9th Sunday after Pentecost, August 10, 2014

The Epistle: Romans 10:5-15

Moses writes concerning the righteousness that comes from the law, that “the person who does these things will live by them.” But the righteousness that comes from faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say?

The word is near you,
on your lips and in your heart

(that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. The scripture says, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him. For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Reflections:  The proclamation, “There is no distinction between Jew and Greek . . .” in its time was a real shocker. Until then, the One God was understood as the God of the Jewish people. St. Paul’s to turn towards the Gentiles marked a conversion to new understanding of the scope of God’s love.

That aside, I want to focus here on why I rejected Christianity as a teenager. In high school, some of my well-meaning Christian friends tried to “save” me; they wanted me to accept Jesus, to accept a version of the gospel they believed. I, however, could not believe something just because someone else did. Much as I yearned for God, I was born a doubter (Doubting Thomas is surely my patron saint). The God they believed in violated my deep sense of the sacred. “If that’s the Christian God,” I thought, “Christianity must not be valid.” How much damage we can do in trying to do good. Fortunately, my friends’ take on God was not the last word.