THE LETTER 

TO THE ROMANS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my thoughts for this 28^th Monday in Ordinary Time is, “The Letter to the Romans.”

Starting today we’ll be hearing The Letter to the Romans as our first reading in weekday Masses for almost a month  I thought that a few comments might be helpful. At least that’s the way I think and operate.  I need the big picture before I start looking at the small picture.

DATE

Scholars like John L. McKenzie and Joseph Fitzmyer say, “Paul probably wrote Romans in Corinth or in Cenchreae sometime in the winter of AD 57-58….” I’ve also seen the year 61.  Either date gives us an idea when it was written. Note: it’s still ahead of the date of the gospels as we have them.

AUDIENCE

Some scholars say it was written to a Gentile Christian community in Rome while others say it was written to a Jewish Christian community in Rome.

Scholars point out that Paul had not visited Rome yet - but he would know some of its members  - or know of them. There is no New Testament evidence who started the Christian Community in Rome.

Paul was planning on visiting them - on his way to Spain. That was his dream.

In the meanwhile Paul goes back to Jerusalem with money he received as a collection for the church there.  Some think he wanted to use as a stress to the Jewish Christian community there - that the Gentiles are in solidarity with us. In the meanwhile he is arrested in Jerusalem and that is what will  bring him to Rome. When he gets to Rome he is under house arrest there for 2 years and then he is martyred around 67-68.

CONTENTS

It does not contain all of the Christian teachings - for example there is nothing about the Eucharist.

Yet what it gives is powerful thoughts and significant theology. If you do any research on Romans, you’ll read comments like it having the most impact of any New Testament document on Christian theology down through the centuries.

For starters it has influence on other New Testament documents. It certainly shows up many times in the writings of the Early Church - for example St. Augustine. We’ll also see how it impacted Thomas Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Karl Barth and so many others.

His theology of faith and works, salvation, justification, redemption, grace, sin, righteousness, are big time issues at the time of the Reformation - as well as today.

Christ is our power - and we are powerless - but how powerless are we? I’m sure it depends upon what the struggle is. So Paul deals with these issues in this his most important letter: The Letter to the Romans.

CONCLUSION

So that’s a quick thumb nail commentary on this Letter to the Romans that we who go to daily Mass will be hearing in the next month. Listen carefully. Amen.

O O O O O O O O O O

Picture on top: Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, Rome, Italy, consecrated in the 4th Century