Romans 1: 1-7
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
We Belong to Each Other
Like Paul, we are all called to a life of holiness in communion with Jesus.
Throughout scripture there are many examples of Jesus encountering and calling “the other” to follow him—the underrepresented, the foreigner, the powerless, the underserved, the voiceless, and the perceived unclean, etc.
All of us belong to God and therefore we belong to each other.
May we humbly pray to Jesus, offering our daily needs to serve as his disciples, be open to his healing, holy touch, and praise and thank Jesus for calling us to holiness.
And then do the same for our neighbor, living, in Pedro Arrupe’s words, “a faith that does justice”.
All of us belong to God and therefore belong to each other.
Amen.
—Dr. Sajit U. Kabadi is the Assistant Principal for Mission, Ministry, and Diversity at Regis Jesuit High School in Colorado.
Prayer
Oh, Lord my God,
You called me from the sleep of nothingness
merely because in your tremendous love
you want to make good and beautiful beings.
You have called me by my name in my mother’s womb.
You have given me breath and light and movement
and walked with me every moment of my existence.
I am amazed, Lord God of the universe,
that you attend to me and, more, cherish me.
Create in me the faithfulness that moves you,
and I will trust you and yearn for you all my days.
Amen.
—Joseph Tetlow, SJ
Pray with the Pope
Pray with the monthly prayer intentions of the pope.