Gospel of Peace - Week 5: Friday

Romans 8:5-6

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Commentary

Fr. Tadros Malaty
When we hear the words: ‘...But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit...’, we should not interpret that to mean that we have stripped off our human bodies. Rather; it means that while we have that body, we have abandoned the tide of carnal lusts, so that we have become as though we have no body as far as passions are concerned. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself used this expression when He spoke to the disciples and said: “You are not of this world”, indicating that they do not have the earthly thought and temporal passions in spite of their existence in the world.

With that same concept, St. Irenaeus comments as follows: [With these words, St Paul does not condemn the entity of the body, but he reveals the need for the Holy Spirit to be poured into it. However, he had stripped himself from carnal passions as they bring death to a human being. He also comments: [This is not achieved by driving out the body, but by having fellowship with the Spirit, for those to whom the Apostle is writing have accepted the Spirit of God, even while having a body, and to whom we cry out saying: “Abba, Father”, (8:15).

Questions

• How does this verse and commentary tie in with lent?

• Does being away from material possessions bring us peace or does it cause us to be further away from peace?

• Are we giving up anything more than food for lent? I.e. social media, Netflix, Youtube, TikTok, etc...?