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Romans 15:21-23
New Catholic Bible
Romans 15:21-23
New Catholic Bible
21 Rather, as it is written:
“Those who have never been told of him shall see,
and those who have never heard of him shall understand.”
22 Paul’s Plans for Traveling—Even to Spain.[a] That is why I have so often been prevented from coming to you. 23 But now, since there is nothing more to keep me in these regions, and since for a good many years I have desired to visit you,
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Romans 15:22 Rome is not to be anything more than a stopover on Paul’s journey to Spain. He plans to travel to the very ends of the West to continue his mission to make the Gospel present where it has not yet been announced. Apparently, he intends to go to Jerusalem to bring to indigent Christians (“saints”) of that mother community the fruits of the collection organized by Christians converted from paganism. This will be not only a gesture of mutual aid but a test of unity among Christians of both Gentile and Jewish origin (see 1 Cor 16:14; 2 Cor 8–9; Gal 2:10). A genuine fraternal communion requires a new practice of exchanging goods with one another.
In the wake of the Galatian crisis, the Apostle is justified in thinking that he risks being badly received in Judea. The prayer of the Romans will be a comfort to him. The Book of Acts tells the story of his arrest in Jerusalem (ch. 21) and his journey to Rome (chs. 27–28).
