October 17, 2013

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop and Martyr



Lectionary: 470
Reading 1 ROM 3:21-30

Brothers and sisters:
Now the righteousness of God

The righteousness of God is the washing of sins from our souls by faith in Jesus Christ.

has been manifested apart from the law,

This justification or forgiveness of sins comes about in the Sacraments of faith which Jesus Christ established in the New Testament.

though testified to by the law and the prophets,

One of these is King David saying:

Psalm 32  :1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.  2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ
for all who believe.

And this righteousness is given us by God when we are born again in Christ because we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and call upon His name with faith.

For there is no distinction;

There is no difference between men, whether they be black or white, Jew or Gentile, man or woman.  We are all judged by God's standard of love.

all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.

That "all have sinned" is either a comment on Original Sin to which are all subject.  Or it is a general statement about the the sinfulness of man.  

They are justified freely by his grace

"Justified freely by his grace" is a redundant statement which means that the forgiveness of sins is a gift of God to those who believe in Jesus Christ.  It is received in Baptism.

It is redundant because grace is free.  Therefore, justification is a grace. 

through the redemption in Christ Jesus,

Redemption means to "buy back".  Jesus Christ paid for and made satisfaction for our sins when He sacrificed Himself upon the Cross.  We are purchased at a very dear price:

1 Corinthians 6:20  For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

This is an ambiguous statement because we are the Body of Christ.  When Christ bought us back, we became members of His Body, the Church.  Therefore, the redemption in Christ Jesus could be a euphemism for the Church, the Body of Christ.

whom God set forth as an expiation,

To expiate is to "do penance for sin".  Jesus Christ made "satisfaction" for our sins by sacrificing Himself and thus doing penance in our place.  And we are called to make satisfaction for our sins in imitation of Christ.

Peter 2:21For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:

 through faith,

It means through the "faith" or "trust" of Jesus Christ in the Father.  Remember that He prayed that the cup might be removed from Him (Matthew 26:39).   

It also means "through the faith or religion" which Jesus Christ established.  Specifically, through the Sacraments of faith where we receive the grace of God by faith apart from any deeds of righteousness. 

It also means that we must believe in Christ and His sacrifice for us.  We must believe that this is effective and we are forgiven and become His brothers.

by his Blood,

This can mean two things, which are actually one:

1.   By His death. 

2.  By the Sacrament of the Eucharist. 

to prove his righteousness

Christ proved His righteousness by his obedience unto death.  He obeyed the Father (John 3:16) and the Priests of God most High (;John 11:49-51) when He sacrificed Himself for our sins.

because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed,

"Sins previously committed" are the sins which one has committed before one turns to God and asks for justification in Baptism.

through the forbearance of God–

God is merciful to those who obey His Son and keep His commandments.

to prove his righteousness in the present time,

Those of us who turn to Christ in this time, that is, in the New Testament times, must live for Him and thus do the works of God.

that he might be righteous

And thus prove that He is trustworthy, that we might believe in Him.

and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

And those who believe in Him will be forgiven of their sins.

What occasion is there then for boasting? It is ruled out.

Think about it.  When our sins are washed away in Baptism, can we say that we did it?  Of course not!  When our sins are forgiven in Confession, can we brag that we did it?  No way!  The Sacraments are works of God.  

On what principle, that of works?

No!  Because the Sacraments are God's works.  It is the Holy Spirit who washes us of sins in the Sacraments.  It is Jesus Christ who unites us to the Father.  

No, rather on the principle of faith.

He is not saying that we can boast of our great faith.  He is saying that we can boast on the great faith or religion of Jesus Christ.  We can boast about the work of Christ, the Church which He established to provide us the foundations of grace which we call the Sacraments.

For we consider that a person is justified by faith
apart from works of the law.

Because in the New Testament, we are united to God in the Sacraments of God and do not any longer sacrifice animals for the forgiveness of sins as they did in the Old Testament:

Hebrews 9:12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.  13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:  14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Does God belong to Jews alone?

The reason that he mentions the Jews here, is because the New Testament includes the Gentiles, not the Jews alone.

Does he not belong to Gentiles, too?
Yes, also to Gentiles, for God is one

And therefore, all men are made in the image of God.  

and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith
and the uncircumcised through faith.

These two ideas sound as though they mean the same thing, but they don't.

1. "justify the circumcised on the basis of faith" means that the Jews of the Old Testament will be justified because of their faith in God.

But:

2.  "…justify…the uncircumcised through faith" means that in the New Testament we are justified freely by the "religion" or "faith" of Jesus Christ.

I guess you're saying, "Wow!  You've been thinking about this a lot!"  Yes, I have.  Justification is probably my favorite theological subject. Go here to read the unbroken text.

Responsorial Psalm PS 130:1B-2, 3-4, 5-6AB

R. (7) With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.

R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
Lord, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.

R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the LORD
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.
R. With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.

God forgives the sins of those who turn to Him and repent.  

Gospel LK 11:47-54

The Lord said:
“Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets
whom your fathers killed.
Consequently, you bear witness and give consent
to the deeds of your ancestors,
for they killed them and you do the building.
Therefore, the wisdom of God said,
‘I will send to them prophets and Apostles;
some of them they will kill and persecute’
in order that this generation might be charged
with the blood of all the prophets
shed since the foundation of the world,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah
who died between the altar and the temple building.
Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!

The Jews killed all the Prophets.  Including Jesus Christ, the King of all the Prophets.  

Woe to you, scholars of the law!
You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.”

This is a reference to the fact that many used twisted the Word of God to their own selfish purposes and in so doing gave bad example before the people of God.

When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees
began to act with hostility toward him
and to interrogate him about many things,
for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.

And then the Jews began to plot to kill Our Lord.