In today’s reflection on the daily mass readings, given in Welsh and English, Fr Richard considers what makes us righteous before God.
Readings: Romans 2.1-11; Luke 11.42-26 [Wednesday of week 28 of Ordinary Time; Memorial of St Teresa of Aliva]
Tebygir yn aml mai’i Lythyr at y Rhufeiniaid yw gwaith gorau Sant Paul. Gall ei ddarllen a’i astudio fod yn waith anodd oherwydd ei natur dwfn a chymhleth.
Fodd bynnag, mae’n werth yr ymdrech achos mae’r llythyr hwn yn cynnwys cyfrif cynhwysfawr a phrydferth o’r Ffydd Gristnogol. Daw’r rhan a glywsom heno o’r ail bennod, ble mae Paul yn gosod y sylfaen i’r hyn sydd i ddod. Yn y penodau cynnar yma, mae’n sôn am bechod dynol. Ym mhennod un, mae Paul yn sôn am bechodau’r cenhedloedd. Mae’n debyg ei fod yn gweld y darllenwr Iddewig yn cytuno’n llwyr. Ond, ym mhennod dau, mae’n tanio ar ei bobl ei hun, yr Iddewon. Os ydynt yn beirniadu eraill, meddai Paul, “Yr ydych yn eich condemnio eich hunain achos eich bod yn barnu, ac yn ymarfer yr un pethau”. Hynny yw, mae’r holl ddynoliaeth, boed o’r cenhedloedd neu’n Iddew, yn bechaduriaid. Yng ngweddill y llythyr, mae Paul yn arddangos sut y mae Duw wedi delio unwaith ac am byth gyda
phechod dynol. Gyrrodd ei unig anedig Fab i’r byd i farw dros bechodau pawb, fel y gall pawb, o bob cenedl, eu hachub. Yng ngolwg Paul, cyfiawnheir ni trwy Dduw nid trwy ein hymdrechion ein hunain ond trwy ei ras a thrwy ffydd. Hwn yw
newyddion da yr Efengyl.
Mae’r ffug-gyfiawnder a gondemnir gan Paul, hefyd yn cael ei gondemnio gan yr Iesu yn yr Efengyl. Mae E’n ymosod ar y Phariseaid am eu hobsesiwn â manion deddf yr Hen Destament gan anwybyddu materion mwy eang. Dywed eu bod yn “degymu mintys a phob llysieuyn”. Degymu yw rhoi deg y cant o bopeth a dyfir i Dduw, yn ôl yr Hen Destament – ffordd o gydnabod fod popeth yn dod oddi wrth Dduw. Ond, drwy ddegymu pob llysieuyn bach yn eithafol, mae’r Phariseaid am
ddangos eu bod yn well na phawb arall, ac mae’r Iesu’n dweud fod hyn yn golygu eu bod yn anwybyddu “cyfiawnder a chariad Duw”. Hynny yw, nid y Gyfraith yw popeth. Ydy, mae’n bwysig, ond felly hefyd yw cyfiawnder a chariad. Gallem ninnau weld bai ar y Phariseaid, fel y gwna y Rhufeiniaid. Byddem ninnau wedyn yr un mor euog.
Mae ein darlleniadau heno yn ein hatgoffa i ddiolch am yr anrheg fawr a gawsom gan Dduw – maddeuant pechodau drwy farwolaeth ac atgyfodiad yr Iesu. Nid oes rhaid ein pechodau fod yn fwrdwn bellach achos mae Duw wedi eu dileu. Byddwn
yn ofalus cyn beirniadu eraill achos mae angen ei ras iachusol arnom oll. Hefyd, gelwir ni i ateb yr alwad i weithio dros gyfiawnder a heddwch. Mae cadw rheolau yn iawn, ond nid dyna’r holl stori. Rhaid mynd â chariad Duw i’r holl fyd a’r anghenus.
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St Paul’s letter to the Romans is often regarded as his finest work. Reading and studying it can often be hard work, as the argument is frequently dense and complex.
However, the effort of doing so always pays off, since Romans contains a beautiful and comprehesive account of the Christian faith. The portion we heard tonight comes from chapter 2, and here Paul is laying the groundwork for what will come later. In these early chapters, he is discussing the problem of human sin. In chapter 1, Paul was writing about the sinfulness of the Gentiles. He was doubtless thinking as he wrote of the Jewish reader, seeing this condemnation of the Gentiles and nodding in agreement. Now, however, in chapter 2, he turns his fire on his own people, the Jews. If they were passing judgement on others, Paul writes, “you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practise the very same things.” In other words, all humanity – Jew and Gentile – have fallen short and sinned. In the rest of the letter, Paul shows how God has dealt once and for all with the problem of human sin. He sent his only Son into the world to die for the sins of all, so that all might be saved, Jew and Gentile alike. For Paul, we are justified with God not through our own efforts but through his grace and by faith. This is the good news of the Gospel.
The false righteousness which Paul condemns – a righteousness based on our own merits – is also criticised by Jesus in the Gospel. He attacks the Pharisees for being obsessed with the smallest details of Old Testament law, and ignoring broader concerns. He says that they were tithing “mint and rue and every herb”. Now tithing, giving 10 per cent of produce grown to God, was laid down in the Old Testament law. It was a way of acknowledging that all things come from God. But tithing the tiniest herbs was taking this principle to the extreme. By doing this, the Pharisees thought they were better Jews than everybody else. And yet, Jesus says that their obsession with these details meant that they neglected “justice and the love of God”. He seems to be saying that keeping the law was not the end of the matter. It was important, but so too is love and justice. We might be tempted to criticise the Pharisees ourselves, but then we would be doing the very thing which Paul criticises in Romans. We would be judging others when we ourselves are just as guilty of falling short.
Our readings today are a reminder to us to give thanks for the extradordinary gift we have received from God, the forgiveness of sins through the death and resurrection of Jesus. Our sins need not weigh us down, for God has wiped them away. We must be wary of judging others, for all of us are in need of his healing grace. At the same time, we must heed the call to work for justice and peace in the world. The keeping of rules and regulations is well and good, but is not the whole story. We need to take the Good News of God’s love to our world, and to all who so deparately need to hear it.
Mass in Welsh today is in St Dyfrig & St Samson at 5.30pm.
South Cardiff Ministry Area 