Father Noel Alexandre's Literal and Moral Commentary on Romans Chapter 1

The following it from a work entitled Commentarius litteralis et moralis in omnes epistolas sancti Pauli apostoli: et in VII epistolas catholicas (Literal and Moral Commentary on All the Epistles of Saint Paul the Apostle, and on the Seven Catholic Epistles), by R. P. F. Natalis Alexander (Noel Alexandre), Doctor in the Sacred Faculty of Paris, Emeritus Professor of Theology in the General College of the Friars Preachers of Paris, and Former Prefect of Studies in the Dominican Province of Paris.  This was translated using AI.

LITERAL COMMENTARY 

Rom 1:1 Paulus, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle. He writes his name at the beginning of the Epistle, according to the custom of the age. Formerly called Saul, he took the name Paul, either from Sergius Paulus, the proconsul whom he converted to the faith of Christ; or to adapt his name, with a slight change, to the ears of the Romans. Hence, he changed his name from Saul to Paul when he began his Apostolic mission among the Gentiles, to signify that he regarded himself as the least of all the Apostles even in name. Servant of Jesus Christ both by condition, since he was redeemed and claimed by Him; and by office and ministry, since he was carrying out the business of preaching the Word, and willingly and out of love completely devoted himself to this sacred function. Called to be an Apostle: not by private assumption, but by divine vocation; not by his own merits, but solely by the grace of God, he was taken up to fulfill the Apostolic office. The name Apostle is taken here in its proper and strict sense, signifying the highest dignity in the Church, belonging to those whom Christ immediately called from among His disciples, and sent them into the whole world as His legates, with full authority to preach His Gospel, to establish and govern churches, and to confer the Holy Spirit. Such were the twelve whom the Lord, chosen from among all His disciples, named Apostles (Luke 6). Paul was in no way inferior to these, for he writes of himself to the Galatians: “For I want you to know, brothers, that the Gospel that was preached by me is not according to man, for I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12). And to the Corinthians: “I was not inferior to the very eminent Apostles, though I am nothing” (2 Corinthians 12:11). Therefore, in the usage of the Church, when the term Apostle is used without specification, it refers only to Paul, because he is known by more Epistles and labored more than all others.

Separated unto the Gospel of God. He was chosen by God from his mother’s womb, or rather from eternity, as a unique vessel and instrument for preaching His Gospel, that is, the most joyful news of the redemption and salvation of the human race through Christ, and for proclaiming and promulgating the doctrine and law delivered by Christ Jesus before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel (Acts 9:15). He was chosen by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for the ministry of Evangelical preaching. By the Father, as is clear from the Epistle to the Galatians: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles” (Galatians 1:15-16). By the Son, as is clear from the Acts of the Apostles: “Go, for I will send you far away to the Gentiles” (Acts 22:21). And by the Holy Spirit, as He spoke to the prophets and teachers of the Church at Antioch: “Separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2). These passages, when compared, clearly demonstrate the equality of the Trinity, and the divinity and consubstantiality of the Son is confirmed from this, that the Gospel of God, which the Apostle mentions here, he later calls the Gospel of the Son: “For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of His Son” (Romans 1:9).

Rom 1:2 Which He had promised before by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures. He removes the objection of novelty from the Gospel by showing that this admirable novelty was promised and foretold by God through the prophets, whose oracles are preserved in the Holy Scriptures. This is the principal argument by which the truth of the Christian Religion is demonstrated. Hence, Origen, in Book 1 against Celsus, says: “Of all the arguments that can be used to support the faith of Christ, the greatest is that He was predicted by the prophets among the Jews, both by Moses and those who were either earlier or later than Moses.” And Eusebius, in the “Preparation of the Gospel” (Book 1, Chapter 3), says: “The testimony of the Hebrew Scriptures is no small proof of the truth we defend, for in them, Hebrew prophets long ago foretold good things for all mankind, and mentioned Christ by name and predicted His coming to men.” Hence, St. Augustine, in Treatise XVI on John: “Who is Christ?” a pagan might ask. We answer: “He whom the prophets foretold.” Christ is the end of the Law and the Prophets.

Rom 1:3 Concerning His Son. Either these words are to be understood literally, as referring to the promise, meaning that God the Father foretold the future incarnation of His Son through all the prophets and His dispensation in the assumed flesh; or they explain the subject matter of the Gospel of God, to commend its excellence, namely that it concerns the Son of God: “Who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh.” The one who by nature was begotten by the Father before all ages, and who is consubstantial with Him, was also made the son of David in time, taking human nature from the seed of David. The Apostle adds “according to the flesh” to prevent anyone from thinking that He was naturally the son of David, but rather the Son of God according to grace. The addition of “according to the flesh” implies that He is truly the Son of the Father according to divinity. For in those who are merely what they appear to be, the phrase “according to the flesh” is not used. This is evident from the Gospel of Matthew. When he says, “Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah,” he never adds “according to the flesh,” for this addition would not be appropriate for mere men. But here, since He is not only a man but also God before the ages, who became man, the Apostle necessarily added “according to the flesh” after mentioning the seed of David, clearly teaching us how He is the Son of God from eternity, according to the Divine nature, and the Son of David in time, according to the flesh, that is, according to human nature. “Of the seed of David,” meaning from the family and descendants of David, inasmuch as He was born of the substance of Mary. “Who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh.” The pronoun “Him” is not found in the Greek text, nor in the Syriac, Ethiopian, or Arabic versions, nor in most Latin manuscripts. Tertullian does not read this pronoun in his citation of this passage in his work “Against Praxeas” (Chapter 7). However, our Vulgate version, consecrated by such ancient and consistent use in the Church, and supported by the highest authority, as well as by SS. Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine, and other Latin Fathers who touched upon and cited this passage, retains the pronoun: “Who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh.” In this passage, the two natures of Christ are asserted separately, the unity of Christ’s person is declared, His natural sonship and eternal generation, and the distinction of the Son from the Father according to person; thus, the heresies of Arius, Sabellius, Nestorius, and Eutyches are refuted in a brief sentence.

Predestinated to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of sanctification by the resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. He was predestined according to what He was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, or inasmuch as this unique man, through the grace of the personal union of human nature with the divinity, subsisting in the person of the Word, without any preceding merits, would be the natural Son of God, having equal, indeed the same power as God the Father. For it is written of Him: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and divinity” (Revelation 5:12), and “Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24). This power and divinity of Christ was manifest and declared by this evident sign, that He poured out the Holy Spirit upon men after His resurrection from the dead: “For Christ to be the natural Son of God, two signs demonstrate this: the gift of the Holy Spirit for the sanctification of souls and the calling back of the dead to immortal and eternal life.” St. Augustine explains this passage about the predestination of Christ in this sense: “This is the predestination of the saints, which was most clearly shown in the Holy of Holies. Who can rightly deny this, understanding the words of truth? For we have learned that the very Lord of Glory, insofar as He became man, was predestined to be the Son of God. The Apostle of the Gentiles cries out in the beginning of his Epistles: Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle, separated unto the Gospel of God, which He had promised before by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning His Son, who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was predestined to be the Son of God in power, according to the Spirit of sanctification by the resurrection from the dead.” Therefore, Jesus was predestined so that He who was to be the Son of David according to the flesh would also be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of sanctification, for He was born of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. This is the ineffable union made in man by the Word of God, so that He was simultaneously the Son of God and the Son of Man, the Son of Man because of the man He assumed, and the Son of God because of the One who assumed Him, who is truly and properly called the only-begotten God, so that the Trinity would not be believed to be a quaternity. This predestination was so great and so high an elevation of human nature that it had no higher possible elevation; just as, for our sake, the divinity had no lower humiliation than to assume the nature of man with the infirmity of the flesh, even to the death of the cross. Just as He was predestined to be our head, so we are predestined to be His members. Let human merits here remain silent. Elsewhere, he says: “As if anyone faithfully observing the rule of faith would deny the predestination of the Son of God, who cannot deny that He is a man. For rightly is it said that He was not predestined according to what He is, the Word of God, God with God; for why should He be predestined, being already what He was, eternal without beginning or end? But what was yet to be, that was predestined, that it might happen in time, just as it was predestined before all times that it should happen. Therefore, whoever denies the predestination of the Son of God denies Him as the Son of Man. But let us also hear the Apostle in the beginning of his letters… According to this predestination, He was also glorified before the world was, so that His glory would be from the resurrection from the dead, at the right hand of the Father where He sits. Who was predestined to be the Son of God in power, etc.” The Greek text has: “Predestined to be the Son of God in power.” This can also be rendered in Latin as: “He was defined, judged, declared, or recognized as the Son of God by three arguments: 1. In power, that is, by the power of miracles; 2. By the Spirit of sanctification, that is, by the Holy Spirit, whom He imparted to believers; 3. By the resurrection from the dead, because He raised Himself to life from death as He had foretold.” Thus, the Greek commentators, especially St. Chrysostom, Theodoret, Theophylact, and Oecumenius, explain it. This sense is confirmed by the Oriental versions. The Syriac reads: “He was recognized as the Son of God in power and by the Holy Spirit, who rose from the dead.” The Ethiopian reads: “Who declared Him to be the Son of God by His power and by the Holy Spirit, and raised Him from the dead, namely Jesus Christ our Lord.” For no one but God could grant the power to work miracles in His name, impart the Holy Spirit, and rise from the dead by His own power. Hence, the same Paul, preaching to the Jews in Antioch of Pisidia, said: “And we declare to you glad tidings—that the promise which was made to the fathers, God has fulfilled this for us, their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm: ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten You’” (Acts 13:32-33).

Rom 1:5 By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name. Through whom, namely Jesus Christ, as the Mediator between God and men, sent by the Father, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, I, Paul, and my fellow apostles have received sanctifying grace and other heavenly gifts, especially the Apostolic dignity, to which we were called by God’s mercy alone, not by any of our merits. Compare with Ephesians 3:8: “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” And 1 Corinthians 15:9-10: “For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle… But by the grace of God, I am what I am.” He adds, “for obedience to the faith among all nations,” that is, that people of all nations may receive the doctrine of the Gospel through my ministry and believe in it. He uses the word “obedience” because we assent to the dogmas of faith by an act of will, not by the necessity of reason, since they are above reason. For no one can believe unless they are willing. Hence, the Apostle later addresses the Romans: “You have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered” (Romans 6:17). He writes that he carries out the functions of his apostleship “for His name”; either in the name of Christ, or as he elsewhere says, “in the person of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:10); or to spread His name, to His glory alone, not for any temporal gain, or to achieve any fame for himself.

Rom 1:6 Among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. Among the number of those Gentiles subjected to our apostleship, you also, O Romans, are called by the mercy of Jesus Christ to the faith.

Rom 1:7 To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints. To all, regardless of their nation, state, or condition, who believe in Christ and dwell in Rome; who have obtained sanctification and the name of saints, not by their own merits, but by the love of God, who loved them first, and by His gratuitous calling, sanctified by grace and the sacraments of grace, and living worthily according to their calling. Compare with 1 Corinthians 6:11: “But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” And 1 Thessalonians 4:7: “For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I pray for you to receive the fullness of all spiritual goods and those things conducive to eternal life, and perfect and untroubled rest in God, free from all evil, from God, who deigned to adopt us as His sons through His only-begotten Son, and made us coheirs with His only-begotten; and from Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom He has given us great and precious promises: “That through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:4). And, “Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God” (Romans 5:2). Theodoret teaches that the word “peace” signifies all right actions of virtue. For he who embraces the Gospel way of life and diligently worships and obeys God in all things has peace with God. He shows that not only the Father but also the Son is the giver of these gifts, thus clearly proving the equality of the Father and the Son.

Rom 1:8 First, I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is spoken of in all the whole world. I give thanks primarily to the God of all, but especially to my own God, whom I serve, whom I feel is gracious to me, whom I worship with faith, hope, and love; to whom every good and perfect gift must be referred as to its beginning and end. I give thanks to Him, I say, through Jesus Christ, the High Priest, through whom He blesses us with every spiritual blessing, for all of you, for the benefit granted to you: because your faith is spoken of, that is, celebrated and preached throughout the whole world, in all parts of the world subject to the Roman Empire. Since Rome was the capital of the empire, and people from all nations gathered there, what was happening there could not be hidden; and it was a great example and comfort to Christians in the provinces that in the city that ruled the world, many had embraced the faith of Christ and sincerely professed it.

Rom 1:9-10 For God is my witness: believe one who swears, and do not doubt my affection for you: I call God as my witness, who knows everything, whom I serve with the supreme and exclusive service due to Him alone, in my spirit, with internal and spiritual worship, not merely external as the carnal Jews; in preaching and spreading the Gospel of His Son; for without ceasing, I continually, night and day, pour out prayers to God, fulfilling His command and my duty, always making mention of you in my prayers. From this, you can understand how much your salvation is at my heart and care.

Praying that by the will of God, somehow I may at last have a prosperous journey to come to you. Praying to God that, according to the intense desire of my heart, He may open for me a smooth, easy, and prosperous way to come to you, if it pleases Him, and be to His glory.

Rom 1:11 For I long to see you that I may impart unto you some spiritual grace, to strengthen you; not for the sake of any temporal advantage; but so that I may make you partakers of the spiritual gifts which I have received from the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the Church, to confirm you: so that by my ministry, I may strengthen you in the heavenly doctrine of the Gospel in which you are already instructed. He uses the word “strengthen,” because the Prince of the Apostles, Peter, had already preached the doctrine of the Gospel to the Romans. He says, “I do not wish to bring you a different doctrine, but to confirm that which has already been delivered to you and to water the trees that have already been planted.”

Rom 1:12 That is to say, that I may be comforted together in you by that which is common to us both, your faith and mine. This is my desire, that from the mutual sharing of your faith and mine, I may receive common comfort and joy with you. Theodoret notes the great humility and moderation of the Apostle in these words, intended to win the hearts of those to whom he writes. “Not only,” he says, “do I wish to impart to you some spiritual grace, but also to receive something from you.” For the zeal of the disciples inspires the teacher, and the progress of the listeners is an encouragement to the preachers, which learned interpreters understand to be the meaning of the Greek word παράκλησις (paraklēsis).

Rom 1:13 And I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that I have often purposed to come unto you, so that I might show you not only in word but also in deed and in truth my love and fervent care for your salvation (and have been hindered hitherto). It was not my fault that I did not fulfill this plan; but I was hindered and delayed by other more pressing concerns of the Gospel, as God willed.

That I might have some fruit among you, just as among the other Gentiles. Therefore, I have often planned to come to you, that I might gather some fruit of the preaching of the Gospel among you, just as among the other nations, and present to the Lord, who sent me, the sheaves of your faith and good works with incredible joy.

Rom 1:14 To the Greeks and to the barbarians, to the wise and to the unwise, I am a debtor. By the name Greeks, the Apostle also designates the Romans, who called all nations besides themselves and the Romans “barbarians,” except those cultivated by Greek arts and instructed in laws. To all the Gentiles, even to those whom the Greeks and Romans customarily called barbarians, both the learned and the unlearned, I profess myself a debtor, bound to announce and teach the Gospel by the office of the apostleship entrusted to me.

Rom 1:15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you who are in Rome also. Therefore, as far as it depends on me, I am prepared and eager for the journey to Rome, so that I may also fulfill the apostolic office of preaching and teaching the Gospel among you.

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the Gospel. Although the Gospel, and the subject of it, Christ crucified, may seem new, lowly, and disgraceful to the world, I am not ashamed to preach it openly, even in the city that is the seat of the Empire and wisdom. For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. By divine power and might, of which it is the instrument, it is effective in bringing eternal salvation to all who believe and live by faith, that is, to those who do what the Gospel prescribes, first to the Jews, to whom the promises were made, and from whom Christ was born; then to the Gentiles, who were grafted in, as if a wild olive branch were grafted into a good olive tree, for their benefit.

Rom 1:17 For the justice of God is revealed therein, from faith unto faith, as it is written: The just man liveth by faith. The righteousness by which God endows man, that is, the internal grace by which He makes men just and holy, and by which they are truly just before God, is revealed in the Gospel. This righteousness is not from works of the Law, as the Jews suppose, nor from works of nature, as the Gentiles think, but from faith in Christ Jesus. From faith to faith: From the faith of the Old Testament to the faith of the New; from the faith of the Prophets to the faith of the Apostles; from the faith of the Fathers to the faith of their children: for men of both Testaments are made just and attain salvation by faith in Christ. For the ancient Fathers believed with the same faith in the coming of Christ as we believe that He has come. ‘Having the same spirit of faith…we believe, therefore we speak’ (2 Corinthians 4:13).

This is the righteousness of God (says St. Augustine) that was revealed in the Old Testament, but is more fully revealed in the New, and it is called the righteousness of God because by imparting it, He makes men righteous; just as salvation belongs to the Lord, by which He makes men saved. And this is the faith in which and through which it is revealed, from the faith of those who announce it to the faith of those who obey it: by this faith in Jesus Christ, which Christ Himself has given us, we believe that it comes from God, and that what we live justly will be more fully realized in the future; for which we give thanks to Him alone, who is to be worshiped with faith. Or, ‘from faith to faith,’ that is, from the faith in words by which we now believe what we do not yet see, to the faith of things, by which we will eternally obtain what we now believe; when the Wisdom of God, by which all things were made, will reveal itself clearly to the saints for contemplation. Or, ‘from faith to faith,’ that is, from growing faith, which becomes more perfect and firmer every day, as the Apostles said, ‘Lord, increase our faith’ (Luke 17:5). It is a Hebraism, like in Psalm 84:7, ‘They go from strength to strength,’ and in 2 Corinthians 3:18, ‘From glory to glory.’

The Apostle proves that this doctrine is not new but prophetic; nor are the Jews truly just before God through the Law. For it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith’ (Habakkuk 2:4). The more learned commentators observe that according to better manuscripts, the verb in the Hebrew is in the future tense, and the Septuagint translators also rendered it in the future tense, and both the Syriac and Ethiopian versions support this. However, our Vulgate, both here and in Galatians 3:11 and Hebrews 10:38, consistently uses the present tense, and this is also reflected in the divine library of St. Jerome as published from the Vatican manuscript. Although the sense is the same in both, the Prophet uses the future tense to signify the permanence of life, while the Apostle uses the present tense to signify that the entire life of the just man, whereby he is just, originates from faith and is preserved by it; that one who could not have obtained the life of righteousness except through faith in Christ Jesus, cannot grow and advance in it, nor persevere in it except through faith.

Rom 1:18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of those men that detain the truth of God in injustice. For the wrath of God is indeed revealed in the Gospel as coming upon all impious and unrighteous men, and will be executed by Christ, the judge, descending from heaven in flaming fire. By “ungodliness” is properly understood sins committed against the worship and religion of God, while “unrighteousness” refers to other crimes. Who detain the truth of God in unrighteousness. The Gospel threatens eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and the glory of His power to those who suppress the true knowledge of God that they have obtained, through the depravity of their will and immoral behavior, keeping it captive as if in bondage, suppressing it so it is not spread to others, and preventing it from breaking out into works of piety. Detaining the truth in unrighteousness refers to those who render to creatures the worship due only to God, which is the greatest injustice. Thus, Plato suppressed the knowledge of God he had and kept it captive in the darkness of idolatry and other vices. Surely, Plato is undeservedly called divine, as evidenced by this very statement of his: “To find the parent and maker of the universe is difficult, and once found, it is impossible to declare him to the masses.” Likewise, Seneca held the truth captive, worshiping false gods with the people, even though he recognized the one true God. St. Augustine says of him: “Though he was made free by philosophy, yet because he was a distinguished senator of the Roman people, he worshiped what he condemned, acted against what he accused, and adored what he criticized; because philosophy taught him something great, not to be superstitious in the world, but because of the laws of the citizens and the customs of men, he did not act as a hypocrite on the stage, but imitated hypocrisy in the temple; and he did so with greater condemnation, as he acted out these lies in such a way that the people believed he was acting truthfully.”

Rom 1:19. Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God hath showed it unto them. That which can be known of God by the light of nature, namely, that God is one, immutable, immense, eternal, omniscient, most perfect, the Creator and Governor of the world, and most provident, has been made manifest and clearly known to them. For God has shown it to them, both through natural ideas inscribed on the hearts of men, and through the book of creation.

Rom 1:20-21. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made. His eternal power also and divinity: so that they are inexcusable. The invisible perfections of God, His eternal power, and divinity are clearly understood and are presented as if to be seen with the eyes from the creation of the world, that is, from the things He has made. For as the excellence of a work reveals the skill, genius, wisdom, and power of the artisan, so are God’s attributes revealed through His works, leaving them without excuse. Rom 1:21. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful. Though they knew God by natural reason, or as Tertullian says, by the law of nature, they did not glorify Him as God, neither thinking rightly about His nature, attributes, works, and benefits, nor worshiping Him with due honor and worship, nor giving Him the praise due to Him as the author of all good things. Instead, they attributed their blessings to fortune, stars, their own prudence, or industry, or even to those who by nature are not gods and to idols, which are nothing. But they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Their impiety and ingratitude filled their minds with darkness and folly. They became fools because they rejected true wisdom, which consists in piety. Deprived of the light of wisdom, they could not know God truly, perfectly, and beneficially for salvation. Just as one who turns away from the sun falls into darkness, so one who turns away from God, relying on self-conceit, is spiritually darkened. Hence the Apostle says in Ephesians 4:17-18, This then I say and testify in the Lord: That henceforward you walk not as also the Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind: Having their understanding darkened: being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts. Compare this with Wisdom 13:1-5, “Surely vain are all men by nature, who are ignorant of God, and could not out of the good things that are seen know Him that is; neither by considering the works did they acknowledge the workmaster.”

Rom 1:22. For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. While they regarded themselves as wise and loved to be thought of as such, and gloried in the title, they were far removed from true wisdom, which lies in true piety towards God. In them were fulfilled the divine oracles: Proverbs 19:3, “The folly of a man supplanteth his steps: and he fretteth in his mind against God.” Isaiah 5:21, “Woe to you that are wise in your own eyes, and prudent in your own conceits. ” Jeremiah 10:14, “Every man is become a fool for knowledge, every artist is confounded in his graven idol: for what he hath cast is false, and there is no spirit in them. “ How then could Seneca, whom some would call wise, say, “A wise man lives on equal terms with the gods. Absolute freedom is not fearing men or gods.”

Rom 1:23. And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. They transferred the nature, majesty, worship, and reverence due to the incorruptible God to images resembling mortal man, even to birds, four-footed beasts, and reptiles. Compare this with Psalm 106:20, “Thus they changed their glory into the likeness of a calf that eateth grass.” Jeremiah 2:11, “Hath a nation hath changed their gods, and indeed they are not gods: but my people have changed their glory into an idol.”

Rom 1:24. Wherefore, God gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness: to dishonour their own bodies among themselves. . Because of their idolatry and ingratitude, God, in punishment, allowed them to be abandoned to their own depraved desires, leading to sins of uncleanness and vile lusts, so that they dishonored and defiled their own bodies. Compare with 1 Corinthians 6:18, “Fly fornication. Every sin that a man doth is without the body: but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.”

Rom 1:25. Who changed the truth of God into a lie. They exchanged the true knowledge of God, imprinted on their minds and excited by His works, for falsehood, accepting imaginary and false gods instead of the true God. Rom 1:26. For this cause God delivered them up to shameful affections. The Apostle explains further how God punished the impiety of the pseudo-wise philosophers by allowing them to engage in vile and shameful passions, which are contrary to nature. Rom 1:27. And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another. Men abandoned the natural use of women, which was ordained by God for the propagation of offspring within lawful marriage, and pursued unnatural lusts, burning with desire for one another. Rom 1:28. And as they liked not to have God in their knowledge, God delivered them up to a reprobate sense, to do those things which are not convenient.. As they refused to give heed to the knowledge and worship of God, God abandoned them to a reprobate mind, permitting them to act according to their corrupt judgment, engaging in actions contrary to reason and the law of nature and nations.

Rom 1:29. Being filled with all iniquity. As a result of their abandonment by God due to their infidelity and ingratitude, they were filled with every kind of vice, malice, and desire to do harm, which is a diabolical crime, as the devil is called “evil” in an emphatic sense. They were filled with fornication, which includes any unlawful sexual intercourse outside of legitimate marriage between a man and a woman. They were filled with covetousness, an insatiable desire for wealth, even by unjust means, such as violence, fraud, and robbery. They were filled with wickedness, an evil inclination towards wrongdoing, and with envy, a vice that cannot tolerate another’s happiness, often leading to murder, which is closely related to envy. They were filled with strife, contending not out of love for truth but out of stubbornness, with deceit, which involves plotting to deceive and defraud one’s neighbor in business, and with malice, interpreting everything in the worst possible way, contrary to the duty of mutual love. They were whisperers, who secretly infuse malicious suspicions to dissolve friendships.

Rom 1:30. Detractors, hateful to God, contumelious, proud, haughty, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents. Backbiters openly tear down the reputation of others. Haters of God, either those who hate God or those whom God abhors for their wickedness. Proud people are arrogant, despising others, boasting vainly of their own words and deeds. Inventors of evil things devise new ways of sinning, new forms of luxury and lust, new injuries, new ways of oppressing, and new harmful devices. Disobedient to parents are those who do not obey their parents’ commands, are stubborn against their instructions, and are intractable.

Rom 1:31. Foolish, dissolute: without affection, without fidelity, without mercy. They lack reason and do not act according to conscience, driven by misplaced affection into vice. They are without natural affection, even towards their own parents and children, a vice common among the Romans who would kill or expose unwanted children. The Apostle also mentions without fidelity, those who do not keep their agreements, and without affection, who, once offended, refuse to be reconciled. Lastly, they are those without mercy, not moved by the suffering of others nor willing to relieve them, and are cruel in inflicting and avenging injuries.

Rom 1:32. Who, having known the justice of God, did not understand that they who do such things, are worthy of death: and not only they that do them, but they also that consent to them that do them. Though they knew God’s justice, which rewards the good and punishes the wicked, or the law of nature inscribed by God on human minds, they did not recognize it, blinded by their malice, that those who do such things are worthy of eternal death. And not only do they do these things, but they also approve of those who do them, by words, actions, teachings, counsel, commands, support, flattery, assistance, or silence. Although our Vulgate differs slightly from the Greek text, St. Cyprian reads the passage in the same way as the Vulgate: “Who knowing the justice of God, understood not that those who do such things are worthy of death, not only those who do them, but those who consent to those who do them.”

MORAL COMMENTARY 

Rom 1:1 PAUL, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. Kings and princes of the earth inscribe the magnificent titles of their ranks in their decrees and letters with ambitious spirit and worldly pride. Paul, however, although he feels and openly declares himself to be an abortive birth, the foremost of sinners, and unworthy of the Apostleship, still places titles fitting to himself, given by God’s grace, at the beginning of his letters, not for ostentation, but for the benefit of those to whom he writes. For those who understood who was writing to them received the letters with greater zeal and enthusiasm. Firstly, he did not want to use the name Saul, which carried a sense of worldly pride and glory, but instead used the name Paul, which in Latin usage signifies something small, to indicate by his very name that he was the least of the Apostles. He calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ, whom all the unbelievers called the son of a carpenter, a criminal, crucified, and therefore accursed. Yet Paul preferred servitude to Him over any earthly kingdom. He adds the title of Apostle; but to the unbelievers, that title was one of contempt rather than veneration. 1 Corinthians 4:9: “For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death.” And elsewhere he preaches that whatever dignity and glory there is in the Apostleship, he owes it to God’s calling and grace. “Called to be an Apostle.” From this, let ecclesiastical men learn not to seek secular titles, but to be called by the names of their orders, to lay aside all pride, to flee from ostentation; and if they hold any secular dignities and offices in the Church, not to become puffed up or boastful, but to attribute it all to divine grace, if they have indeed been truly called; otherwise, they should fear the terrible judgment. Let them learn from Saint Paul that the pastoral office is truly a service, that they should live and labor for Christ Jesus and His Church, and that whatever they can do, whatever they possess, should be referred solely to the glory of Christ and the good of His bride and the salvation of souls. “Servant of Jesus Christ.” Let them serve Him truly out of love, to whom they have bound themselves, to whose worship they have been consecrated. For they have not received the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but the spirit of adoption as sons, which is a grace given to all Christians through Christ. And while serving worthily and fulfilling all the duties of their sacred ministry, let them nevertheless say with humility, “We are unprofitable servants.” Let them examine their calling, for those who are without divine calling are most unfortunate and close to being cursed if they have embraced and undertaken an ecclesiastical state, dignities, the pastoral office, or any sacred ministry without divine calling. For no one takes this honor upon himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. Hebrews 5:4: “And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.” And so, too, Christ did not glorify Himself to be made a high priest, but He who said to Him, “Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee.” Thus, Paul did not seek or usurp the Apostleship or the Apostolic dignity and office, but was called by God as an Apostle. The lack of a true calling to the ecclesiastical state and ministry is the root and cause of all the evils and scandals that disgrace the Church of God. “Indeed,” says Saint Bernard, “he who did not enter faithfully, nor through Christ, how could he act faithfully and according to Christ? The tree will undoubtedly be revealed by its fruits, the root by its branches, the work by its intention. He will do what he came for, to kill and destroy. For how can one who is of such kind serve at the altar? But he must serve in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeks such worshipers. Otherwise, it is a ministry of death, leading to judgment and condemnation.” “Consider your calling,” says the Apostle. Who seeks ecclesiastical degrees and ministries of the sanctuary with the intention of being illuminated in holiness of heart and body, approaching the Lord and working for his own salvation and that of others, devoted to prayer and the preaching of the word? “They have reigned, but not through me,” says the Lord; “they made princes, but I knew them not.” Indeed, all who seek their own honor, or riches, or bodily desire, or finally what is theirs, not what is Christ’s, in the ecclesiastical orders and ministries of the sanctuary, introduce desires alien to God and are the root of all evils. “Consider your calling.” If there is none, strive through penance, through retreat from the sacred ministry, through abstention from the functions of the holy ministry according to the advice of a learned and pious conscience director, through constant and fervent prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, to obtain grace from God to supply what you lack, so that the Holy Spirit may descend into your purified soul and make you worthy ministers of Christ. But if you recognize that you have been called by God’s mercy, do not neglect the grace of your calling, lest you fall from it, like Judas, who was also called to be an Apostle, but neglected the grace of his calling and became a thief and a traitor. A shepherd is called but not chosen who presides over the flock, is nourished by its milk, clothed by its wool, but does not feed the flock; does not strengthen what is weak, does not heal what is sick, does not bind up what is broken, does not bring back what is driven away, does not seek what is lost, but rules them with harshness and power, driven by the desire to dominate, not by the charity to serve.

Rom 1:1 cont. Rom 1:2. Separated unto the Gospel of God, 2. Which He promised beforehand by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures concerning His Son. Preaching the Gospel is not the task of all who are called to the ecclesiastical state, but of those who, by God’s calling and the authority and election of those set apart for sacred ministry, which is proper to bishops. Let them not dare to exercise it unless they have been purified by constant prayer and tears and have been instructed in the study of the Holy Scriptures so that they may preach the Gospel of God, not the visions of their own hearts. The Gospel, indeed, was foretold by the prophets because it needed preparation to be believed. Let them preach the pure Gospel, not adulterated with the juices of softer and more effeminate eloquence, so that while they speak in a new way, they may not speak new things. Let them instill in people the necessity of penance, of bearing the cross, of denying oneself, of constantly struggling with vices and desires, of not loving the world and the things in the world, of loving God alone above all and over all. Let them proclaim the severity of God’s judgments, the rewards of eternal life; let them explain the mysteries of religion, its truths, and its duties from the prophets, from the Gospel, from the Apostolic letters, from the Fathers illuminated by God. This is to preach the Gospel of God. They must diligently search all the remedies in the Scriptures and pray and read so that the health of their soul may be provided for such a dangerous task, as Saint Augustine says. But above all, they must strive to preach the Gospel of God by the example of a holier life, like the prophets and apostles who were separated from the world and its corruption. Saint Gregory, “Let each one proclaim the Gospel of God more by actions than by words, and by living well impress the footsteps for his followers to follow more than by showing with words where they should walk.”

Rom 1:3-4. Concerning his Son, who was made to him of the seed of David, according to the flesh, Who was predestinated the Son of God in power, according to the spirit of sanctification, by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead. The predestination of Jesus Christ is the model for the predestination of His elect, whom God chose through Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before Him, and in Him blessed them with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. The Savior Himself, the mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, is the most splendid light of predestination and grace; but what merits of His works or faith did the human nature that is in Him have before He was assumed by the Word of the co-eternal Father into the unity of person, to become the only begotten Son of God? Let this be answered: What good thing, whatever it may be, preceded this in Him? What did He do before, what did He believe, what did He ask, that He might attain to this ineffable excellence? … Therefore, in our head itself, the very fountain of grace appears, from which, according to each one’s measure, it is diffused through all His members. By this grace, every Christian man is from the beginning of his faith, by which grace this man was made Christ from His beginning, born of the Spirit from whom He was born; by this same Spirit, we receive the remission of sins, by which Spirit it was done that He had no sin. Let us be imitators of Jesus Christ, bearing the infirmity, humiliation, and miseries of this present life by His example and out of love, so that we, the sons of Adam, may attain the glory of the resurrection, which is the perfect adoption as sons of God.

Rom 1:5. By whom we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith, in all nations, for his name. All grace is from God through Jesus Christ our Lord, both that which is given to us so that we may be faithful and obedient to the divine light for our sanctification, and that which is given for the benefit and conversion of others… Let the Apostle traverse the world, preach, exhort, plant, water, rebuke, insist; wherever he finds a way open for the word, let him enter: But that the hearer may be promoted by these studies, it is not the teacher, nor the disciple, but only grace that makes it happen, and under its weight, the seedlings grow into fruitful plants. This is the seed of faith, which orders the root to fasten in the mind, and from the heart’s depths commands it to bring forth strong sprouts; this guards and nourishes the ripening crop, lest the tares and barren oats dominate, lest the wind break, the torrent carry away, or the heat scorch. Neither, when in its abundant joy it raises itself too high, should it fall prone in a disgraceful ruin. When Paul was preaching in the city of Philippi in Macedonia, Lydia, a seller of purple goods, believed because the Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. Therefore, if the preacher of the Gospel gathers any spiritual fruit and if his sermons convert the listeners to God, let him attribute everything to the grace of God, and nothing to himself; but if he gathers no fruit or only little, let him humble himself before God, and fear lest it be due to his own sins that such spiritual barrenness occurs, as one unworthy to be a minister of the Gospel.

Obedience to the faith. The spirit of faith is not a spirit of contention but of obedience. We must adhere to the word of God simply and firmly, acquiesce in the authority of God revealing it, and bring our minds into captivity to the obedience of faith. God has spoken, let the human mind be silent; there is no place for inquiry or dispute. Not only the intellect but also the will must be subjected to faith; our life must be conformed to the Gospel. This is true obedience to faith. The saving obedience that we owe to faith cannot exist without the love of God; nor can the love of God be found without keeping His commandments. Works prove faith and love. James 2:26: “For even as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead also.” And 1 John 2:3-4: “And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.”

Rom 1:6. Among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. Saint Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles, still exercises his apostleship by the examples of his virtues and his letters, continually preaching everywhere on earth. We should, therefore, listen to and read these letters as if they were written to us; and we should give perpetual thanks to God that He has willed us to be among those called from the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, brought to the obedience of faith by His mercy alone, while others remain in unbelief. We should place the grace by which we are Christians above all the honors and dignities of the world, in which the common people are made equal with magnates and princes, servants with masters, the poor with the rich, the unlearned with the learned.

Rom 1:7. To all that are in Rome. The Apostle does not give the Romans, the masters of the world, any more than he gives to the other nations; nor does he observe any distinction of conditions or ranks among them, even though among those who believed in Christ, some were notable for their nobility, wealth, or learning; but rejecting their pride, he teaches that all are equally debtors to God’s grace, and equal in the kingdom of Jesus Christ, in which there is neither slave nor free, much less king nor commoner. For all are brothers, all are children and heirs of God, co-heirs with Christ. All are called, no one comes by his own power. “Among whom you also are.” He does not say, along with others; but, you also among others, he has called. To all those in Rome. He honors all with the same title and greeting because God is no respecter of persons, but has offered spiritual gifts equally to all: the Gospel, the calling, faith, hope of heavenly goods, adoption as children of God, grace, peace, sanctification, eternal kingdom. Therefore, the Apostle teaches humility to all the faithful, so that they may not be puffed up or insolent because of the inequality of their condition or temporal goods. This comforts the servants, teaching that they lose nothing by being in servitude, as they have gained true freedom through Jesus Christ: and it moderates the masters, teaching that they will be of less account before God than the servants unless, being freed from sin, they have become servants of God and obey the faith. Let pastors, preachers, and moderators of consciences learn from this to have no respect of persons in dispensing spiritual goods, in administering the sacraments, or in preaching the Gospel, which has been entrusted to them. The same Gospel, one faith, one baptism, the same duties of the Christian life are set before all who are called Christians. The discipline of the Christian law and the yoke of Christ must not be eased or relaxed for the noble and rich. All are called without distinction; they must all be led along the narrow way to life. For Christ has opened no other way. The common rules of Christian discipline, taught by Christ in the Gospel, handed down by the Apostles, and promulgated by the Church in councils under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, must not exempt the mighty and the rich.

Rom 1:7 cont.  The beloved of God, called to be saints. The Church of Rome, justly beloved by God, illuminated by Him, holy, has always remained pure and free from all error since its foundation by the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and has always been regarded as the mother and teacher of all churches. Those who have refused to listen to it have lost the truth; those who have separated from it have lost charity. We must adhere to it with the greatest veneration and obey its constitutions and decrees religiously if we wish to be beloved by God and holy. “The beloved of God, called to be saints.” The love of God is the fountain of all good things. Whence comes sanctification? From love, says Saint John Chrysostom. “Called to be saints.” To be a Christian and to be called to holiness are one and the same thing. “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” Our head, Christ, is the Holy of Holies; the Church of Christ, our mother, is holy; the sacraments are holy; the Gospel is holy; therefore, Christians ought to be holy and blameless. If they are not holy, they are unworthy of the name of Christian. Hence Tertullian addresses the pagans with these words: “Your prisons are always full; your mines always groan; your beasts are always fattened; your executioners are always feeding on the guilty. No Christian is there except for this alone: or if for anything else, he is no longer a Christian. We are therefore the only innocent ones. Is it any wonder? Indeed, it must be so. Taught by God Himself, we know innocence perfectly, as revealed by a perfect Master, and we faithfully keep it, as commanded by an all-seeing Judge. And further on he says: But some may say: Even among us, some go astray from the rule of discipline. However, they cease to be regarded as Christians among us.”

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. This blessing is no less than that by which Noah, Shem, and Japheth were blessed, by which Melchizedek blessed Abraham, by which Isaac blessed his son Jacob, by which Israel blessed the twelve patriarchs, by which Moses blessed the tribes of Israel. For in the Spirit of God, the Apostle blesses the Churches of Christ and the faithful. Therefore, through the same Spirit, they received the blessing of the Apostle, namely the increase of grace and peace, who were worthy of his blessing. Otherwise, what is written will come to pass: “If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you.” Let Christians learn from this to show themselves worthy of the priestly blessing through the innocence of their lives or through repentance. Let priests learn not to extinguish or grieve the Holy Spirit, whom they received in sacred ordination so that they may bless the faithful with salutary blessings. Although the fruitfulness of the sacraments and the efficacy of prayers offered in the name of the Church do not depend on the probity of the ministers, if they are unworthy, the spiritual fruit of the blessing does not return to them.

Grace to you and peace, begun in the present, consummated in the future. For then, indeed, perfect peace will be, when the flesh will no longer lust against the spirit, when death will be swallowed up in victory, and this corruptible body will have put on immortality. Then there will be full and perfect peace when there is full and perfect justice. Then there will be full and perfect justice where there is perfect charity. Then there will be perfect charity where there is no cupidity and full immortality. “Grace to you and peace.” The end of all God’s counsels, all the mysteries of Christ Jesus our Savior, all the desires of the Christian man is the kingdom of Jesus Christ on earth through the grace that conquers sin and the kingdom of God in peace, which will crown the saints in heaven after the complete destruction of all sin. “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” For not all grace is from God. Evil judges also grant grace, seduced by some desire or terrified by fear in accepting persons. Nor is all peace from God or from Him: hence the Lord Himself, making a distinction, says, “Peace I leave unto you; my peace I give tuno you,” adding also that He does not give the kind of peace that the world gives. Grace is from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, whereby our sins are forgiven, by which we were enemies to God. Peace itself is that by which we are reconciled to God. For when, by grace, sins have been forgiven, the enmities taken away, it remains for us to cleave to Him in peace, from whom our sins alone had separated us, as the Prophet says: “Your iniquities have separated you from your God.” When these are forgiven through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, there will be peace without any separation. But perfect peace will also be given to the body in its time if our spirit now holds fast and unchangeably the peace that the Lord deigned to give us through faith.

Rom 1:8. First, I give thanks to my God, through Jesus Christ, for you all: because your faith is spoken of in the whole world. . All the commerce that religion establishes between God and men consists in receiving and giving thanks for His goodness. This Christian duty of thanksgiving frees the soul from the disease of envy and malice and moves God more to love those whom He recognizes as having a grateful heart toward Him. Thanksgiving merits an increase in grace. Saint Prosper, “Carmen de Ingratis.”

“The source of merit is the Father of lights, from whom flows into us the cause of greater goods, while we return what has been given, and so are increased, our good being the glory of the giver.” Therefore, let us give thanks to the Lord our God for all the benefits received from His supreme goodness, but especially for spiritual goods, just as Saint Paul gave thanks not for the power, glory, riches, and earthly happiness of the Romans, but for their faith, charity, and constant piety and patience even in persecutions. Let us give thanks in every state of our life, not only when we are rich, but also when oppressed by poverty; not only when we are healthy, but also when we are sick; not only in prosperous times but also in adverse ones, imitating the holy man Job. And indeed, not just for ourselves, but also for our brothers, let us give thanks. For since, through charity, the spiritual goods of the whole body of the Church are common, all Christians should give thanks not only for the graces they have received but also for those which God’s mercy has poured out on others. Pastors and all priests should especially fulfill this duty for the Christian people, and by the fervor of their charity supply the negligence of other Christians in giving thanks to God. Finally, let us give thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord, the eternal High Priest of the Father, as Tertullian says.

Rom 1:9-12. For God is my witness, whom I serve in my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make a commemoration of you: Always in my prayers making request, if by any means now at length I may have a prosperous journey, by the will of God, to come unto you.

. A good shepherd must constantly pour out prayers to God for the Church and for his flock, serving God in spirit with sincere piety and chaste love. For He is not worshiped except by love. Serve for His glory alone, serve in the Gospel of His Son by attending to reading, exhortation, and doctrine, persevering in them. Show yourself a workman who is unashamed in the word of truth. Pray to God that He may open the hearts of the hearers to obey the word, for neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but God who gives the increase. Burn with zeal for the salvation and perfection of souls, spare no effort to promote God’s work, and let no difficulties deter you from your ministry. Do not seek temporal gains or advantages, but fulfill your ministry so that you may impart some spiritual gift, awakening sinners to repentance, confirming the good and the just in Christian piety, “to strengthen you” (Rom 1:11). Thus, kindle others to the love of God and the observance of the Christian law, which are the fruits of true and living faith so that by their holy life and examples, you may be more inflamed and more eagerly incited to run in the way of God’s commandments and evangelical perfection. “That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine” (Rom 1:12) Not only pastors and priests but all true Christians ought to love the Church, Christ’s spouse, and mother with tender affection and to pray constantly and fervently for its increase, its happy governance, and its unity. For whoever does not love the Church does not truly love Christ, its head and spouse. However, as for the human means that seem necessary to accomplish God’s work, the successful execution and outcome of them should be entrusted to the divine will, “asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you.” For the journeys of evangelical preachers and the outcome of their missions are governed and directed by God’s will, and sometimes are hindered by God’s secret judgment because of the sins of the people. Hence Acts 16:6: “And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.” 7. “And when they came up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.” And God, under the symbol of clouds, says of the evangelical preachers, Isaiah 5:6: “I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.” Therefore, the Apostle writes here to the Romans: “I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I have often intended to come to you (but have been prevented thus far), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles.”

Rom 1:14. To the Greeks and to the barbarians, to the wise and to the unwise, I am a debtor. . A pastor of souls and an evangelical preacher must become all things to all men. He needs doctrine and eloquence to explain to the wise the dogmas of the faith and the precepts of Christian life and to persuade their faith and obedience. He needs patience and gentleness to teach the simple and the ignorant, of whom the greater number in the Church consists. He must care for all the sheep entrusted to him with equal concern and vigilance, for they have all been equally redeemed and acquired by the blood of Christ. He becomes a debtor to the wise through the wisdom he has received in the mystery hidden, to speak to the wise and the perfect. But how is he also a debtor to the foolish? In that he has received the grace of patience and long-suffering. For indeed, it is a great patience to bear the movements, ignorance, slowness, and rusticity of the foolish. Nevertheless, says the Apostle, a dispensation is committed to me, and woe to me if I do not preach the gospel. Charity is owed to all, although not the same medicine should be applied to all. Charity itself is pregnant with some, is weakened with others, cures some to build them up, trembles to offend others, bows to some, rises to others; is gentle with some, severe with others, never an enemy, always a mother. Charity makes pastors and preachers of the Gospel always ready and prompt to undertake their ministry with strong, eager, and broad spirits. Lazy and sluggish priests, who are deterred from their duties by difficulties, dangers, or labors, are unworthy of the pastoral office. Rom 1:15. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.

Rom 1:16. For I am not ashamed of the gospel. Why should a man be ashamed to preach or do what God Himself was willing to teach and suffer for his salvation? For Paul not to be ashamed to announce the word of the cross, which is foolishness to those who are perishing, in Rome, the seat of human wisdom and eloquence, the fortress of pagan superstition, great charity was needed, with which the Apostle’s heart was inflamed; the charity, I say, that preferred the reproaches and humiliations of Christ to the honors and glories of the world. The fear of displeasing men, false shame, and the fear of temporal evils do not become a servant of Jesus Christ. Believing in Christ and preaching Him crucified is the necessary approach of faith. I am saved if I am not ashamed of my Lord. “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words,” He says, “the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” I do not find other materials for confusion that might through contempt of shame make me nobly impudent and happily foolish. The Son of God was crucified: I am not ashamed, because it is shameful. They are ashamed of the Gospel and the cross, who are ashamed to live according to the Gospel and not to conform to the corrupt morals of the world. These cannot truly say, “I am not ashamed of the gospel.” Nor do they obtain the efficacy of the Holy Spirit and the power of the grace of Christ, which lies in it, whoever merely hears or reads it; but only those who love it, faithfully obey it, and carefully observe it: “For it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes.”

Rom 1:17. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, or justice (cf., Ps 25:10). Both are revealed in the Gospel. First, the path of mercy that sanctifies and saves men through Jesus Christ, the source and perfection of true justice, hidden in the old law, manifested in the new; the author, object, consummator, and goal of faith, by which the just of both Testaments have lived, live, and will live, as many as attain salvation through Him, from the righteous Abel to the last of the elect. The natural man lives from what feeds and delights the senses. The philosopher lives from what appeals to reason. The Christian lives from present grace, which he obtains in Christ and through Christ, and from the hope of future goods, which faith renders present to him. “But the righteous shall live by faith.” For neither do we see our good already, whence it must be sought by believing; nor can we rightly live in it from ourselves, unless He who gave us faith to believe helps us as we believe and pray. “The righteous shall live by faith.” Indeed, it is difficult for one who believes well to live badly.

Rom 1:18. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and injustice of those men that detain the truth of God in injustice. Also, the way of justice is manifested in the Gospel, through Jesus Christ, to be exercised on the great day of judgment when He shall come from heaven in majesty to judge and punish all ungodliness and injustice of men who, having known the truth through His grace, abuse it—indeed loving its light, but not caring to conform their lives to its rule, which is the standard of all just and holy works. This is the injustice in which almost all men, some more, some less, detain the truth of God. For true knowledge of God, as St. Thomas says, leads men to good in itself; “But it is bound as if detained in captivity by the affection of injustice, by which, as Psalm 11 says, truths are diminished from among the children of men.”

Rom 1:19. Because that which is known of God is manifest in them. For God hath manifested it unto them.

Rom 1:20. For the invisible things of him, from the creation of the world, are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made; his eternal power also, and divinity; so that they are inexcusable.

All knowledge of God comes from God; but it brings greater condemnation to those who have known Him unless it produces love for Him, adoration, and praise. These movements of a pious and grateful soul are not generated, but rather pride and arrogance, unless God in His mercy prevents man and enlightens him with the light of faith. St. Augustine says, “Heaven and earth and all that is in them, behold, tell me to love You, and do not cease to tell all men, so that they may be without excuse. But You will have mercy on whom You will have mercy, and You will show compassion to whom You will show compassion; otherwise, heaven and earth speak Your praises to the deaf.” If, therefore, the Gentiles are inexcusable, who would not hear the voices of creatures, how much more inexcusable are Christians, who have closed the ears of their hearts to the Gospel of their Creator, and to the voice of the mysteries, miracles, and blood of Jesus Christ their Redeemer? “So that they are inexcusable.” Creatures have been made a snare to the feet of the unwise; to these, carnal men adhere, abandoning the Creator. What shame! But from these very things, good Christians return to God and are inflamed to love His invisible perfections, and to worship His eternal power and divinity. St. Gregory says, “If we carefully observe outward things, we are called back to inward things. For God has not yet made Himself known to us within as He is, because our minds are scattered outwardly by their own sin; but while He presents to us the beauty of His creation outwardly, He hints at Himself to us as it were by certain signs and shows us what we ought to follow within; and in a wonderful way, by the very forms of outward things, He leads us to the inward; for with great admiration He shows us what He is by showing outwardly what He is not.” Hence it is written of Wisdom: “She showeth herself cheerfully to them in the ways, and meeteth them with all providence.” The works of the Creator are the ways to the Creator; while we see these things made, we marvel at the power of the Maker. In these ways, Wisdom meets us with all providence, for the power of the Maker is proposed to us to be sought in everything that is marvelously made, and wherever the soul turns, if it attentively considers, it finds God in those very things by which it was abandoned; and from the consideration of these things again, it recognizes the power of Him whom it had left through love, and by which it fell, by these same things it is recalled. For where we have fallen, there we must lean to rise: and as if by rising, we fix the hand of consideration where we lay neglected by the slippery foot of love. For as we fell from the invisible things by visible things, it is fitting that by the same visible things we should be supported to the invisible: so that where the soul fell to the lowest, there it may return to the highest; and by the same steps by which it fell, it may rise.

Rom 1:21. Because that, when they knew God, they have not glorified him as God, or given thanks; but became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. Therefore, they cannot be excused, because their first fault did not proceed from ignorance. For they knew God, yet they did not honor Him by loving Him and keeping His law; nor did they attribute to Him, by thanksgiving, whatever good was in them. This crime is more horrible in Christians than in pagans and will be punished with a heavier condemnation, and their part will be with the unbelievers in the lake of fire, which is not quenched. For when the ignorant of the Lord have no excuse to shield them from punishment (because it is not allowed to be ignorant of God, who is placed openly, and can be understood even from His heavenly goods), how dangerous is it to despise Him when known? “For he despises who, having obtained the understanding of good and evil from Him, insults the very intellect He has given him by resuming what he knows should be shunned and fleeing from what he now again pursues; and thus he insults the very intellect of his own, that is, the gift of God.”…”He rejects the giver when he scorns the gift, denies the benefit when he does not honor it. . . . Thus he appears not only contumacious toward the Lord, but also ungrateful.” (Tertullian)

Rom 1:22. For, professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. What a great corruption of reason! Which ought to have driven men to seek and worship God, instead turned those who seemed wise away from Him. Thus, they were deprived of God’s gift, having confidence in themselves and not in God. They said, “We will magnify our tongue; our lips are our own; who is Lord over us?” Hence the blindness of heart, the just penalty of pride. “Where pride is, there will be also reproach: but where humility is, there also is wisdom.” Wherefore Christ says in Matthew: “I give thee thanks, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones,” that is, to the humble. The Apostle indicates four degrees of blindness into which the pride of the Gentile philosophers cast them headlong. 1. The light of reason was so obscured in them by God’s withdrawal that they did not truly know God, falling into various errors concerning His nature, goodness, power, providence, works, and benefits. For they considered God either as corporeal, improvident, acting out of necessity, confined to a certain place, or not the Creator of all things and the author of all good, attributing many things to fate, the stars, chance, and fortune, or certainly to their own industry and prudence. “They became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened.”

Rom 1:23. And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of a corruptible man and of birds and of four-footed beasts and of creeping things. Not only did they honor men and their images as gods, but also beasts and their likenesses, giving the honor due to the true God alone. “And of birds, and of four-footed beasts, and of creeping things.” Compare this with Wisdom: “A father mourning bitterly made to himself the image of his son soon taken away, and him who was then as a man dead, now as a god he began to worship, and appointed him rites and sacrifices among his servants. Then, in process of time, wicked custom prevailing, this error was kept as a law, and by the commandment of tyrants, the carved images were worshiped.” And again: “For either they sacrifice their own children, or they use secret sacrifices, or keep watches full of madness, and they neither keep life, nor marriages undefiled, but one kills another through envy, or grieves him by adultery. And all things are mingled with blood, murder, theft, and deceit, corruption, and unfaithfulness, tumults, perjury, disquieting of good men, forgetfulness of God, defiling of souls, changing of nature, disorder in marriage, incontinency, and uncleanness.” “For the worship of abominable idols is the cause and beginning and end of all evil.”

Rom 1:24. Wherefore God also gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness: to dishonor their own bodies among themselves. There are three degrees of abandonment by God as a punishment for impiety and pride, whereby, forsaking the Creator and setting Him aside, they gave to creatures the worship due to Him alone. First, God gave them up to the corrupt desires of their hearts by withdrawing His grace, by which they might have resisted and overcome their depraved passions. Being deprived of this heavenly aid, they plunged themselves into the vices of impurity, so that they defiled and dishonored their own bodies. For the honor of the body is purity.

Rom 1:25. Who changed the truth of God into a lie; and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator, who is forever praised. Amen.

Rom 1:26. For this cause, God delivered them up to shameful affections. For their women have changed the natural use into that use which is against nature. As a second degree of punishment, God gave them up to shameful affections, permitting them to abandon the natural use of their bodies in favor of unnatural practices.

Rom 1:27. And, in like manner, the men also, leaving the natural use of the woman, have burned in their lusts one towards another: men with men working that which is filthy, and receiving in themselves the recompense which was due to their error. They burned with passion for one another, men committing shameful acts with other men, and thus receiving in themselves the penalty they deserved for their error.

Rom 1:28. And as they liked not to have God in their knowledge, God delivered them up to a reprobate sense, to do those things which are not convenient. As a final degree of punishment, God delivered them over to a reprobate mind, allowing them to pursue actions that are not proper, as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God.

Rom 1:29 Being filled with all iniquity, malice, fornication, avarice, wickedness, full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity, whisperers,

Rom 1:30. Detractors, hateful to God, contumelious, proud, haughty, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

Rom 1:31. Foolish, dissolute, without affection, without fidelity, without mercy.

These vices are the fruits of infidelity, pride, and ingratitude. They manifest the just judgment of God in giving them up to the power of their own corrupt inclinations, as they preferred the creature to the Creator, and so, fell deeper into sin, deserving their punishment.

Rom 1:32. Who, having known the justice of God, did not understand that those who do such things are worthy of death; and not only they that do them, but they also that consent to them that do them. Though they knew God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continued to do these very things but also approved of those who practice them.