I Kgs.

3: 5-12
Cycle A Rom. 8: 28-30 30 July 2017
Mt. 13: 44-52
INTRODUCTION:
Let us focus our reflection
for today on our 2nd
reading Rom. 8:28.
"We know that all things
work for good for those
who love him, who are
called according to his
purpose."
1
About This Letter:

Romans is Paul's greatest letter, one of the

most spiritually powerful books in the entire
Bible and one of the first great texts of
Theology in the Christian tradition.
1
No Christian should be
unaware of what Paul
wrote in this Letter in
mid first century.
1
Paul did not found the
Church in Rome.
Christians have
established themselves in
the Imperial City pretty
early and Paul was very
interested to visit that
City which he did and
where he in fact died in
64 AD.
1
CORINTH

Paul wrote this Letter in Corinth in the late

50's; it was delivered to a house church there.
1
In those early days, people
would gather for the Eucharist
in someone's home where Paul's
Letter would be read aloud.

represents the richest expression of

the Apostle's thought.
1

He dictated the letter to a secretary and that

accounts for its rumbling quality.
Nevertheless, Romans is written in articulate
argumentation style the reasoning of which
deserves to be followed.
2
The Content of the Letter:
At the opening, he tells
who he is "a slave of
Christ Jesus" (1:1) to
whom be belongs and
why he writes to "preach
the Gospel," (1:15) the
great victory that has
been won.
2 At the end of Rom. 1 and
throughout Rom. 2, he lays out
the problem SIN
which we can't solve on our own.
2

We need a savior to
get us out of the mess.
Jews and Greeks alike
know they are lost.
2
In Rom. 3-6, Paul lays out the
great solution, not a depressing
message. Don't rely on your
own power.
2
Jesus Christ has been
given to us.
The more we put our
trust and confidence on
Him, the more we will be
saved.
2
God in his own mercy
sent his only Son who
paid the price for sin
and has allowed us to
enter into Communion
with him and thus is
"justified by faith."
(5:1)
2
Does this mean that everything is fine?
Not quite!

Look at Rom. 7, there remains still,

even among believers, a struggle
against sin and every dysfunction.
"I do not do what I want, but I do
what I hate." (7:15)
2

This is Paul before he met Christ.

The struggle is not over yet after
Christ died for us on the Cross.
"Miserable one that I am! Who will
deliver me from this mortal body?"
(7:24)
2
Trust in him more and
more in faithful
confidence and you
will find justification
in faith!
2 Where does this confidence come from?

Rom. 8:11 answers it comes from the

Resurrection of Jesus from the dead! That is
the good news that Sin and Death have
been principally conquered.
2
The victory has been won,
therefore, get into the Army!
That is the full sense of
Faith in Christ:
"Trust in him!"
3
Our Passage:

Against this backdrop we are meant to read

"We know that all things work for good for
those who love him
3
In Christ is disclosed God's great
providential plan whereby God intends
to reconcile all things to himself.
3
Is the world a messed-up place?

Yes and no one

knows that better
than Paul!
God hates Sin;
he is not satisfied
with the world!
3 Because of the
victory of Christ,
"we know that all
things work for
good for those who
love God." (8:28)
3 Those words always give me great
comfort and peace!
"If God is for us, who can be
against us? What will
separate us from the love of
Christ? neither death, nor
life, etc will be able to
separate us from the love of
God in Christ Jesus, Our
Lord." (8:31, 35, 39)
 CONCLUSION:

This is the central message of Paul's Letter

to the Romans; the central message of the
Christian Faith itself! +ART