Obedience of Faith

A Reflection on the Second Reading for Sunday, December 18th, 2022:
​Fourth Sunday of Advent

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Romans
1.1-7 
From Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God, which God promised beforehand through his Prophets in the holy Scriptures: the Gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Through Christ we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ.

To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the second reading, we read what is considered a succinct Soteriology (doctrine of salvation) reminding the Jews and Gentiles in Rome of God’s saving plan accomplished in Jesus Christ. This saving plan of God is for Jewish and Gentile followers of Christ as “gospel” or good news.

Paul reminds the Christian community in Rome that salvation is incarnated, or given human reality, in the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. For followers of Christ, the meaning and the power of what it means to be saved through Jesus Christ is shown in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth who is proclaimed by his followers as Christ (the one who saves), Lord and Son of God. Members of the Christian community in Rome are called to manifest the grace of the salvation that they have received, living as faithful followers of Christ. We see this come to life through their obedience of faith and apostleship (i.e., missionary outreach to others). 

This is fitting for the last week of Advent, as we are so close to the feast of the birth of Christ and the beginning of the story of our salvation. This passage is a call to live out a life as true followers of Christ. 

During this reflective season of Advent, we can ponder what it means to be true apostles and have obedience to our faith.  In my own life, I witness the grace of God so easily in the charitable works of others. I hope that during this season we can share our blessings with others to remind them of our call and who we belong to – by being generous in time and resources with those who have less. 

Praying for you all. 




Theresa Langley

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