Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15 NABRE
Paul is writing to the community at Rome and in this section speaks about love and peace. He wants to address how Christian’s should interact with others, even if someone is not a member of the community or a believer. Paul is taking counsel from what he knows as a Jewish man and Pharisee and from what he has seen from the example of Jesus. He says Christians must be sincerely charitable, love one another with mutual affection, and not grow slack but be fervent. Paul writes that we should join in on rejoicing and weeping, in other words he is looking for Christians to be in solidarity with others. He has spoken about Christian’s being the one body of Christ, when one is joyful all are joyful, when one hurts all hurt. He is suggesting, influenced by Jesus command to love one another that we all walk with one another, we have compassion for one another, we join in the joy or sadness of the other. No one who is a disciple of Jesus should ever allow anyone to feel alone. This was likely difficult then and it is now. In Roman society there would have been class structures, from the elite to the slave and Paul is saying they should treat one another as equal. Today we have cultural structures, we can see with the death of innocent men at the hands of oppressors and officers that we have more than a class structure but we get a sense of racial boundaries and inequalities. Paul would say we are not Christian unless we walk with one another equally. If another human is hurting Christian’s should flock to that pain and hurt with the person. If there is joy Christian’s should flock to the joy and rejoice.
Be compassionate, enter into the passion of another. Be the face of Jesus in joy and weeping.
Do you rejoice with others? Do you weep with others?
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