Our Venerable Father Thomas of Maleum; and Acacius mentioned in The Ladder of Divine Ascent of Saint John Climacus
Romans 15:17-29; Matthew 12:46-13:3
Read Romans 15:17-29
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
We are nearing the end of Paul’s letter to the Romans. He has preached the Good News of Jesus Christ to the north-eastern quadrant of the Mediterranean world, establishing Christian communities from Jerusalem to Illyr’icum. While there were plenty of signs and wonders—miracles—that accompanied his ministry, Paul does not about to boast or brag about these things. Rather, he understands that the Lord has used him to be a minster of the Gospel. All conversion and obedience that has happened in these new communities is because of the Lord’s actions. And Paul desires to continue this work of evangelisation, of bringing an encounter with the living God, Jesus Christ, to other parts of the Mediterranean world.
Paul’s goal is this – any Christian community that the Lord has him establish among the Gentiles becomes itself an evangelising community. Essentially, it is a group of Christian disciples going out and making disciples. Paul is clear that any Christian community must be about not only the worship of the Lord but also about being intentional disciples, disciples with a clear plan to go out to the world, and to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ, and to let the Lord bring about his magnificent works through us.
These are things to consider personally and within our parish communities given our present western-world society and its ripeness for harvest.