Today we begin reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans. This letter is a very rich but also a very complex letter. Ultimately it is well worth the effort of “wrestling with Paul” as Paul reflects on vocation or calling, the Gospel, justification, and true Christian freedom. In today’s reading Paul describes his own calling or vocation as well as our calling or vocation. Paul uses these words to describe his calling: “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God.” He goes on to describe the calling of the Romans and all of us: “…you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Paul is called as a servant or slave of Christ Jesus. This means that he puts Jesus’ way and God’s will before everything even his own will. Paul will later describe this as true freedom, not doing his own will but God’s will. Like the Twelve apostles Paul is also “called to be an apostle” since Jesus has appeared to him on the road to Damascus and has sent him out to preach the Gospel to all nations. Paul was such a zealous apostle or missionary that he became known as The Apostle in the early church.
As Paul preaches the Gospel to us, he reminds us of our own calling. We are “called to belong to Jesus Christ” that is to be servant or slaves of Christ Jesus. Paul tells us we are all “called to be holy.” As he will explain in the rest of this letter, we become holy by putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. God takes the initiative to recreate us and make us holy or as Paul calls us, we are justified through faith. We receive and accept this gift of grace by putting our faith and trust in Jesus. We are made holy through God’s initiative, that is God’s grace. We are then invited to live out of our new identity as God’s beloved and holy people or saints of God. We have a new identity through grace; we are God’s holy people. Paul then calls and challenges us to live out as this new identity: “to all the beloved of God…, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Let us accept God’s gift of grace, peace, love, and holiness.
Image: “Saint Paul” by Lawrence OP is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.