Rom 2:17-29
But if you call yourself a Jew and rely upon the law and boast of your relation to God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed in the law, and if you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you then who teach others, will you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.
So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then those who are physically uncircumcised but keep the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal. His praise is not from men but from God.
In today’s passage, the Apostle Paul addresses the Jews, who, unlike the Gentiles, have received a special revelation that goes beyond what can be known about God through reason alone. Therefore, their responsibility is also greater, as St. Paul clearly points out when he mentions all the privileges that God has granted to His people. Precisely because they have been chosen by the Lord, they must be an example to other nations. Through their witness, the name of God was to be praised among the Gentiles. But if they set a bad example, the name of God may even be blasphemed, as St. Paul laments.
“Every one to whom much is given, of him will much be required; and of him to whom men commit much they will demand the more.” (Lk 12:48).
These words of the Lord apply to Israel’s responsibility towards the nations that were pagan at that time. But they certainly apply even more to believers who have recognised the Lord and have become living stones of God’s Church, gathered from all nations, because with Jesus Christ came an even greater grace and, consequently, also a greater responsibility. Of course, this also applies to each of us on a personal level: the more God has shown us His favour by granting us natural and supernatural gifts, the greater our responsibility to place our whole life at His service, for the glorification of the Lord and the salvation of souls.
Paul then goes on to explain what it means to be a true Jew. The identity of a true Jew is not defined by the external sign of circumcision, but by the fulfilment of the Law, that is, by living in accordance with God’s commandments and precepts. That is the only valid criterion. If someone has received the gift of circumcision but his heart remains uncircumcised, as the Apostle says, then he is not a true Jew. On the contrary, he will be judged by those who, even without enjoying the privileges granted to Jews, have kept the commandments.
These observations of St. Paul invite us to reflect on our faith. As baptised members of the Catholic Church, we have received from God the fullness of grace. Like St. Paul, we could begin to list all the privileges and graces that God has bestowed on His Church, and we would not soon come to an end.
But, as Saint Paul explains, the crucial question is: do we live what has been entrusted to us? Do we take responsibility for this great treasure and make it bear fruit, or do we bury it as the man in the parable did with the talent entrusted to him, instead of multiplying it (Mt 25:14-30)? Worse still would be to abuse the talents we have received and, in the worst case, use them against the one who gave them to us. Let us think, for example, of the negative power of the tongue when it is not used in the service of God: ‘The tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell’ (Jas 3:6).
We see, then, that St. Paul begins his Letter to the Romans by showing us without reservation the condition of men before God when they give in to their evil inclinations; when, despite the privileges granted to them by their religion, they do not follow the ways of the Lord. We have already considered that this applies even more to those who have received the grace of faith in Jesus Christ.
In the following chapters, St. Paul will explain how great is the gift that the Heavenly Father gave to all humanity by sending us His Son for our salvation.
Meditation on the day’s reading: https://en.elijamission.net/the-real-presence-of-christ-in-the-holy-eucharist/