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Tuesday 6 December 2016

The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 2


The Letter of St. Paul

 to 

The Romans 

 Chapter 

2


¹ Therefore you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things. ² You say, "We know that God's judgment on those who do such things is in accordance with truth." ³ Do you imagine, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape the judgment of God?



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 2 verses 1 to 3)



Oh God, my Father many times I have been judged. One of many persons who is a protestant many time accused me without ever knowing me of being evil because I am a Roman Catholic, because we bow before statues, without ever considering that You my, God loves me as much as much as You love the protestants and people from other religions. Thank You for loving me, my God and Father. Amen.


⁴ Or do you  despise the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience? Do you not realise that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? ⁵ But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.  ⁶ For he will repay according to each one's deeds; ⁷ to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; ⁸ while for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury.



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 2 verses 4 to 8)


Oh God, my Father, if we only realised what it means to trust completely in You and choose You and Your will over that of our self and over the ways of the world. Our lives and that of the world would be a better place. You are the only one who can ever satisfy our souls. One day we are leaving the riches and honours of the world and only the good deeds and intentions will be our lot Amen.



⁹ There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, ¹⁰ but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek, ¹¹ For God shows no partiality.



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 2 verses 9 to 11)



Oh God, my Father You are the only person whom I know that has no bias or prejudice and who is fair with everyone even if the person comes from a different religion or belief system. Your, door is open for everyone. Heaven has no limitation of accommodation or limited by time and space, or else You would have told us. I thank You for not denying anybody the opportunity of salvation Amen.



¹². All who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 2 verse 12)



Oh God, my Father You are so wise that You created laws on both the spiritual level and even those of a social nature. However some may try to get away from the punishments of the law, but nobody can get away from You and Your laws Amen.



¹³ For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God's sight, but the doers of the law who will be justified.



(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 2 verse 13)


Oh God my Father, even if I upload prayers on all of the Bible in this blog and then decide not to live one chapter of it or only those chapters which I find easy to live, all this would be a waste of time, for to share one thing and live another is hypocrisy and not worthy of the Word of God to be treated in such a way. I, therefore, pray to You my God and Father that You protect me from falling into such a trap Amen.


¹⁴ When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these though not having the law, are a law to themselves. ¹⁵ They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them ¹⁶ on the day, when according to my gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all.


(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 2 verses 14 to 16)



Oh God, my Father, our actions act as a witness, against us, and even those of others. For example, certain charitable acts done, by people who do not believe in You make me feel ashamed of myself, for they are doing actions that  I a believer would think twice before doing. However, these people although they do not admit it have Your Law written in their hearts and even practice it. May we all be influenced by the positive acts of others instead of motivated by the negative ones Amen.


¹⁷ But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast of your relation to God ¹⁸ and know his will and determine what is best because you are instructed in the law, ¹⁹ and if you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, ²⁰ a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment and truth, ²¹ you, then, that teach others, will you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? ²² You that forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You that abhor idols, do you rob temples? ²³ You that boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? ²⁴ For, it is written, "The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."


(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 2 verses 17 to 24)



Oh God, my Father these verses have indeed left their mark in me, for although I instruct others to take their medicines, I abstain from taking my own. Today You have taught me that before telling others how and what to do, it is best to check if I am practising that same thing myself, on both a spiritual and social level Amen.


²⁵ Circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law; but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ²⁶ So, if those who are uncircumcised keep the requirements of the law, will not their uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?


(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 2 verses 25 to 26) 


Oh God in light of this argument re-circumcision the same can be said about marriage. If the couple are no longer obeying the rules of love, trust, fidelity, communication, the marriage gradually breaks down, and therefore it can no longer be called a marriage but a union of convenience. When dialogue become confrontation, and one dreads the moment that one goes home after a day's work instead of feeling welcomed by one's family these are all signs that the marriage has become unhealthy and that something needs to be done. When all the basic elements have disappeared the marriage is no longer a marriage, however when a couple are living the vows of marriage even though they are not married this couple is as if they are married and they shame us who are married. I pray for Your immediate intervention my God and Father for my marriage has lost the basic ingredients Amen.


Signs that a marriage is over 



 ²⁷ Then those who are physically uncircumcised but keep the law will condemn you that have the written code and circumcision but break the law. ²⁸ For a person is not a jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. ²⁹ Rather, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart-it is spiritual and not literal. Such a person receives praise not from others but from God.


(The Letter of St. Paul to the Romans Chapter 2 verses 27 to 29) 



Oh God my beloved Father, that I may be judged by You regarding my Faith in You and even in relation to my external behaviour. I pray that You give me the strength and power to live according to my faith in You, and not according to the ways of the world. However even, though this is my aim, I am still judged by others of not doing so, however, my trust is in You my God and Father forever Amen. 

 Oh God my beloved Father I would like to end this second chapter of St. Paul's letter to the Romans with the following prayer;-


Oh God, I thank You for making me one of Your followers and believers, I thank You for accepting me as being part of Your body on earth that is the Roman Catholic Church as I hold according to my faith without displeasing others of different faiths. I pray that You give me the strength and Faith to live and behave according to my belief in You, and may You be reflected through the way I behave Amen. Thank You, God my beloved Father.