COMMON OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

. . . my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 

As Paul brought his Letter to the Romans to an end, he turned his thoughts to some of the people he knew who were living in Rome.

First on the list is Prisca and Aquila, a couple whose lives intersected with Paul’s more than once and who worked as missionaries in Corinth, Ephesus, and Rome (Acts 18:2-3, 18). Epaenetus, the very first Christian convert in the Roman province of Asia (Romans 16:5), is also included. So is Andronicus and Junia, whom Paul called “Apostles” and whom he honors as having been “in Christ” before him (16:7). There’s also Mary, Urbanus, Ampliatus, and Stachys. The names continue beyond today’s reading to include twenty-one others—along with a few families!

We often picture Paul as a solitary hero of the faith singlehandedly conquering the world for Christ. But as today’s reading shows, that was not exactly the case. Paul lived and ministered as part of a larger family of believers. He relied on the support and encouragement of many brothers and sisters in the Lord. And because their names are immortalized in Scripture, these men and women will forever stand as witnesses to the blessings that come from friendships founded in Christ.

Friendships weren’t important only for St. Paul. God doesn’t want any of us to be alone as we journey toward heaven. He created us with a natural longing for friendship, and he wants to help us find faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who can help fill that longing.

Whose names would you include if you were writing a letter like St. Paul’s? Whose witness—past or present—encourages you and helps keep your eyes fixed on Jesus? Take some time in prayer today, not just to remember their names, but also to recall what it is about them that inspires you. Then thank the Lord for each of them and ask him to pour out a special blessing on them.

“Thank you, Father, for my brothers and sisters in Christ! Draw us even closer together in you.”

Psalm 145:2-5, 10-11
Luke 16:9-15
Romans 16:3-9, 16, 22-27