“From Them Came the Christ”
August 5, 2026
Fr. John Riccardo
Brothers and sisters: I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie; my conscience joins with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness that I have great sorrow and constant anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the flesh. They are Israelites; theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen (Romans 9:1-5).
Last Sunday, we heard the glorious crescendo of Romans 8, often considered the center of Paul’s greatest letter. This coming Sunday, we are going to hear the beginning of three extremely dense and challenging chapters, ones that deal with the role and place of Israel in God’s plan. Tragically, they are almost always left untouched by preachers. Just think for a moment: have you ever heard a homily on these chapters and that theme?
Because we are only going to hear short excerpts from these three chapters over the next few weeks, may I suggest that we take the time and make the effort to not only read but wrestle with Paul’s words in Romans 9-11 in their entirety this week.
As we read these chapters, we need to remember that Paul never stopped considering himself a Jew. We use language like “the conversion of Paul,” but if by that we mean Paul stopped being a Jew and started being a Christian I think he might take issue with it. Rather, as many scholars have noted, what happened to this brilliant and zealous Pharisee on the way to Damascus to arrest Christians was the shocking realization, as a result of his encounter with the risen Lord, that Jesus was and is the fulfillment of all that God had promised to the Jewish people.
This is crucial for us to understand as we read the New Testament in general and Paul in particular. In other words, God has not rejected Israel. He has not been unfaithful to the promise He made to Abraham. He hasn’t scrapped His plan and moved on. Instead, all of God’s promises have found their fulfillment in Jesus — just not the way anyone ever imagined it would come to pass.
As I mentioned, these chapters of Romans are dense and challenging. This is in part because they are so full of Old Testament citations. Scott Hahn notes that these chapters boast “the highest concentration of Old Testament quotations in any three chapters of Paul’s Letters.” He goes on to write that “according to the statistics of one scholar, ‘nearly 40% of Romans 9–11 is composed of Old Testament quotations … and more than half of the Old Testament citations in Romans appear in Romans 9–11, and 66% of all Pauline quotations are found in Romans. That means more than one-third of the Old Testament quotations in the authentic Pauline Letters are found in Romans 9–11.’”
Saint Jerome famously wrote, “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ.” What’s always been important to me about these words of Jerome is that they come in a commentary he wrote on the prophet Isaiah. In other words, Jerome is saying that ignorance of the Old Testament is ignorance of Christ! That’s more than a bit problematic for many of us.
Perhaps, then, this week, in addition to reading Romans 9-11, we would do well to read the brief, but rich, document from Vatican II entitled Dei Verbum (The Word of God). It’s easily found online, and is often included in many Catholic Bibles. I frequently return to this short work, and always encourage people beginning to read Scripture to start with this, in order to get the mind of the Church with regards to Revelation in general and Scripture in particular.
So, let’s roll up our spiritual sleeves this week and get after some serious reflection, prayer and study. God is faithful. My, how we need to constantly keep that in mind. May St. Paul intercede for us to better understand that truth.
ACTS XXIX Prayer Intentions
August 2026
For the many missions we will lead throughout California this month, that our time with God's people would bear abundant fruit, drawing hearts more deeply into the love of Jesus and strengthening His Church.
For Fr. John and his new book, The Resistance: God's Plan for Renewing the Human Family, that all who read it would rediscover who God is, who they are as His beloved sons and daughters, and embrace His call to become agents of renewal and re-creation in the world.
For our mission with the presbyterate of the Diocese of Joliet, that the Holy Spirit would bring hope where there is discouragement, healing where there are wounds, and renewed passion for proclaiming the Gospel.
For all those attending our upcoming Leadership Immersive, that they would encounter Jesus in a fresh way, be equipped for the mission entrusted to them, and return home eager to restore the initiative to God and fired up for the Gospel.
For the planning and preparation of the Jesus Conference, that every decision would be guided by the Holy Spirit, every obstacle removed, every detail serve God's greater purpose, and that the conference would be a powerful catalyst to be mobilized for mission for all who attend.
For our Board of Directors, our benefactors, and all who faithfully pray for ACTS XXIX, that God would abundantly reward their generosity and fidelity, bless them and their families, and continue to use them as instruments in His work of rescuing, renewing, and transforming the human family into the family of God.