Repose of Blessed Olga (Olha), Princess of Kiev, named Helen at Holy Baptism (c. 970); The Holy and Praise-worthy Martyr Euphemia (303); Hoshiv Icon of the Mother of God (Attestation of Miracles by Metropolitan Athanasius Sheptytsky, 1737)
Romans 16:17-24; Matthew 13:10-23
Read Romans 16:17-24
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
Today is the last portion of the Church’s systematic reading of the Epistle to the Romans. We find that Paul has a strong appeal to the Christians in Rome just as winds down his letter. He is aware of those who are dissenters and those who have become a hindrance to what he has taught about Christ and living The Way—Christianity. What are the Christians of Rome to do? Do what they have already been doing—avoiding these people and being true to the Apostolic Teaching given to them by Paul. Indeed, he commends them on their faithfulness and obedience to Christ which has already become an example to others.
The situation for us as Christians today really has not changed. We have leaders in our community who proclaim that they are Christians (they may even be baptized) and yet their words and their actions have caused dissension among Christians and they themselves become a hindrance to living a Christian life. As Christians, we believe in the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. Why? Because we are made in the image and likeness of God. We believe that as our Lord has loved us, so we should love and hence we enact the corporal acts of mercy (feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving drink to the thirsty, visiting those who are sick and imprisoned, etc.). Yet, many of our leaders who profess Christianity support, fund, and even implement abortion, euthanasia, and assisted suicide, and step in the way of either enacting the corporal acts of mercy or from others to receive the fruit of those acts.
What are we to do? Follow Paul’s appeal to the Romans. Remain obedient to the Apostolic Teaching. Remain on course. Be wise to what is indeed good. Remain innocent to evil. It will be difficult, no doubt. As we learn in other epistles of Paul, this is a spiritual warfare. Remember this: His peace will be with us; the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ will be with us.