Welcome to the Pauline Family's "Year of the Bible"! We've been reading the Bible clear through this year. We are finishing the New Testament, so read along with me. But first, let us pray:
Father,
When the fullness of time had come, you sent your Word in the One who said, “Whoever sees me, sees the Father.” No revelation can surpass this until Jesus comes again. By your gift, the Church continues to receive unfathomable riches from the inheritance handed on from the Apostles and guaranteed by the Holy Spirit.
Let the Spirit who inspired the writing of today's pages "guide me in the truth and teach me" to follow Jesus ever more closely, until he calls me to follow him to the Kingdom where he lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, forever and ever. Amen.
Today's chapters are Titus 2-3 and Philemon.
Unfortunately for us, outside of the Christmas season Paul's letter to Titus is only read at three weekday Masses—every other year! The Christmas passages are included in today's short chapters, which reflect much of what we read in the letters to Timothy. This is, after all, a "pastoral" epistle, intended to give practical guidance to a young Church leader in a very young Church!
After Paul signs off, we move on to the Letter to Philemon.
For several weeks we have been reading Epistles of St Paul that have been, well, Epistles! This next one is actually just a letter. The ordinary kind. The family of Philemon must have been quite honored to receive a personal letter from Paul, but the delivery by Onesimus, the slave who had escaped from their home months (years?) earlier made the whole thing quite awkward. As Paul must have intended. A church community met at Philemon's house, but Onesimus had not been one of the members. He had been instructed in the faith and baptized in Rome, under Paul's care. And then sent back to Colossae with this astutely phrased letter.
Perhaps while serving Philemon's family, Onesimus had heard words about "freedom in Christ." Maybe that is what initially inspired him to break every law known to society, take his life and future in his hands, and escape Asia Minor. All we know is that he found Paul. And Paul, of course, knew the Torah: "You shall not hand over to their master any slaves who have taken refuge with you..." (Dt 23:16). So why was Paul sending Onesimus back to Philemon? Was it because "the old has passed away; behold, new things have come!" (2 Cor 5:17)? Was this provision of the old Law also abrogated? Had the God who freed his people from slavery in Egypt and made provision for escaped slaves put all freedom on a "spiritual" plane now? Or was Paul pointing out how baptism changes every relationship we have, and letting the Gospel begin to work like yeast in the society of Colossae, beginning in the home of Philemon?
Finish reading Titus here and read Philemon here.
Anglican priest and Scripture scholar Esau McCaulley delves into key passages of Paul's letters (among dozens of other biblical books) that were historically twisted to uphold the institution of slavery and racial injustice in the United States. His book, Reading While Black: African American Biblical Interpretation as an Exercise in Hope, is especially addressed to Black readers, but I found it extremely relevant to the questions American society is facing. His reflection on slavery (and on the applications of Deuteronomy 23) is amazing.
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