 |
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati Main Page || The Catholic Telegraph || Live Letters index |
Live
Letters Twenty-Fourth
Sunday in Ordinary Time |
The Catholic Telegraph
September 13, 2002In the last major section of Romans Paul is treats the question of the observance of the ritual Jewish law by Christians. It is not clear whether Paul had learned from somewhere that there was tension in the Roman church over this matter, or whether it was such a wide-spread issue that he simply presumed that the Romans could benefit from some guidance on it from him. (His decision to include something about this question may be connected with the fact that the Corinthians had big problems over the matter of Jewish observance, and Paul was in Corinth when he composed his letter to the Romans.)
In the verses that immediately precede this Sunday’s reading, Paul tells the Romans that the real issue is not whether one observes the Jewish law or not, but the reason for which one does what one does. It’s all supposed to be for the service of the Lord, and one servant of the Lord should not easily judge another servant of the Lord. "Who are you to pass judgement on someone else’s servant?" he asks in verse 4. If you observe special feast days, it should be for the Lord. If you abstain from certain foods or make it a point not to abstain from them, that should be for the Lord, too.
As our reading begins Paul moves away from the specific question of patience and toleration over the question of Jewish observance, and offers an absolutely fundamental principle about Christian life in general, a principle that applies to every aspect of our existence as believers.
"We are the Lord’s." That has to be the central reality that governs every facet of our being. We are not masters of ourselves, directors of our own destiny. Whatever we do when we are alive is for the Lord, and whatever happens to us after we die is for the Lord. By His victory over death and His ongoing risen life, Jesus has demonstrated that He has authority over every aspect of created reality. There is nothing that is not subject to Him. He is "Lord of both the dead and the living."
In the general context of this reading, Paul is offering us an important teaching for some of the tensions that are still with us in the community of faith today. The question of whether or not to observe Jewish ritual has long been settled, but we still have tensions between the scrupulous and the "enlightened," between conservatives and lierals. In chapters fourteen and fifteen, Paul tells the Romans to be careful not to make too much of these distinctions. They need to be forbearing and tolerant and patient with one another. Not everything has to be settled immediately once and for all. Differences of practice and differences of opinion have to be seen in the proper perspective.
Obviously there are non-negotiables in the Christian faith. Not everything is up for grabs. But, by that same token, not everything is essential and it is not a betrayal of the faith to be tolerant of others whose opinions on some matters are different from our own. The essential thing is that we acknowledge that we are all subject to the Lord, and that the Lord to whom we are subject is the one Savior, Christ Jesus.
The lordship of Christ Jesus is central to our individual lives, too. It is that lordship which gives worth and significance to each of us. It is our relationship with Christ Who has died and risen from the dead that gives direction to our life and meaning to our death. Without that relationship, we are in a state of separation from God and of ultimate isolation from our fellow human beings. Through faith and baptism, we are sharers in the life and history of Jesus, in His ministry, His death, His risen life. Everything worthwhile about us is relative to that. Nothing else about us is as important as that.
The lordship of Christ, then, is the central element of Christian spirituality. Our common allegiance to Him is what gives cohesion to the community of faith. It is the focal point that provides the perspective from which we can best deal with one another, from which we can best come to terms with the nature of the Church. The lordship of Christ is also the center around which our personal existence has to be structured. The fact that we are the Lord’s provides direction and consistency to the choices we are called to make each day. The fact that we are the Lord’s in both life and death means that our personal history is not limited to a few years here on earth, but has a dimension that has the same permanent significance as the risen life of Christ.
From this point in Romans, Paul goes on the say some more about the Jewish ritual question. Then he shares his missionary plans with the Romans, including his intent to visit them on his way to Spain. He brings the letter to an end with greetings to individuals and a closing prayer of praise.
Romans is long and complicated. Its subject matter, the nature of salvation, is profound and of immense theological significance. Yet one might contend that the whole letter is summed up in the phrase we hear in this Sunday’s reading: "We are the Lord’s." That’s what salvation is all about.
###
Conversation Questions.
What does it mean to me that other people are "the Lord’s"?
What does it mean to me to be "the Lord’s"?
###
Main Page
|| The Catholic Telegraph || Live Letters index
Copyright © 2002 Archdiocese of Cincinnati.