Introduction

This week I have continued to read the letter to the Romans in the New Living Translation, covering chapters 8-12.

Lectio

Even though I am using a less familiar translation of the letter, I find that I am drawn again to some particular passages in these chapters, those which offer praise to the Lord and which express St Paul’s wonder at his greatness. For example:

Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible is it for us to understand his decisions and his methods!…For everything comes from him; everything exists by his power and is intended for his glory. To him be glory for evermore. (11:33,36)

However, I have also found a new treasure:

So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in God’s rich nourishment of his special olive tree. (11:17)

I enjoy the idea of being special to God, of being cherished by him, of drinking up the rich nourishment that comes from him and flourishing through this nourishment. Just as an olive tree needs sunlight, water and soil, all of which it receives from God in various ways, so I receive nourishment from God in many ways, including prayer, lectio, the sacraments, the divine office and the words and actions of others around me.

Rereading my notes from the past week, the message that is coming across to me is that I must change, but that the power of the Holy Spirit will enable me to do this. Towards the end of the letter we are exhorted:

Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of the world but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way that you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. (12:2)

This is similar to a passage in the letter to the Ephesians where we are told

…to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:23-24 ESV)

Changing, or being renewed in the mind, is not only about simple decisions such as deciding to fast more rigorously or more often, although this may be part of it, but is involves a deep revolution in the mind, which usually takes many years to complete. It comes about when we begin to realise our own helplessness and accept Jesus as our Saviour. As we realise more and more how dependent we are on him to do anything that is good, we grow in humility, which is an appreciation of the truth about our relationship with God.

As I said above, we need help to do this, and this comes from the Lord:

All have the same Lord, who generously gives his riches to all who ask for them. For, ‘Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’. (10:13)

There is no trickery involved here, no forms to fill in, no need to take multiple photographs to prove our identity. We don’t even need to be able to articulate precisely what we want:

The Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. (8:27)

Prayer

Lord, we long for peace and harmony in our world. Let us therefore learn to attend deeply to your Word, to hear and understand it, to allow it to permeate all levels of our being, and to obey it and transmit it to those around us. In this way may your will be done on the earth and so may we all live in peace with one another.

Going on

This is the last post I will write this Lent. I am going to continue reading Romans until the end of the week, then as we enter Holy Week I will change to reading Jesus’ words to the disciples at the Last Supper (i.e. the Last Discourses, John 14-17) and then look at some of the Passion narratives. In the future I hope to write a monthly post about my lectio, starting in April. I hope you will join me.

Thank you for reading so far and all who have sent messages of support and encouragement. Sr Thérèse