Today we begin reading Paul's Letter to the Romans, and this will continue for four weeks. Among Paul's Letters, the introductory section of Romans, which we read today, is one of the longer and more theological passages.

First of all, we have a brief theology of vocation, distilled from Paul's own experience. We are all called and "set aside" for God. We are called to be servants of Christ Jesus, who Himself was the Suffering Servant of God. We are also called to proclaim the Gospel.

Then Paul gathers much of the Christological doctrine of the New Testament into a few sentences. Jesus is truly "Son of God", but on earth He had a human ancestry and was fully human. His life was climaxed by the resurrection, in which we see Him as truly the "Son of God", the man on whom the Holy Spirit rested. His life was one of perfect holiness and sinlessness. As His disciples, we, too, are "called to holiness", to be holy through the holiness of Jesus, which He shares with us in the Church. Our apostolic mission in whatever we do in the Church is to help all people to realize that they "are called to belong to Christ Jesus."