Homily: Monday of the 30th Week in OT - "You will Live"

Often we are celebrating the memorial of the saint, even though it is optional, I like to use the reading for the saint of the day because the reading contains some insight, or theological truth, or virtue, that the particular saint exemplifies.  Unfortunately, that disrupts the flow of the readings in the ordinary lectionary cycle. 

So, unless you’ve been paying close attention, you may not have noticed that for the past two weeks we have been reading through St. Paul’s letter to the Romans.  The weekday readings have given highlights from Paul’s letter, in a very logical order. Today, reaching the half-way point, I’d encourage you to go back to the beginning of the letter and read up it straight through. 

St. Paul begins his letter teaching that humanity is in a desperate situation; mankind has turned away from God and is therefore deserving of God’s just judgment and punishment: “the wages of sin”

We cannot save ourselves from sin, Paul continued to explain, not even through perfect observance of the law of Moses.  Rather, explained only faith in Jesus Christ can lead to justification—only through Him is the ruptured relationship between God and man restored, and only through faith in Him can we the sinner hope for everlasting life. 

For the last few days St. Paul has explicated upon the continual purgation every Christian must undergo, even after his initial conversion to Christ.  For Christianity is meant to involve, not just one major conversion at baptism, but a continual and complete conversion of our life—of our heart, our mind, our soul.  Sin will try to continue to have its sway over us, there are parts of us, we recognize, if we are humble, that resist conversion.  So we must try and try again, learning to live according to the law of the Spirit—learning to follow the inspirations of the Spirit.

So here in second half of chapter 8, at the half-way point of his letter, Paul explains that when the Christian chooses to put the "flesh" to death by living in the Spirit he will have life.

A new way of living, a more intimate relationship with God than we previously enjoyed, is available when we take this putting sin to death in us seriously.    

That spirit of slavery is always at work.  Compulsions, addictions, vices , unforgiveness, resentment, impatience, overeating, sloth, and gossip, will continue to attempt to enslave us, but when we practice mortification, fasting, self-discipline, and deep prayer, “the deeds of the body” will be put to death. 

Pope Francis recently encouraged reading the Bible more as way of encountering God.  “Has he touched me in the depths of my longing? What should I do? Only in this way can the force of the Word of God unfold. Only in this way can it change our lives, making them great and beautiful…The Bible is not meant to be placed on a shelf, but to be in your hands, to read often – every day, both on your own and together with others.”

May the Word and Sacrament continue to strengthen us in holiness.  May the Eucharist we celebrate and receive today, continue to free us from the powers of slavery, and enable us to live more fully in accord with the Spirit of God for the glory of God and salvation of souls.