Breaking the Word

29^th Week in Ord. Time, Wednesday– 25^th October 2023 – Romans 6,12-18; Lk 12,39-48

Freedom of Service

In the first reading, Paul describes two contrasting individuals, one who is the slave of sin and the other who is a servant of God. He describes that the person who is a slave to the law is a slave to sin. Only with the coming of Jesus and his obedience to the Father, that we have been set free from the bondage to the law, to sin, and to worldly ways. Yet that does not mean we are free to do whatever we want. Instead, we are to surrender ourselves totally to God, as people who have been brought to life from the death of sin. To have committed oneself to Christ totally must result in an inner transformation which steers us in the direction of goodness and love. To be in Christ is to be free, not freedom to sin but freedom not to sin. Sin, as a choice of evil, can never be an expression of true freedom; it is an abuse of freedom. True freedom is the ability to become faithful servants of the Lord Jesus. Service should be the hallmark of our lives. We serve the Lord Jesus by being of service to others.

29^th Week in Ord. Time, Tuesday – 24^th October 2023 — Rom 5,12.15.17-21; Lk 12,35-38

In the Shadow of Infinite Grace

In the first reading, Paul shows the difference between the disobedience of Adam and the obedience of Jesus. In highlighting the role of Jesus in our salvation from sin, Paul contrasts Adam and Jesus. Adam through disobedience brought sin and death into the world for all humans; Christ through obedience brought righteousness and life, thus granting salvation to all. The human disobedience is overshadowed by the divine human obedience of the Son of God. Thus, Adam stands for man’s condemnation and Christ for the ‘justification’ of the believer. No matter how great the sin, God’s grace is infinitely greater in nullifying the effects of Adam’s sin. Grace is God’s saving love, a free gift given to all in abundance. Jesus does not just ‘cover over’ our sins. He makes it possible for our hearts to be flooded with his Spirit effecting a real inner change and the possibility of replacing sin with goodness. But it is always Jesus’ work and never ours alone.