St. Paul's Letter to the Romans has long been considered the preeminent piece of Pauline literature and theology. It is certainly the longest and the most systematic explanation of St. Paul's Gospel of salvation brought about by God's holiness and righteousness rather than anything for which the human family might claim responsibility. It is also unique in that it is written to a community that St. Paul did not found; rather it seems to be written to a community of Jewish converts living in the capital city of the Roman Empire.
Today's reading is the formulaic greeting which begins almost every letter written in this time period. Our custom is to end our letter with the sentiments with which letters from that time period begin. The correspondent identifies himself from the outset and uses that opportunity to go into some detail about his or her qualifications or credentials.
First, St. Paul calls himself a slave of Jesus Christ. For Romans, all people were divided into those who were slaves, those who were conquered by Rome, and those who were free men and women, citizens of Rome. As a Roman citizen, calling himself a doulos, the Greek word for slave, can only be understood by remembering that the Greek term for master was kurios, a title that was often attributed to Jesus who would have been considered a slave by Roman standards. Paul, the free Roman citizen, has been conquered by Jesus, the Jewish slave.
Next, Paul says that he was called to be an apostle. As a man who would have known his Scriptures, he is undoubtedly referencing the fact that Moses, Joshua, Jeremiah and Isaiah, the great prophets of Judaism were all men who had been called and had responded to that call. God had given them a task. Now Paul was saying that he had been called to fulfill a new task, to preach the Gospel to Gentiles. St. John reminds us that Jesus had told the apostles that he had chosen them; they had not chosen him.
Paul then says that he has been set apart. The word Pharisee means a man who has been set apart. However, while most Pharisees have set themselves apart from other men whom they consider sinners, St. Paul says he has been set apart by God. The same word is used in the Acts of the Apostles where Luke tells us that Paul and Barnabas were set apart for a special mission.
Finally, Paul tells us that he has received two things. First, he has received grace. This term refers to a gift that is freely and absolutely given by God, not a gift that was earned by the recipient. Second, he has been given a task, namely to preach the Gospel of Jesus’ incarnation, descended from David yet also God, and his resurrection. In these two gifts, Paul actually outlines the entire Gospel – Incarnation and Resurrection are the two lynch pins upon which the entire Christian faith is based.
So in this greeting, St. Paul masterfully tells us not only a great deal about himself, but also a great deal about God and God’s Son, Jesus. As we read this letter for the next several weeks, we will once again plunge ourselves into the mystery of faith that saves us because of God’s justice, God’s righteousness, and God’s holiness. As God is totally other, we are called to be totally other as well. God became one of us so that we could become more like God.