You Yourselves Are Full Of Goodness

"As for me, brothers and sisters, I am convinced, that you have goodwill, knowledge, and the capacity to advise each other; nevertheless, I have written boldly in some parts of this letter, to remind you of what you already know.  I do this, according to the grace GOD has given to me, when I was sent to the pagan nations.  I dedicated myself to the service of the Good News of GOD, as a minister of CHRIST JESUS, in order to present the non-Jews to GOD, as an agreeable offering, consecrated by the Holy Spirit.  This service of GOD is, for me, a cause of pride, in CHRIST JESUS.

Of course, I would not dare to speak of other things, but what CHRIST, HIMSELF, has done, through me, my words and my works, with miracles and signs, by the power of the Holy Spirit--so, that, non-Jews may obey the faith.  In this way, I have extended the Good News to all parts, from Jerusalem to Illyricum.

I have been very careful, however, and I am proud of this, not to preach in places where CHRIST is already known, and not to build upon foundations laid by others.  Let it be as Scripture says: Those not told about HIM will see, and those who have not heard will understand." - Romans 15:14-21 

(Here we see how gentle Paul was.  He has the authority of an apostle of CHRIST and is able to solve the problems of the Church of Rome.  Yet, he takes great care not to create divisions or rivalries, and he shows respect for the founders and leaders of the Roman community.

As a minister of CHRIST JESUS.  This term must not be interpreted as meaning what we understand by the Church's priests.  The first Christians did not use the word priest to designate their ministers, in order not to confuse them with the Jewish or pagan ministers who offered victims to GOD.  Here, however, Paul compares himself to them.  He does not present burnt offerings to GOD, but instead, he presents the pagans and reconciles them to GOD.  This is the new and spiritual worship [12:1] that the apostles offer to GOD.

Still today there is danger of forgetting the difficult and often misinterpreted work of reconciling persons who have become both liberated and aware of their human worth.  Only those who dedicate themselves to this evangelization can rightly celebrate the Eucharist.)

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