The Holy Priest-Martyr Dorotheus, Bishop of Tyre (361-63); the Holy Priest-Martyr Cosmas, Presbyter of Armenia (1707)
Romans 2:14-29; Matthew 5:33-41
No fasting or abstention from foods
Read Romans 2:14-29
Paul outright condemns keeping rules without the spirit in this reading. For him, this is summarised in the act of circumcision. This ritual activity distinguished Jews from gentiles. Given the medical technology, such an act was invasive and dangerous. When the early Church decided against the requirement of circumcision for converts, they were making an important statement. No longer was Christianity going to be a small sect of Judaism, reserved for the brave few who would want to dare adult circumcision. The Gospel is for all people. This is why Paul baldly states at the beginning of Romans: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel. It is the power of God for those who believe.” Paul desperately wanted to put the power of God into peoples’ lives. Circumcision would restrict the audience too much. Furthermore, as he tells us in the reading, actions without intention are vain. Righteousness is required, not just ritual observance. Without the inner disposition of righteousness, our circumcision is uncircumcision. Translate this into our well-developed Christian economy of the sacraments. Let’s not let sacraments become an empty ritual. Baptism wasn’t an occasion for our parents to throw a party. It’s the entrance into a new life with Christ. From these waters, we must continue to draw, lest the good sense our parents had to baptise us, or our own choice as converts, be in vain.