Category Archives: Scripture

Living for Christ

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“None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For this is why Christ died and came to life, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.” (Romans 14:7-9)

The context for this passage is found in Romans 14:1-12 in which Paul is criticizing and correcting the Roman Christians for their judgmental attitudes towards other Christians, those perhaps less mature in their faith. Romans 14:7-9 are the heart of Paul’s rebuke of the Roman Christians for their judgmental attitudes.

Previously Paul compared the Christian to the slave who is dedicated to his or her own master:  “Who are you to pass judgment on someone else’s servant? Before his own master he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” (Rom 14:4)  He is making a direct comparison to the strong and weak Christians previously mentioned and then goes on to point out that all Christians have the same “Master” or better said, “Lord.” Paul asserts that Christ’s death and resurrection have established him as Lord over all the faithful who must recognize that all that they are and do are for the benefit of that Lord and the Lord alone. These things are not for the benefit of any other Christian – not even those who take it upon themselves to judge us or any of our actions. Not even for our own benefit: “None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself. For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord” 

Every aspect of our lives – thoughts, actions, ambitions, decisions, all of it – are to be carried out with a view to what pleases and glorifies the Lord. Every aspect of our death is wholly in the hands of the Lord who sets the time for death in accordance with his own interests and purposes.  In both life and death he or she also belongs to the Lord. The union with the Lord Christ, with all its benefits, that the believer enjoys in this life will continue after death with, indeed, an even fuller measure of blessing as Paul notes later: “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.” (Romans 8:18)

Paul connects all these thoughts to the very reason that Christ died and “came to life,” namely, to “become lord” of both the dead and the living – a point he made in the other writing, e.g.: “He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”  (2 Cor 5:15)

But somewhat differently, Paul does not use the familiar “Christ died and was raised” as he more frequently does. Here Paul writes: “Christ died and came to life.” Just a bit of literary change? Perhaps, but given that Romans is written at the end of Paul’s life, he is possibly trying to emphasize the link between Christ’s redemptive acts of death and resurrection and the two most basic parts of Christian experience: life and death. The same purpose explains the unusual word order “the dead and the living” at the end of the verse: Paul simply maintains the order that he used in depicting Christ’s work on behalf of Christians.

Paul reminds us that “whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” These words are not only about great moments of sacrifice or dramatic acts of holiness. They are about the ordinary rhythm of everyday life. To live for the Lord means that even the small and unnoticed parts of the day can become acts of love and faithfulness.

Most days are made up of simple things: getting up in the morning, going to work, preparing meals, answering emails, caring for family, speaking with neighbors, driving in traffic, or carrying burdens that no one else sees. Paul reminds us that none of these moments are spiritually empty. Christ is present in them all. Living for the Lord means asking, quietly and consistently: “How can I belong to Christ in this moment?”

It may mean beginning the day with gratitude instead of complaint. It may mean doing our work honestly and patiently even when no one notices. It may mean speaking kindly when we are tired, listening carefully to another person, forgiving quickly, or resisting the temptation to live only for ourselves. Often holiness is hidden inside ordinary faithfulness.

Romans 14 also reminds us that our lives are not self-contained. “None of us lives for oneself.” The way we live affects others. A peaceful spirit, a generous word, or a patient response can become a witness to Christ without preaching a sermon. Living for the Lord is less about extraordinary accomplishments and more about allowing Christ to shape the ordinary moments of the day.

At the end of the day, we can ask not whether the day was impressive, but whether we tried to belong to the Lord in it. Even imperfect efforts, offered with sincerity, become part of a life lived in Christ.

The Ascension History and Celebration

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The observance of this solemnity is of great antiquity. Eusebius seems to hint at the already established celebration of it in the 4th century. At the beginning of the 5th century, Augustine of Hippo says that it is of Apostolic origin, and he speaks of it in a way that indicates it was the universal observance of the Catholic Church long before his time. In any case, representations of the Ascension are found in diptychs and frescoes dating to the 5th century. Hymns for this feast are found in the Georgian Chantbook of Jerusalem which also dates to the 5th century.

The celebrations of the solemnity have historically been on a Thursday, 40 days after the Resurrection – although there are ancient documents that indicate in some places it was celebrated in conjunction with Easter or with Pentecost.

This coming Sunday is either the 7th Sunday of Easter with the Ascension of the Lord having been celebrated on Thursday – or the Ascension has been transferred to Sunday, replacing the 7th Sunday of Easter. The older “Thursday” celebration is celebrated in the archdioceses and dioceses within the Ecclesiastical Provinces of Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Omaha, and Philadelphia. The other diocese transferred the celebration to Sunday in 1998 and 1999.

Why the change? This is a subject of great debate. Some say that, in recent history, attendance at Ascension Thursday Masses had been steadily declining. Others note that it is more the difference between metropolitan areas with large population centers (in the Northeast US) and the far less densely populated areas of the nation in the Middle Atlantic, South, Midwest, mountain states, and west coast where people live greater distances from their parishes. In any case the Code of Canon Law (p.1246 §2) permits bishops to transfer a holy day of obligation to a Sunday.

What is an ecclesiastical province? In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of several dioceses, one of them being the archdiocese, headed by a metropolitan bishop or archbishop who has ecclesiastical jurisdiction over all other bishops of the province. For example, Philadelphia includes Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Allentown, Erie, Altoona, Pittsburg, Scranton, and Greenburg. What one should notice, except for Omaha, all are northeastern areas of the United States. The majority of United States dioceses celebrate on Sunday, as does the Diocese of Arlington – and so the readings for this coming Sunday can be found here.

Image credit: Jesus’ ascension to Heaven depicted by John Singleton Copley in Ascension (1775) Public Domain

On that day

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This coming Sunday is the 6th Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle A. “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father and you are in me and I in you.” (14:20) The expression “on that day” is a standard Johannine expression pointing to the “hour” when Jesus is glorified in the events surrounding the passion, death and resurrection [Brown, 640]. Jesus promises that the events of Easter will be the catalyst for them to realize two things. First, they would understand what they had not previously been able to comprehend (7–11), that Jesus and the Father are one and to see Jesus is to see the Father. Second, they would understand something new: with the coming of the Spirit they would be ‘in’ Jesus, and Jesus ‘in’ them. Continue reading →

Orphans

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This coming Sunday is the 6th Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle A. “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” The second promise of continuing presence is Jesus’ promise of his own return (vv. 18-20). “Orphan” (orphanos) was a common metaphor to describe disciples left without their master but the use of the metaphor here has a special poignancy in the light of the familial and domestic imagery that runs throughout Jesus’ words to his own (e.g., 13:33; 14:2-3, 10-14; 15:9-11; 16:21-24, 27). Jesus’ promise that he will not leave the disciples orphaned recalls his use of the address “little children” in 13:33 and is an assurance that the intimacy of that familial relationship is not undercut by Jesus’ departure. His promise to return thus immediately counters any possible perception of Jesus’ death as his abandonment of his own. Continue reading →

The Advocate

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This coming Sunday is the 6th Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle A. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always, 17 the Spirit of truth” This is the first occurrence of the noun parakletos in the Fourth Gospel. This word occurs five times in the NT. It is used in 1 John 2:1 to refer to Jesus; and four times in John’s Farewell Discourse (14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7). Continue reading →

Hold Dear

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This coming Sunday is the 6th Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle A.  In yesterday’ post we concluded that the Johannine meaning of “commandment” is far broader than the Mosaic laws, rather encompasses the whole of Jesus’ life:  words, deeds and the ultimate measure – love. Now that we have an idea about what we mean by “commandments,” what does it mean to “keep” (tereo) them? Continue reading →

What is lacking

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In St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he makes a statement that should give one pause: “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church” (Col 1:24) The phrase “what is lacking” is hysterēmata which is not a complex word. It means “deficiency.”  Paul uses the word seven other times and it has the same basic meaning.

In Col 1:24 the phrase and use of hysterēmata is jarring and the plain sense of the verse is that something is deficient in Christ’s saving work. The early Church Fathers were very alert to that danger, and they are remarkably consistent on one central point: nothing is lacking in the saving power of Christ’s Passion. All then go on to say what is “lacking” concerns our participation, not His redemption. From that shared conviction, they developed several complementary ways of understanding the verse.

John Chrysostom and Augustine of Hippo stress a distinction noting Christ’s Passion is perfect, sufficient, and once-for-all yet Christ continues to suffer in His Body, the Church which is a key theme of Colossians. Chrysostom held that Paul is not adding to Christ’s redemptive suffering, but sharing in the sufferings that still belong to Christ’s Body. St Augustine was more specific: “Christ suffers what remains, not in His Head, but in His members.”

The Early Church Fathers consistently read this passage through the doctrine of the Mystical Body in which Christ is the Head and the Church is His Body. The idea is that what happens to the Body is truly connected to the Head. Augustine writes: “Paul can speak this way because he is in Christ. The sufferings of believers are, in a real sense, Christ’s own sufferings extended in time.” The key idea is that Christ chose not to suffer “alone,” but to include His members in His redemptive life. This is not because He needed help, but because He willed a communion of participation.

Another line of understanding found in Fathers like Cyril of Alexandria focuses on the subjective dimension.  The understanding is that redemption is objectively complete in Christ but it must be applied, lived, and embodied in each believer. In other words, what is “lacking” is not Christ’s work, but our full conformity to it.  In Paul’s case, his sufferings help build up the Church and bring others to accept the redemption that thus be saved.

Across the Fathers, there is a kind of theological instinct in that they resist any interpretation that suggests insufficiency in Christ, and instead reframe the verse as revealing something astonishing: Christ allows His members to share in His saving work. This is not out of necessity; it is grace.

A simple single sentence might be: Nothing is lacking in Christ’s sacrifice; something is lacking in our participation in it.

Image credit: Jesus Christ Pantocrator | detail from the deesis mosaic in Hagia Sophia, Istanbul | PD-US

Love and Keeping Commandments

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This coming Sunday is the 6th Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle A.  Jesus’ discourse (at this point) begins to move in a new direction by focusing on the ways in which belief  “into Jesus” (v.1) empowers the believing community (v.12 ff).  Jesus has emphasized that the works he does are not his own but are the Father’s; now Jesus begins to emphasize the link between his works and that of the believing community. Our gospel text describes two dimensions of the believer’s relationship with Jesus: (1) the inseparability of one’s love of Jesus and the keeping of his commandments (vv.15, 21, 23-24) and (2) the abiding and indwelling of the presence of God, even after Jesus’ death and departure with those who love him (vv.16-20, 22-23). Continue reading →

Context and Pericope

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This coming Sunday is the 6th Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle A. Following on from the gospel of the 5th Sunday, this gospel text is part of a larger section which includes the Last Supper and all that takes place after Jesus had washed the disciples feet, after Judas had left the table (“he took the morsel and left at once. And it was night” (13:30)), and after Peter’s protestations he would never betray Jesus.  The section comes before the disciples see their master led away for trial; then be condemned to death on a cross. Their faith will be sorely tested. Jesus’ teaching, beginning in 14:1, was given to strengthen for the hours, days, months and years to come. O’Day suggests a broad outline of the context for our reading: Continue reading →

Show us the Father

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This coming Sunday is the 5th Sunday of Easter in Lectionary Cycle A. In posts over the last two days we considered possible understandings of the manner in which Jesus would return to prepare his disciples followed by the explanation the disciples sought. Jesus’ statement in v.7 (If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”) is cast in the light of a deep human desire: to see and know God. Jesus tells the disciples – in knowing me, in seeing me, in my words, and in my deeds, you have seen and come to know the Father. 

But Phillip is essentially asking for a theophany (v.8) – the visible manifestation of God – which raises the question of Phillip’s understanding of who Jesus really is.  What comes next in Jesus’ reply is somewhat obscured by the translation of singular/plural second person pronouns, i.e., “you.”  While not clear in English it is quite clear in Greek.  Brian Stoffregen offers this clarifying paraphrase (vv.10-11):

“For such a long time I have been with y’all
and you have not known me, Philip?
The one having seen me has seen the father.
How are you saying, ‘Show us the father?’
Do you not believe that I am in the father and the father is in me?
The words which I am saying to y’all I am not speaking from myself,
but the father dwelling in me is doing his works.
[Y’all] Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me;
but if not, [y’all] believe through the works themselves.”

While this might indicate a lack of understanding and belief on the part of the disciples about the person and being of Jesus, it clearly shows their lack of understanding about the relationship between Jesus and God as Father. Jesus wanted the disciples to understand he was not just a prophet, not just a teacher, not just their disciple-master, not only the Messiah; he was the Word made flesh, God incarnate. To be in his presence was to be in the presence of the Father. And if you can’t do that on a personal level – then believe the works.

Greater Works than These. To know what this means we need first to understand what is meant by ‘the works’ of Jesus. This expression is used repeatedly in connection with Jesus’ ministry, and denotes (1) evangelizing the Samaritan woman (4:34); (2) healing the lame man at the Pool of Bethesda (5:20; 7:21); (3) healing the man born blind (9:3, 4); (4) Jesus’ miracles generally (7:3; 10:25, 32, 33, 37, 38; 14:11, 12; 15:24); (5) Jesus’ teaching (10); and (6) Jesus’ entire ministry generally (5:36; 17:4).

But what does it mean to do greater works that Jesus did? The word meizona does not mean greater in quantity, but is reserved as a qualitative assessment. No credible scholars hold that the disciples will later, in mission, perform works of a greater quality…however understood. Nor do they hold that the disciples/their works would more clearly reveal the Father. How are our works greater than Jesus’? Maybe it is as simple as the fact that our works come after the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension – when Jesus has gone to the Father. The disciples’ work/ our works come during the new, eschatological age ushered in by Jesus’ “hour” of glory when those later works reveal the complete story of the Word made Flesh and hence the fullness of God’s love.  By doing what Jesus does, the disciples of every age continue the glorification of God through Jesus that was the purpose of his own works (v.13; cf 5:44; 11:4; 17:4)

Image credit: Duccio di Buoninsegna (1255–1319), “Jesus taking leave of his Apostles,” ca. 1310 | Panel 4 of the Maestro, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Siena | Public Domain