions, and feeds us, in turn, with a spiritual food that is greater and divine. As soon as we realize that to welcome the Savior is a blessing, and open wide the doors of our hearts, we will prepare for him the ‘honey’ and all his feast, and he will bring us to the great feast of the Father in the kingdom of heaven, that is in Christ Jesus" (Origen, “Homilae In Isaiam”, 2, 2).

 

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From the 1859 Haydock Commentary with Douay-Rheims text:

The prophet assures Achaz that the two kings, his enemies, shall not take Jersualem. A virgin shall conceive and bear a son.

*10 And the Lord spoke again to Achaz, saying:

11 Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God, either unto the depth of hell, or unto the height above.*

Ver. 11. Above. Require it to thunder, (1 Kings xii. 17.) or the earth to open, Numbers xvi. 28. (Calmet)

12 And Achaz said: I will not ask, and I will not tempt the Lord.

Ver. 12. *Lord. *He was afraid of being forced to relinquish his evil ways. (St. Jerome) — Though an idolater, he knew he ought not to tempt God.

*13 And he said: Hear ye, therefore, O house of David: Is it a small thing for you to be grievous to men, that you are grievous to my God also?

14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel.
**
Ver. 14.** *Virgin, halma, *(Haydock) one secluded from the company of men. Alma in Latin signifies “a holy person,” and in Punic “a virgin.” The term is never applied to any but “a young virgin.” If it meant a young woman, what sort of a sign would this be? (St. Jerome) — It was indeed above the sagacity of man to declare that the child to be born would be a boy, and live till the kings should be destroyed. But the prophet undoubtedly speaks of Jesus Christ, the wonderful, &c., (chap. ix. 5.) as well as of a boy, who should prefigure him, and be an earnest of the speedy destruction of the two kings. He was to be born of Isaias, (chap. viii. 4.) and of all the qualities belonging to the true Emmanuel, only that regards him, which intimates that the country should be delivered before he should come to years of discretion, ver. 16. (Calmet, Diss.) (Bossuet) — The Fathers generally apply all to Christ. — Called. Or shall be in effect, chap. i. 26. (Calmet) — The king hardly trusted in God’s mercies, whereupon the incarnation of Christ, &c., is foretold. (Worthington)

 

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Other thoughts and comments on the 1st Reading:

10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz: 11 Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as the nether world, or high as the sky!: This need not mean something miraculous (see Isaiah 37:30), but it should be something which will convince Ahaz that it is from God. Ahaz is to ask for confirmation of God’s promise through Isaiah; something which will prove God’s firm will to save the House of David from its oppressors.

12 But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!”: Ahaz’s refusal was undoubtedly motivated by his unwillingness to follow Isaiah’s advice, he will depend upon the might of Assyria rather than upon God.

13 Then he said: Listen, O house of David!: The mention of the dynasty of David, of whom Ahaz was a direct descendant, was a reminder to the king that the kingdom of Judah was always under Yahweh’s protection, because of his messianic plan. The future king, whose reign would be universal and eternal, would descend from David, as God had promised through the prophet Nathan (2 Sm. 7: 12-16). Therefore, Judah would not be wiped out, Syria and Israel would not succeed.
**
Is it not enough for you to weary men, must you also weary my God?:** Ahaz distrusted his subjects, and wore out their patience, the prophet Isaiah included, but now he is clearly distrusting Yahweh, and “wearing out” his patience.

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: The sign to be given is no longer to persuade Ahaz but will, in the future, confirm the truth of what the prophet has spoken. It will indicate a rebuke for Ahaz, but encouragement and hope for the people. God’s promise to David will be fulfilled. A son of David will yet come, but not through the male line, as the kingdom was handed down, but through a young virgin—here was the sign, the miracle—and this descendant of David would be more than a king of Judah, he would be God among us.

the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son: The oracles of prophets were usually fulfilled within the lifetime of the hearer, otherwise the prophet would have no credibility within his community. This does not preclude a secondary fulfillment later, but both aspects must be explored. The immediate sign for King Ahaz was to be, not the birth of the child, but the fact that his enemies would be destroyed in a very few years—by the time this child is weaned, in fact (verses 15-16).

The Hebrew word used here “Alma,” means a girl of marriageable age, but in the circumstances of the time this would also imply virginity. Furthermore, the Greek translators of Isaiah 150 years B.C., translated Alma as “parthenes” meaning “virgin” and St. Matthew leaves no doubt as to the virginal conception of Christ, as the context (Mt. 1: 18-25) indicates, when he says this is the fulfillment of this prophecy of Isaiah (1: 22-23).

**and shall name him: ** It was the father’s privilege, and right, to name his son. The fact that it is the mother who will name her son here is another indication of the virginal conception. In St. Luke’s account of the Annunciation, the Angel tells Mary she is to “name her child Jesus” (Lk. 1: 31). The fact, that Joseph, having been informed by an angel of the divine intervention in the case, is told to name the child to be born “Jesus,” is not a contradiction of Isaiah and Luke, but an external sign of Joseph’s acceptance of his role as foster-father.

**Immanuel: **This solemn oracle is spoken by Isaiah before a royal court which is fearful lest the Davidic dynasty be overthrown. Such a catastrophe would mean the cancellation of the great dynastic promise made to David’s house (2 Samuel 7:12-16). It was on the royal successor to David’s house that Judah pinned her hopes for the welfare of God’s people. The child to be born, therefore, may be the young Hezekiah in whose birth Judah would see the continuing presence of God among His people and another renewal of the promise made to David. Hezekiah’s mother, at the time Isaiah spoke, would have been an almah. Nevertheless, the solemnity of the oracle and the name Emmanuel (God is with us) lend credence to the opinion that Isaiah’s perspective does not stop at the birth of Hezekiah; it moves ahead to that ideal king of David’s line through whose coming God could finally be said to definitively be with His people. This does not mean that Isaiah foresaw the fulfillment of this prophecy in Christ but he expressed the hope that Christ perfectly realized. Matthew and the Church, looking backward through the lens of the resurrection, have seen in the birth of Christ from the Blessed Virgin Mother the perfect fulfillment of this prophecy: That is, God with us. The prince of the house of David who was to come, was to be God living among us. As St. John puts it: “The Word (the Son of God) became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn. 1: 14).

 

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The 1st Reading is cited in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) in the following sections:

497 The Gospel accounts understand the virginal conception of Jesus as a divine work that surpasses all human understanding and possibility:148 “That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit”, said the angel to Joseph about Mary his fiancee.149 The Church sees here the fulfillment of the divine promise given through the prophet Isaiah: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son."150

148. Mt 1:18-25; Lk 1:26-38.

149. Mt 1:20.

**150. Isa 7:14 in the LXX, quoted in Mt 1:23 (Gk.).**

712 The characteristics of the awaited Messiah begin to appear in the “Book of Emmanuel” (“Isaiah said this when he saw his glory,” 80 speaking of Christ), especially in the first two verses of Isaiah 11:

   * There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
    And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him,
    the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the spirit of counsel and might,
    the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.*81

**80**. Jn 12:41; **cf. Isa 6-12.**

81. Isa 11:1-2.

 

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Some questions on the 1st Reading for personal study, reflection and application:

1. In the 1st reading, King Ahaz was insincere in not wanting a sign from God. But if God chose to give you an unmistakable sign, would you accept it—even if meant changing your life because of it?

2 In what way was Ahab tempted to play “power politics” rather than trust in God? How did God’s perspective differ from Ahab’s ?

3 What is the meaning of the name “Immanuel”? What is its significance?

4 How does the witness of the heroes of the Faith spur us on, especially when we, like them, do not always see the results of our faith (see Hebrews 11)?

1. Describe a time when you reached a crossroads where you had to move from self-reliance to trusting God? What difference did this change make?

 

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A reflection on the 1st Reading for practical application from Catholic Matters:

APPLICATION: In today’s prophecy, Isaiah gives us the most important detail concerning the Messiah, Christ. He was to be God as well as man. This is what Christ was, as he claimed and as he proved by his miracles and by his resurrection. What a stunning, and at the same time, what an inspiring fact this knowledge is for us! We call the Incarnation, the coming of the Son of God among us in human nature, a mystery. It is one of the basic mysteries of our Christian religion, but the mystery lies not so much in how it was done (“with God all things are possible”), but rather in the infinite, mysterious love of God for us, who are so much below him and so unworthy of his love.

It would be waste of time for us mortals, with our small, limited capacity for real love, even to try to fathom this depth of God’s love. All we can do is to be grateful for it, while we wonder at its immensity. God loved man from all eternity and decided to give him gifts of intellect and will, far beyond the gifts given to all other earthly creatures. Because of these gifts, he made man capable of enjoying an eternity of happiness, and decreed to give this eternal enjoyment to him.

The Incarnation was the means chosen by God to attain this purpose of his. He would send his divine Son to live among us, for a short time, on earth. Because his Son became real man, he became our brother, and thereby we were raised to the dignity of sons of his heavenly Father.

Man had sinned in the meantime, and had refused the obedience and reverence his intellect told him he owed to his Creator and Benefactor. This, God had foreseen, of course, but the perfect obedience and reverence rendered to the Father by his incarnate Son, “an obedience even unto the death on the cross,” made atonement and satisfaction for all the sins of all men that ever had lived or would live, and, therefore, removed the obstacle that could prevent man reaching the end God had planned for him.

Redemption from sin, in order to make man fit for heaven, was a necessary effect of the Incarnation, but the prime and principal purpose of this act of God’s love was, precisely, to show love for us, and to give effect to his intention to make us his adopted sons, and thus heirs of heaven. Now can man ever forget this love which God has shown him? How can I forget that I am no longer a mere man but an adopted son of God, that every day that passes brings me a day nearer to my entry into the inheritance God has planned for me? I have difficulties and troubles during my years on this earth, but these are the very means God is putting at my disposal to enable me to prepare myself for the life of eternal happiness that awaits me.

Christmas, especially, should remind me that he who came on earth, to make me fit for heaven, had trials and troubles far greater and bigger than mine. He in no way deserved these trials; he bore them and accepted them gladly, so that I could, one day, enter into the life where troubles and trials will be no more, “because the Lamb of God who is at the throne . . . will lead me to springs of living water and God will wipe away all tears” (Rev. 7: 17).

 

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2nd Reading - Romans 1:1-7

Paul wrote the Letter to the Romans to a congregation which he did not establish-- he hadn’t even visited it yet. Paul was conscious that his apostolate in the Mediterranean area was over. Having preached “all the way from Jerusalem to Illyricum” (Romans 15:19), he looked westward to Spain. He planned to visit the Roman church en route, to fulfill a longstanding desire. Before heading west, he had to attend to one last matter: to carry personally to Jerusalem the collection taken up in Gentile churches that he had founded (Romans 15:25; 1 Corinthians 16:1) in order to manifest to the Jewish Christian mother church the solidarity existing between the “poor” of that community and the Gentile Christians of Galatia, Macedonia and Achaia. These Gentile Christians contributed to that collection, realizing that they had “shared in the spiritual blessings” of the mother church (Romans 15:27). So before he departed from Corinth for Jerusalem, Paul wrote to the Roman church to announce his coming visit. In Saint Paul’s letters the greeting follows a standard form, though he does use some variations. The three basic components are: name of sender, name of addressee; greeting. In identifying himself, Paul often adds phrases to describe his apostolic mission and our reading today contains one of the most eloquent of these descriptions.He calls himself a servant of Christ, an Apostle, set apart (chosen) to preach the gospel of God. This gospel is the news of the Incarnation, through which and by which, all men are called to follow Christ and become his brothers, and thus sons of God destined to be saints in heaven.

Here is the 2nd Reading as we will hear it this Sunday:

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.

Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

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From *the Navarre Bible Commentary *on this passage:

**1-15. **These opening verses of the letter are a combination of greeting, introduction of the writer and the prologue to the entire text. The passage deals with themes in no particular order–in line with the style of some other Pauline letters, especially Romans itself.

Three matters are being covered here–Paul’s introduction of himself, and his plans to visit Rome (vv. 1, 5, 9-15); who the immediate recipients are and their particular situation (vv. 6-8, 11, 15); and, finally, Paul’s purpose in writing to the faithful at Rome (outlined in his greeting–vv. 2-4, 15 and, to a lesser degree, v. 9).

Greeting
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*[1] Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God [2] which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, *

1-2. The word “gospel”, which St Paul uses very often, here refers to the purpose of his vocation: he has been designated to preach the Gospel of God. This is obviously not a reference to the written Gospels; he is speaking of something complex and profound, already articulated by Christ in his preaching. Jesus said of himself that he had come to bring Good News (cf. Mt 11:15; Mk 1:14-15; Lk 4:18; etc.), as the prophets had foretold (especially is 61:1, which Jesus quoted). "As an evangelizer, Christ first of all proclaims a kingdom, the Kingdom of God; and this is so important that, by comparison, everything else becomes ‘the rest’, which is ‘given in addition’ (cf.
Mt 6:33).

“As the kernel and center of this Good News, Christ proclaims salvation, this great gift of God which is liberation from everything that oppresses man but which is above all liberation from sin and the Evil One” (Paul VI, “Evangelii Nuntiandi”, 8 and 9).

When he was about to ascend into heaven, Jesus charged his Apostles to proclaim the Good News (Mk 16:15; cf. Mt 28:19-20) which was to be “the source of all saving truth and moral discipline” (Vatican II, “Dei Verbum”, 7). For the Apostles this Good News was nothing more or less than Jesus Christ and his work of salvation. That is why the Gospel (which the Church is given to hand on to all generations) is centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, as passed on to us by the Apostles. “The promises of the New Alliance in Jesus Christ, the teaching of the Lord and the Apostles, the Word of life, the sources of grace and of God’s loving kindness, the path of salvation–all these things have been entrusted to her. It is the content of the Gospel, and therefore of evangelization” (“Evangelii Nuntiandi”, 15). Thus we can say with St Thomas Aquinas (cf. “Summa Theologiae”, I-II, q. 108, a.1; “Commentary on Rom.” 1, 1) that the core of the Gospel has to do with uniting men and God, a union which takes a perfect form in Christ but an imperfect one in us. The superiority of the Gospel over the Old Law consists in the grace of the Holy Spirit, which Christ confers on us. Therefore, the Gospel, to which the Apostles dedicated themselves, is, at one and the same time, a series of truths revealed by our Lord, the saving power of grace and the Church-in-action.

**1. **In addressing the Christians at Rome the Apostle uses, of his two names–Saul and Paul–the one he has used since his first missionary journey (cf. Acts 13:9), a Roman name indicating his Roman citizenship (cf. Acts 16:37; 22:25-28). It was in fact quite common for Jews to use two names–a national name, Hebrew or Aramaic, and another name, Greek or Latin, for dealings with people from other countries in the Empire. We find a number of examples of this in the New Testament–John-Mark, Symeon-Niger (Acts 13:1), Tabitha-Dorcas (Acts 9:36), etc.

Continued on the next post…

 

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Paul, who had been born a Roman citizen, was deeply conscious of his Jewish roots. He was of the tribe of Benjamin (Rom 11:1; Phil 3:5) and bore the name of one of the most famous members of that tribe—King Saul, son of Kish (Acts 13:21). He was well able to show his pride in his Jewish descent (cf. 2 Cor 11:22; Gal 1:13-14) yet was ready to become all things to all men in order to save even some (cf. 1 Cor 9:22).

St Paul wants to speak about Christ and his saving Gospel, but he cannot avoid making reference to himself and the mission entrusted to him; this he does by using three words which are full of meaning: he is a “servant” of Jesus Christ, called by God to be his “apostle” (envoy), “set apart” or designated by God to preach the Gospel. These three words tell the whole story of his vocation, and each of them encapsulates something of the mystery which Paul will expound in his epistle–the mercy of God, who saves men, justifies them, sanctifies them and sends them out.

“Servant”: this title, also used by St James (Jas 1:1), St Peter (2 Pet 1:1) and St Jude (Jud 1), comes from the Old Testament. There the great prophets and guides of the chosen people described themselves as “servants” of Yahweh (cf., for example, Samuel: 1 Sam 3:9f; Abraham: Ps 104:6; David: 2 Sam 24:10; Moses, Aaron, Solomon, etc.), and the entire people of Israel is called the “servant” of God (Is 49:3); but most prominently there is the Messiah, the “Servant” of God to the extent of actually giving his life (Is 41:9; 42:1; 49:6; 53:11). In the world of the Hebrew religion “servant of God” is the equivalent of “worshipper of God”, one who offers religious worship: this notion of servant did not carry the overtones of inhuman debasement that it had in Greco-Roman culture. When St Paul says that he is a “servant” (or “slave”) of Jesus Christ he is implicitly saying that he renders him religious adoration.

“Apostle”: this word designates preachers of the Gospel, particularly the twelve chosen disciples of Jesus (cf. Mt 10:24 and Mk 3:16-19) it was quite logically applied to Matthias when he became one of the Twelve (Acts 1:25). Christ himself designated Paul an apostle when he appeared to him on the road to Damascus (Acts 26:16-18; Gal 1:15-16), called him to the faith and charged him with his mission to preach. By describing himself as “called to be an apostle”, St Paul is saying that he is on an equal footing with the Twelve–for example, Peter, James and John, whom he calls “pillars” of the Church (Gal 2:9)–since he received his calling from Christ himself, as had been the case with the other Apostles (cf. Acts 9:3-18), and not from the leaders of the community of Antioch (Acts 13:2-3).

“Set apart”: this refers to the mission entrusted to St Paul of preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles. Possibly it also refers to Paul’s place in God’s eternal plan; in this sense he can say that he was “set apart” ever since he was in his mother’s womb (Gal 1:15; cf. Jer 1:5; Is 49:1).

St John Chrysostom comments on this verse as follows: “If Paul constantly recalls his vocation it is in order to show his gratitude.This gift, which he did not solicit, took him by surprise; he simply obeyed and followed the divine inspiration. As regards the faithful, they too, as he himself says, have been called to holiness” (“Hom. On Rom”, 1).

[3] the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh [4] and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, *
**
3-4.* Scholars are now confident that in Rom 1:3-4 St Paul is quoting from a Christological formula or hymn (like that in I Tim 3:16 or Phil 2:6-11)–probably used in the very earliest Christian liturgy. In these two verses St Paul offers, as it were, a summary of Christology: Jesus Christ, true God and true Man, is the Son sent by his Father God (v. 3). From all eternity he is God, equal to the Father, and in the fullness of time he has taken up a human nature which was initially capable of experiencing pain (v. 3) and was later glorified (v. 4).

The Incarnation did not involve any change, as far as the Word was concerned, either in his divine nature (which he did not shed and which did not alter) or in his being a Person distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit. However, by the Incarnation he assumed a human nature, being born of a Virgin (cf. Lk 1:27, 35): and so the Son of God became the Son of David, of the lineage of David. The phrase “according to the flesh” actually emphasizes the lowliness which the Incarnation implied–fragility, suffering, self-emptying, humiliation (cf. Jn 1:14 and note; Phil 2:7).

Concluded on the next post…

 

[Fidelis]

During Christ’s life on earth prior to his Resurrection, although it was united to the Word, his human nature, especially his body, was not fully glorified. Moreover, although it is true that during that period of his life he showed his divinity by his miracles (cf. In 2:11) and by words confirmed by those miracles (cf. Jn 10:37ff), it is also true that his human nature was to the forefront most of the time. After the Resurrection, his human body and soul were fully glorified and therefore from then on his divine nature was the more apparent. This real change which took place in Christ’s human nature when he rose from the dead, and the fact that his divinity became more manifest and he was more easily recognized to be God, are captured in what St Paul says here in v. 4.

The words “according to the Spirit of holiness” can refer both to Christ’s divine nature (in the same way as “according to the flesh” refers to his human nature) and to the action of the Holy Spirit, whose effects were more easily seen after the Resurrection, especially from Pentecost onwards (cf. Jn 7:39 and note on same).

[5] through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,

5. Here St Paul refers to the mission given him by God the Father through Jesus Christ at the time of his conversion (cf. Acts 9:15) and which he mentions explicitly in his letter to the Galatians (cf. Gal 2:7). Within the world-wide mission implied in being an apostle called by Christ himself, St Paul was given a special mission of his own—to be the Apostle of the Gentiles; he mentions this mission at the beginning of this letter to show why he should be addressing the Christians at Rome, a church which he had not founded.

The purpose and effect of the apostolic ministry is to bring about the “obedience of faith”: when a person believes, he submits his mind and will to God’s authority, freely accepting the truths which God proposes. Apropos of this obedience proper to faith the Second Vatican Council says: “‘The obedience of faith’ (Rom 16:26; cf. Rom 1:5; 2 Cor 10:5-6) must be given to God as he reveals himself. By faith man freely commits his entire self to God, making ‘the full submission of his intellect and will to God who reveals’ (Vatican I, “Dei Filius”, chap. 3) and willingly assenting to the Revelation given by him. Before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior help of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and converts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and ‘makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth’ (Second Council of Orange III, “De Gratia”, can. 7; “Dei Filius, ibid.”)” (Vatican II, “Dei Verbum”, 5).

[6] including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ: [7] To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
**
7. **“Called to be saints”: literally “called saints”. This is not just a way of speaking: St Paul really is saying that Christians are “called” in the same kind of way as the Israelites were so open called through Moses (Num 10:14). In the Christians’ case, the calling is to form the new people of God, one of whose characteristic features is holiness. Basing itself on this and other Pauline texts, the Second Vatican Council has this to say: “As Israel according to the flesh which wandered in the desert was already called the Church of God (cf. 2 Ezra 13:1; cf. Num 20:4; Deut 23:1 ff), so too, the new Israel, which advances in this present era in search of a future and permanent city (cf. Heb 13:14), is called also the Church of Christ (cf. Mt. 16:18) …]. The followers of Christ, called by God not in virtue of their works but by his design and grace, and justified in the Lord Jesus, have been made sons of God in the baptism of faith and partakers of the divine nature, and so are truly sanctified” (“Lumen Gentium”, 9 and 40).

This is in fact the basis of the “universal call to holiness”. All Christians, by virtue of their Baptism, should live in line with what that means: they are called to be saints and their whole life should be a pursuit of holiness: “In baptism, our Father God has taken possession of our lives, has made us share in the life of Christ, and has given us the Holy Spirit” (J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By, 128). “We are deeply moved, and our hearts profoundly shaken, when we listen attentively to that cry of St Paul: ‘This is the will of God, your sanctification’ (1 Thess 4:3). Today, once again, I set myself this goal and I also remind you and all mankind: this is God’s Will for us, that we be saints” ([St] J. Escriva, “Friends of God”, 294).

The formula “grace and peace” seems to be St Paul’s own: it is a combination of the usual Greek greeting at the start of letters and the Hebrew shalom (peace). The Apostle uses this double greeting very often (cf., for example, 1 Cor 1:3 2 Cor 1:2; Gal 1:3; Eph 1:2; etc). It is a Christian greeting, referring to the gifts the Holy Spirit brings us. Jewish and pagan greetings wished people material prosperity or good fortune; the Apostle’s are wishes for something higher—divine benevolence, which comes in the form of the gift of sanctifying grace and the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit, and interior peace, which derives from reconciliation with God brought about by Christ. These gifts, according to the Apostle, come to us from God our Father, and from Jesus Christ, the Lord, who is equal to the Father. Thus we see Christian life as being inserted in the intimate life of the Blessed Trinity, for “grace and peace” came from the goodness and mercy of God, by way of the Incarnation of the Word and the Redemption wrought by him.

 

[Fidelis]

From the *1859 Haydock Commentary *with Douay-Rheims text:

***He commends the faith of the Romans, whom he longs to see. ***

1 Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Ver. 1. Called to be an apostle, or a called apostle. That is, not only having the name of an apostle, but having his call to this high function, and his mission from God. — Separated unto the gospel of God. He means that he was separated from others, and appointed by the Holy Ghost to preach the gospel, as we read Acts xiii. 2. when the Holy Ghost to those of the Church at Antioch, said, Separate me Saul and Barnabas, for the work unto which I have taken them. (Witham)

2 Which he had promised before by his prophets in the holy Scriptures,

Ver. 2. Which he had promised before, &c. That is, God before, in the Scriptures, promised the blessings, which are now come by the preaching of the gospel, and that they should come by his Son. (Witham)

3 Concerning his Son, who was made to him of the seed of David, according to the flesh,

Ver. 3. *Who was made to him of the seed of David, according to the flesh. *The sense is, that God promised, that he who was his true and only Son from eternity, should also become his son, as man; that the same son should be man, as well as God, when the word was made flesh, or when that divine person should be united to our human nature. Thus the same person, who was his only begotten Son from eternity, being made man, and of the seed of David, by his incarnation, was still his Son, both as God, and also as man. (Witham) — The Greek text has not the particle ei, (to him) but only tou genomenou ek spermatos David. But St. Irenæus, (lib. iii. chap. 18.) St. Ambrose, St. Jerome read, Qui factus est ei. And also St. Augustine in his unfinished exposition of the epistle to the Romans; though before in his book against Faustus, (lib. xi. chap. 14.) he reads it otherwise. (Calmet)

4 Who was predestinated the Son of God in power, according to the spirit of sanctification, by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead:

Ver. 4. Who was predestined the Son of God. The learned bishop of Meaux, Bossuet, in his second Pastoral Instruction, in which he condemned the French translation of Mons. Simon, (p. 127.) takes notice, that according to St. Paul, and the constant doctrine of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, Christ as man, or the human nature of Christ united to his divine person, was predestinated without any precedent merits, by a free and liberal predestination of God’s goodness. (Witham) — Christ, as man, was predestinated to be the Son of God; and declared to be so (as the apostle here signifies) first by power, that is, by his working stupendous miracles; secondly, by the spirit of sanctification, that is, by his infinite sanctity; thirdly, by his resurrection, or raising himself from the dead. (Challoner)
*
5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith, in all nations for his name,*

Ver. 5. By whom, i.e. by this same Jesus Christ, God and man, we, I and the rest of the apostles, have received this grace and apostleship, this mission and commission from him, of preaching his gospel, and teaching his doctrine. — For obedience to the faith in all nations; that is, to bring all nations to the obedience and profession of his new law and doctrine. (Witham)

6 Among whom are you also the called of Jesus Christ:

Ver. 6. Among whom are you also the called of Jesus. That is, you also are a part of those, who by his mercy, are called to this faith and belief in him. All beginning from those words in the third verse, who was made to him, &c. till the end of the sixth verse, are to be taken as within a parenthesis, which is not unusual in the style of St. Paul. Then he goes on after this long parenthesis. (Witham)

7 To all that are at Rome, the beloved of God, called to be saints. Grace to you, and peace from God, our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Ver. 7. To all that are at Rome…called to be saints. That is, who not only are named saints, but who by such a call from God, are to be sanctified by his grace, and to become holy, or saints. (Witham)

 

[Fidelis]

More thoughts and comments on the 2nd Reading:

**1 Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus: **The first of three descriptions of himself. This description reflects not only the Old Testament custom of the pious calling themselves slaves (servants) in the sight of Yahweh (Psalm 27:9; 31:16; 89:50; CCC 876), but especially its Old Testament use to describe the great figures who served Yahweh in salvation history [Moses (2 Kings 18:12), Joshua (Judges 2:8), Abraham (Psalm 105:42)]. Paul, as a servant of Christ, belongs to the same line. For a Roman to become a slave is quite a change.

called to be an apostle: This second description of himself emphasizes the divine origin of his apostolate. The story of Paul’s (Saul then) conversion, and his call to the apostolate, is found in Acts 9: 1-19. He was the latest, but also one of the greatest, of Christ’s Apostles.

and set apart for the gospel of God: This is the third description of himself. Galatians 1:5 explains that he was destined for this role before his birth. It is God=s gospel because its ultimate source is the Father (Romans 15:16; 2 Corinthians 11:7).

2 which he promised previously: Promised long ago. From this very beginning of his letter to the Romans (which is where we are in today’s reading) Paul stresses that his gospel of salvation is part of a divine and ancient plan, in which even the Old Testament had a part. In fact the whole history of the Chosen People, from Abraham (1800 B.C.) to John the Baptist, was a preparation and a foreshadowing of his coming (CCC 121-23).

**through his prophets in the holy scriptures: **Not just the three major and twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament, but all the Old Testament persons whom the early church regarded as uttering statements regarding Christ.

3 the gospel about his Son: God’s gospel and the promises made by Him on the Old Testament (2 Samuel 7:14; Ps 2:7; etc.) refer to Jesus (according to Paul) who stands in a unique relation to God as His Son (Romans 8:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Galatians 4:4). Paul is going to affirm two things about the risen Christ.

descended from David according to the flesh: David, the second and greatest of Israel’s kings, was promised by Nathan that he would have a descendant on his throne whose kingdom would be universal and eternal. This prophecy is here interpreted of Christ, and it was only in him that it was fulfilled. This first affirmation asserts that Jesus was a son of David in the order of natural physical descent. He was a royal son with a right to the sacral anointing of a messiah.

4 but established as Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness: This second affirmation contrasts with the first. Although Jesus was the son descended from David on the physical level, he was set up as the Son of God with power on the level of the Spirit (as of the resurrection). As “life giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45), Jesus is able to communicate the Spirit to those who believe in Him. Because he was divine—the Son of God—he was able to raise his human nature from the grave. The Father and Holy Spirit cooperated in this action, and from then on Christ reassumed both the divine glory, “of which he had emptied himself” during his earthly sojourn (see Phil. 2: 5-11), and the mission to sanctify all men with a new life through the sending of the Holy Spirit.
*
“Christ is the son of David in weakness according to the flesh but Son of God in power according to the Spirit of sanctification. … Weakness relates to David but life eternal to the power of God.” *[Saint Augustine of Hippo (ca. A.D. 393), *Explanation of Certain Passages from the Apostle’s Epistle to the Romans 5,7

]

Continued on the next post…

 

[Fidelis]

through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord: It was by his resurrection from the dead that Christ, the man who died on the cross, was recognized for what he always was, the Son of God in human form, the Son who took his human nature from a descendant of David (Mary). This designates the resurrection itself as an influence in Christ’s saving activity. Lord is a translation of Adonai, the name usually used by the Jews for Yahweh, a holy name that they did not dare to pronounce. There is no doubt in Paul’s mind, nor among any of the early Christian writers, that the Christ who lived, died and rose from the dead in Palestine was God the Son.
**
5 Through him we have received the grace of apostleship:** Paul’s charismatic role as the apostle to the Gentiles came to him through the Risen Christ (Acts 22:10).
**
to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles: **The first (here) and last (Romans 16:26) mentions of faith in the Letter to the Romans are “obedience of faith” (which probably means “the obedience that is faith” or “the obedience that springs from faith”); this sets the context within which his use of the word “faith” is to be understood. Paul conceives of faith as a process that begins with hearing and ends with a personal commitment and obedient submission. It was not enough, theoretically, to profess belief in Christ. His Gospel had to be lived. (Rom 1:17; Heb 11:6) (CCC 143; 1814)

6 among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; 7 **to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy: **Literally, “called to be saints.” The Old Testament expression “holy gathering” was used of the Israelites at the Exodus (Exodus 12:16; Leviticus 23:2-4); it designated them as a people set apart and dedicated to Yahweh. Paul adapts the Old Testament expression and insinuates a new sense in which they are now “holy called ones (saints),” sanctified by baptism (Romans 6:22; 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Ephesians 5:26-27). Christians are called to be saints in that they are called to make their lives conform to the gift they have already received (1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:7).

“See how often Paul uses the word called! … And he does so not out of long-windedness but out of a desire to remind them of the benefit which calling brings. For since it was likely that among those who believed there would be some consuls and rulers as well as poor and common men, Paul casts aside inequality of rank and writes to them all under one common heading. But if in the most important and spiritual things everything is laid out as common to both slaves and free men, e.g., the love of God, the calling, the gospel, the adoption, the grace, the peace, the sanctification, etc., how could it be other than the utmost folly to divide those whom God had joined together and made to be of equal honor in the higher things, for the sake of things on earth. For this reason, I presume, from the very start this blessed apostle casts out this mischievous disease and then leads them to the mother of blessings—humility.” [Saint John Chrysostom (ca. A.D. 391), *Homilies on the Epistle to the Romans 1,7

]

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: A uniquely Christian greeting. Again, he equates Jesus with God the Father.

 

[Fidelis]

Catechism Paragraphs Referencing Romans 1:1-7:

**143 **By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God.2 With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer. Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of revelation, “the obedience of faith”.3

2. Cf. DV 5.

3. Cf. Rom 1:5; 16:26.

437 To the shepherds, the angel announced the birth of Jesus as the Messiah promised to Israel: "To you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."32 From the beginning he was “the one whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world”, conceived as “holy” in Mary’s virginal womb.33 God called Joseph to “take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit”, so that Jesus, “who is called Christ”, should be born of Joseph’s spouse into the messianic lineage of David.34

32. Lk 2:11.

33. Jn 10:36; cf. Lk 1:35.

34. Mt 1:20; cf. 1:16; Rom 1:1; 2 Tim 2:8; Rev 22:16.

445 After his Resurrection, Jesus’ divine sonship becomes manifest in the power of his glorified humanity. He was “designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his Resurrection from the dead”.57 The apostles can confess: "We have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."58

57. Rom 1:3; cf. Acts 13:33.

58. Jn 1:14.

"Let it be done to me according to your word. . ."

494 At the announcement that she would give birth to “the Son of the Most High” without knowing man, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary responded with the obedience of faith, certain that “with God nothing will be impossible”: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word."139 Thus, giving her consent to God’s word, Mary becomes the mother of Jesus. Espousing the divine will for salvation wholeheartedly, without a single sin to restrain her, she gave herself entirely to the person and to the work of her Son; she did so in order to serve the mystery of redemption with him and dependent on him, by God’s grace:140

As St. Irenaeus says, "Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race."141 Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert. . .: "The knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by Mary’s obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith."142 Comparing her with Eve, they call Mary “the Mother of the living” and frequently claim: "Death through Eve, life through Mary."143

139. Lk 1:28-38; cf. Rom 1:5.

140. Cf. LG 56.

141. St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 3, 22, 4: PG 7/1, 959A.

142. St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 3, 22, 4: PG 7/1, 959A.

143. LG 56; Epiphanius, Haer. 78, 18: PG 42, 728CD-729AB; St. Jerome, Ep. 22, 21: PL 22, 408.

**Mary’s virginity

496** From the first formulations of her faith, the Church has confessed that Jesus was conceived solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, affirming also the corporeal aspect of this event: Jesus was conceived “by the Holy Spirit without human seed”.146 The Fathers see in the virginal conception the sign that it truly was the Son of God who came in a humanity like our own. Thus St. Ignatius of Antioch at the beginning of the second century says:

    *You are firmly convinced about our Lord, who is truly of the race of David according to the flesh, Son of God according to the will and power of God, truly born of a virgin,. . . he was truly nailed to a tree for us in his flesh under Pontius Pilate. . . he truly suffered, as he is also truly risen*.147

146. Council of the Lateran (649): DS 503; cf. DS 10-64.

147. St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Smyrn 1-2: Apostolic Fathers, ed. J. B. Lightfoot (London: Macmillan, 1889), II/2, 289-293; SCh 10, 154-156; cf. Rom 1:3; Jn 1:13.

Concluded on the next post…

 

[Fidelis]

**THE RESURRECTION - A WORK OF THE HOLY TRINITY

648 **Christ’s Resurrection is an object of faith in that it is a transcendent intervention of God himself in creation and history. In it the three divine persons act together as one, and manifest their own proper characteristics. The Father’s power “raised up” Christ his Son and by doing so perfectly introduced his Son’s humanity, including his body, into the Trinity. Jesus is conclusively revealed as “Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his Resurrection from the dead”.515 St. Paul insists on the manifestation of God’s power516 through the working of the Spirit who gave life to Jesus’ dead humanity and called it to the glorious state of Lordship.

515. Rom 1:3-4; cf. Acts 2:24.

516. Cf. Rom 6:4; 2 Cor 13:4; Phil 3:10; Eph 1:19-22; Heb 7:16.

695* Anointing. *The symbolism of anointing with oil also signifies the Holy Spirit,30 to the point of becoming a synonym for the Holy Spirit. In Christian initiation, anointing is the sacramental sign of Confirmation, called “chrismation” in the Churches of the East. Its full force can be grasped only in relation to the primary anointing accomplished by the Holy Spirit, that of Jesus. Christ (in Hebrew “messiah”) means the one “anointed” by God’s Spirit. There were several anointed ones of the Lord in the Old Covenant, pre-eminently King David.31 But Jesus is God’s Anointed in a unique way: the humanity the Son assumed was entirely anointed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit established him as "Christ."32 The Virgin Mary conceived Christ by the Holy Spirit who, through the angel, proclaimed him the Christ at his birth, and prompted Simeon to come to the temple to see the Christ of the Lord.33 The Spirit filled Christ and the power of the Spirit went out from him in his acts of healing and of saving.34 Finally, it was the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead.35 Now, fully established as “Christ” in his humanity victorious over death, Jesus pours out the Holy Spirit abundantly until “the saints” constitute - in their union with the humanity of the Son of God - that perfect man “to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”:36 “the whole Christ,” in St. Augustine’s expression.

30. Cf. 1 Jn 2:20:27; 2 Cor 1:21.

31. Cf. Ex 30:22-32; 1 Sam 16:13.

32. Cf. Lk 4:18-19; Isa 61:1.

33. Cf. Lk 2:11,26-27.

34. Cf. Lk 4:1; 6:19; 8:46.

35. Cf. Rom 1:4; 8:11.

36. Eph 4:13; cf. Acts 2:36.

**
876 **Intrinsically linked to the sacramental nature of ecclesial ministry is its character as service. Entirely dependent on Christ who gives mission and authority, ministers are truly "slaves of Christ,"392 in the image of him who freely took “the form of a slave” for us.393 Because the word and grace of which they are ministers are not their own, but are given to them by Christ for the sake of others, they must freely become the slaves of all.394

392. Cf. Rom 1:1.

393. Phil 2:7.

394. Cf. 1 Cor 9:19.

**Faith

2087 **Our moral life has its source in faith in God who reveals his love to us. St. Paul speaks of the "obedience of faith"9 as our first obligation. He shows that “ignorance of God” is the principle and explanation of all moral deviations.10 Our duty toward God is to believe in him and to bear witness to him.

9. Rom 1:5; 16:26.

10. Cf. Rom 1:18-32.

 

[Fidelis]

Some questions on the 2nd Reading for personal study, reflection and application:

1. 1:2-4, where does St. Paul say the Gospel message originated? What two things does he affirm about Jesus? How do these all relate to the mystery of his coming into the world that we will celebrate next week at Christmas?

1. 1:5. What is the significance of the expression “the obedience of faith” in Romans? What kind of act is that obedience, and what is its role in our relationship with Christ?

1. 1:7. What does this verse say about your vocation in life? How are you fulfilling that vocation in your present state? What prospects for growth in that vocation are there in your immediate future?

 

[Fidelis]

A reflection on the 1st Reading for practical application from Catholic Matters:

APPLICATION: Paul opens his letter to the Jewish and Gentile converts of Rome, the first generation of Christians in the capital city of the empire, by stating that he is an Apostle chosen by Christ to spread the good news of the Incarnation. He calls this news the “Gospel of God,” for it is an account of that almost incredible act of God’s love for us. God sent his divine Son, as man, among us in this world, in order that we might be with the three divine Persons for all eternity in the next world.

God does not need us : the Blessed Trinity is all-perfect and all-glorious in itself He did not have to create the universe or its inhabitants: they add nothing to his internal perfection. But, as the nature of a burning coal is to spread its heat, so the nature of the God, who is love, is to distribute his love among others outside of him. Hence creation.

Having created the universe, God brought one species of its inhabitants, human beings, to the height of created perfection. He gave man the spiritual faculties of intelligence and free-will, faculties which he himself possesses in an infinite degree. Even though these powers are limited in man, because of his limited, created nature, yet because of them, man is somewhat “like unto God.”

This was not the limit of God’s goodness. As a result of the spiritual gifts he has received, man is capable of knowing and loving God. The benevolent God decided to give him the possibility of doing this, not only for his short spell on earth, but for all eternity. Hence the Incarnation. That God could have found other ways of doing this we can hardly doubt, but the way he did it cannot be surpassed as a demonstration of his infinite love for us.

The Son of God became man. The Creator became as one of his creatures. The master took on the form of his slave. Only supreme love and benevolence could invent such a humiliation for himself. Add to this, the sufferings, the insults, the hatreds, which culminated in the humiliating and most painful of deaths on the cross, which the sins and the ingratitude of those he had come to raise up brought on him during his earthly life among us, and we have some idea of the debt we owe the God of love.

We can never repay it, but God will accept the little gratitude we can render him. From the bottom of our hearts, let us all thank our Father in heaven, this Christmas, for sending us his Son, so that we could have God himself as our Father. And let our heartfelt thanks to God overflow into acts of love for our neighbor, for it’s only thus that we can really prove to God that we love him. This is “the obedience of faith,” the putting of the “Gospel of God” into practice, which St. Paul demands.