Saint Andrew Russian Greek Catholic Church

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The second Sunday after Pentecost presents us with the practical application of the great call to renunciation formulated by Jesus in the Gospel reading for last Sunday.  The Gospel read today tells of the calling of the first apostles.

The Epistle reading today deals with themes of the Law of Moses and of faith that we will continue to consider on following Sundays.  Today we hear Saint Paul compare the state of the Jews and of the Gentiles in relation to the Mosaic Law.

…but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.

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. 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. 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. 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 on the day when, according to my gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all.