In today’s second reading we had just two verses from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Chapter 8. They concern how we pray in the Holy Spirit, or how the Holy Spirit prays in us.
Chapter 8 of Romans is all about Life in the Spirit, which is an essential aspect of Life in Christ. In Christ we have been redeemed, justified, adopted as Sons, sanctified and - at least incipiently - glorified. But as we’re painfully aware, we’re not yet in heaven.
Each Sunday, according to our current lectionary, the second reading at Mass follows its own cycle: independent of the cycle of Gospel readings. This year, from weeks 9 to 24 - that is, over 16 consecutive Sundays - we read brief extracts from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Today’s passage from Romans Chapter 8 is fraught with enormous significance and importance. Paul is here pulling together the threads of his argument so far.
Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?
What a wonderful question this un-named man of the Gospel asks! He asks with such fervour, such frankness, such daring! No wonder Jesus loved him! Surely we also feel a certain instinctive attraction towards him. He puts his question not just for himself, but on behalf of all of us; on behalf of humanity as a whole.
Jeremiah 20:10-13 Romans 5:12-15 Matthew 10:26-33
There's not much Good News in today's Gospel, if we are honest with ourselves. True, I can pick out one or two highlights, focus on them and ignore the rest. It is nice to think that every hair on my head has been counted, for example, that I am valued by God.
But then one can do the opposite and quickly discover that pieces of “Bad News” significantly outnumber the highlights here. Jesus seems to ask of his disciples things that are either extremely uncomfortable or downright terrifying. And the command “do not be afraid” rings out like a refrain throughout.
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