Living for the Lord (24th Sunday in Ordinary Time)

Click here for this Sunday’s Readings

Click here for this Sunday’s Old Testament reflection (Vengeance and Forgiveness)

In the 14th chapter of Romans, St. Paul discusses a dispute between different factions of Christians who disagreed on two vital issues: Whether Christians should continue to observe Old Testament feasts, and whether they should avoid food that has been used in pagan worship. He states that as Christians, we are not bound by the old feasts, and therefore are at liberty to choose whether to observe them or not. As for food sacrificed to idols, he teaches that although these foods cannot defile the body, it is prudent to avoid eating them if doing so causes others to be scandalized, a teaching which he elaborates on in greater detail in 1 Corinthians 8-10.

Underlying these instructions is the principle that we read about in today’s reading: That none of us lives for ourselves. As Christians, we belong to Christ, and therefore we belong to Him. Therefore, every decision we make must be for His glory and His Kingdom. This is in line with his earlier teaching in Romans that all things are Christ’s, and thus we must present ourselves as a living sacrifice to Him (Romans 11:33-12:2).

This includes all our decisions regarding food and festivals. This also means that the good of our fellow Christian is more important than our own comfort and convenience, which is why we must avoid acting in ways that will cause them to stumble. As Paul puts it elsewhere: “Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

In the end, the Lord will be the one who judges all our actions, as Paul states in verse 10: “Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.” We should refrain from passing judgment on others, and leave that to God. We should also live in such a way that, when Judgment Day comes, we will not be condemned.

J. Luis Dizon