Man is mortal but he longs for immortality. Therefore, people in the Middle Age in Europe built magnificent cathedrals whose Gothic spires showed man's desire to reach upwards to heavens. Among these cathedrals, the St. John Lateran Basilica is regarded as the mother of all these cathedrals. Today, the Catholic Church celebrates her dedication.

On the macro level, i.e. social and cultural level, Paul was very much concerned with the building up of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ. On the micro level, i.e. interpersonal level, Paul cared very much about edification. Our relationship with each other should improve / promote our relationship with Christ who is the very foundation of our faith, our Church.
For no other foundation can any one lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11).
What are the building blocks of this relationship with Jesus?
There are three. The theological virtues: faith, hope and charity.
Strong faith is good. But it is good for oneself only. Hope is indispensable in times of crisis and tribulation which will surely come near the end of the world. In good times, hope shies away from the foreground. In bad times, hope sustains us till our end. Still hope is a personal conviction. Of course, this hope can be shared by a community of believers. But charity is better, because it is good for all. Charity is edifying. That is why Paul concludes his ode of love with the following line.
So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13).

In trying to dissuade the Corinthians from factionism, Paul painted a big picture. We are all parts making up the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church. Cephas, Apollo and Paul were just fellow workers cultivating God's field, building God's house.
For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building (1 Corinthians 3:9). 
Then Paul continues to compare the quality of the missionary work of the apostles anonymously: gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay and straw (1 Corinthians 3:12). Their missionary work will undergo the test of fire. Then the quality of their work will be shown.
Then Paul turns to the believers who are the handicrafts the apostles are working on. Since the apostles are building up God's Church, therefore, Paul claims that the believers are God's Temple.
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
Depending on our conception of the Temple, we have as many ways to understand Paul's "God's Temple" as people's faces. Very likely, many will think along the line that they, as an individual, as a person, are a Temple, like a temple standing tall and alone, overseeing a particular region. Some may think along the line that they are the meeting places between God and men, a place of reconciliation. Some may think themselves places / persons of prayers. Some think that they are holy and solemn and do not allow for any blemishes. Some have grander ideas to think of themselves a building bricks, joining forces with other believers to build up a magnificent Gothic cathedral etc. This is worth exploring. After all, Paul allows us room for interpretation as long as we keep the image he offers.
If any one destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and that temple you are (1 Corinthians 3:17).
The magnificent Jerusalem Temple must have provided Paul with the image he invokes in this writing of God's temple. But Paul did not live to see the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. He died before the siege of Jerusalem. I wonder if he would retract his statement for God did not destroy Titus Flavius Vespasianus. Or perhaps Paul means martyrdom. God would avenge the blood of martyrs with His wrath.

Dear Lord, we praise You. You are our foundation, our life. I pray that we care more about the needs of our neighbours, speak edifying words to encourage them so that we may build up a Church that is able to withstand Your fire of purification. Amen.

Though Paul did not preach in Rome before he sent this epistle (Romans 15:20), he had already established a powerful network there. The last chapter of the Romans reads like a hall of frame.

The first person Paul mentioned is Phoebe, a deaconess of the church at Cenchreae (Romans 16:1).
Throughout the centuries, quite a number of offices have become obsolete. The most obvious one is the office of prophet. Perhaps the church hierarchy has not been able to accommodate the challenges posed by these people. Or perhaps the revelation from God is completed. He does not send any more prophets to the Church.
The service of deacons and deaconess was to meet the needs of the local churches. When a certain need arose which was best handled by deaconess, the office of deaconess was created. When the need no longer existed, the office vanished. When permanent diaconate is re-introduced in the Catholic Church in the twentieth century, women are excluded in the name of tradition. Of course, what worked in the first century is not a strong enough justification for doing it in the twentieth century. Indeed, a lot of first century practices are not put in practice anymore nowadays. For example, sharing all property in common.

The following is the Hall of Frame in Rome.

1. Prisca and Aquila (Romans 16:3-4) and the church in their house (16:5). Paul calls them fellow workers in Christ. Perhaps they were the Priscilla and Aquila in Acts 18.
2. Urbanus (16:9), fellow worker in Christ
3. Tryphaena and Tryphosa (16:12), workers in the Lord.
4. beloved Persis (16:12), who worked hard in the Lord.
5. Mary (16:6) who worked hard among the Romans.
6. beloved Epaenetus (16:5), the first convert in Asia
7. Ampliatus (16:8), beloved in the Lord
8. beloved Stachys (16:9)
9. Andronicus and Junias, kinsmen and fellow prisoners (16:7)
10. Herodion (16:11), kinsman.
11. Apelles (16:10), approved in the Lord. What does that mean?
12. the family of Aristobulus (16:10)
13. the family of Narcissus (16:11)
14. Rufus (16:13), eminent in the Lord. Perhaps because his father had carried the cross for Jesus (Mark 15:21)
15. Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas (16:14)
16. Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas (16:15)

A total of 26 names of eminent people in the Church of Rome are mentioned.
Then a short list of names from his side.

1. Timothy (16:21), fellow worker
2. Lucius and Jason and Sosipater (16:21), kinsmen
3. Tertius (16:22), copyist of this epistle
4. Gaius (16:23), host of Paul
5. Erastus (16:23), the city treasurer
6. Quartus (16:31), brother

A total of 8 names in the Church of Corinth are mentioned. Because of the paucity of information, many of these people have nothing more than their names written down in the New Testament.

Dear Lord, teach me to work with others as a team. Amen.

Romans 14 deals with conscience though the word conscience does not appear in Romans 14. The teachings can also be found in other Pauline epistles as well.
The word conscience συνείδησις appears only in the New Testament and not in the Hebrew Scripture because the Hebrew language only has words for heart, which sometimes mean conscience, depending on the context. There is no separate word dedicated to the concept of conscience.
In the New Testament, the word conscience appears 32 times in KJV. 1 in John, 2 in Acts, 3 in 1 Peter and the remaining 26 times in Paul's epistles! So, Paul is the major "supplier" of the concept of conscience in the Bible.

Let's follow the scheme proposed by the translators of the Chinese Catholic Bible, the Franciscan priests, and put the Pauline epistles in chronological order. 1 Thessalonians (51). 2 Thessalonians (52). 1 Corinthians (56). 2 Corinthians (57). Galatians (late 57). Romans (early 58). Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon & Philippians [the captivity epistles] (63). Hebrews (64). 1 Timothy & Titus (65). 2 Timothy (67). Therefore, many themes that appear in the Romans had been more fully developed in earlier epistles. Paul would write them in a more concise and mature manner.
Paul brings up the question of those weak in faith in Romans 14. He illustrates it with his familiar topic which he has discussed twice in the First epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 8, 10). Here in the Romans, the focus is less on theology, but charity. Moreover, Paul is quick to point out the status of all believers. We are only fellow servants of God.
Let not him who eats despise him who abstains, and let not him who abstains pass judgment on him who eats; for God has welcomed him. 
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Master is able to make him stand (Romans 14:3-4).
God loves us all. God wants to save us all. Therefore, God will not condemn us. Who are you to condemn your fellow colleagues? Let us treat each other with charity because we are but slaves before God.

Paul repeats his point again from another perspective. Jesus is our Saviour. He dies and rises up again for you, me and our "weak" brothers. If Jesus our Saviour does not condemn us, we should not condemn our brothers too.
None of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 
If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. 
For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living (Romans 14:7-9).
Truly, our life has been saved by Jesus. Therefore, our life no longer belongs to us, but to Jesus. Therefore, the purpose of our life is to live and die for Jesus, not for ourselves. The logical conclusion is that Jesus will be our judge. We are not the judge of our brothers.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God (Romans 14:10).
Not passing judgment on others is good, but not good enough. Christians should aim higher, better and nobler. So, the next logical extension is this, though it is still framed in negative term.
Then let us no more pass judgment on one another, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother (Romans 14:13).
Gradually, imperceptibly, charity appears.
If your brother is being injured by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love. Do not let what you eat cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died (Romans 14:15). 
More ambitiously, for team building, solidarity building, we should proceed with love, justice and peace in mind.
Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding (Romans 14:19). 
Paul then wraps up the whole discussion and brings it back to conscience, though he uses the word faith instead.
The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God; happy is he who has no reason to judge himself for what he approves. 
But he who has doubts is condemned, if he eats, because he does not act from faith; for whatever does not proceed from faith is sin (Romans 14:22-23). 
Only God can judge our conscience/faith. If we do things in good faith, though we are later proven wrong, we stand blameless before God. The whole world may condemn our mistakes, but only God's judgment counts. Never acts from a dubious conscience. This is what we are learning in the Moral Theology course.

My Lord, help us act always in prudence with love. Amen.

Appendix:
ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει κύριος, ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ καὶ πᾶσα γλῶσσα ἐξομολογήσεται τῷ θεῷ.
As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall give praise to God (Romans 14:11)
ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει κύριος, (Isaiah 49:18)
ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ καὶ ἐξομολογήσεται πᾶσα γλῶσσα τῷ θεῷ (Isaiah 45:23b).

In necessariis unitas.
In dubiis libertas.
In omnibus caritas. (St. Augustine)

Leaving Romans 11, which Paul ends with an Amen, we come to moral teachings in the Romans. Here, we will find many familiar teachings which appear in the gospels as well.
Paul begins by appealing to the Roman Christians to lead a saintly life, to present their body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Romans 12:1). In order to do this, a renewal of the mind is needed. This renewal of mind is in fact a conversion to Christ. It helps them to lead a life that fulfils the will of God, a life that is good, acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).

After setting the ideal of a Christian life, Paul makes it clear that such a life is not individualistic. It is a life in the community. He briefly sketches a few lines on his theology of the Mystical Body which he has developed more fully elsewhere (Romans 12:4-8).
Then, Paul spells out an ideal Christian life in greater details. These details are short and sharp, enough for us to spend our whole life to perfect.
Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;
love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor. 
Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord. 
Rejoice in your hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 
Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality (Romans 12:9-13).
Coincidentally, this passage is also the Lectio brevis of the Vesperas of Tuesday on the Third Week. That is tonight. 

Scholars put the date of composition in 58 A.D. Around that time, the Gospels of Mark and perhaps Matthew had been in circulation. Therefore, we will be able to find similar gospel teachings in the Romans. Perhaps the Romans and the Gospels share a common pool of oral tradition from where the authors drew their inspirations. For example,
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them (Romans 12:14, Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:28).
If possible, so far as it depends upon you, live peaceably with all (Romans 12:18, Mark 9:50). 
if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head (Romans 12:20, Proverbs 25:21-22, Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27).
Indeed, quite a number of ideas in Romans 12 came from the book of Proverbs.

Dear Lord, I pray that my zeal for Your Word of life will never flag. Let Your love continue to prod me on. Amen.

Appendix:
ἐμοὶ ἐκδίκησις, ἐγὼ ἀνταποδώσω, λέγει κύριος.
Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord (Romans 12:19b)
ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ἐκδικήσεως ἀνταποδώσω, ἐν καιρῷ, ὅταν σφαλῇ ὁ ποὺς αὐτῶν, ὅτι ἐγγὺς ἡμέρα ἀπωλείας αὐτῶν, καὶ πάρεστιν ἕτοιμα ὑμῖν.
Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly. (Deuteronomy 32:35).

ἐὰν πεινᾷ ὁ ἐχθρός σου, ψώμιζε αὐτόν· ἐὰν διψᾷ, πότιζε αὐτόν· τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν ἄνθρακας πυρὸς σωρεύσεις ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ.
if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head (Romans 12:20)
ἐὰν πεινᾷ ὁ ἐχθρός σου, τρέφε αὐτόν, ἐὰν διψᾷ, πότιζε αὐτόν,
τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν ἄνθρακας πυρὸς σωρεύσεις ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ, (Proverbs 25:21-22).

Lectio brevis   Rom 12, 9-12
Diléctio sine simulatióne. Odiéntes malum, adhæréntes bono; caritáte fraternitátis ínvicem diligéntes, honóre ínvicem præveniéntes, sollicitúdine non pigri, spíritu fervéntes, Dómino serviéntes, spe gaudéntes, in tribulatióne patiéntes, oratióni instántes.

Fr. Milanese celebrated the 11 a.m. Mass this morning. The introduction of his homily stimulated our thoughts. Today, the Church celebrates all the saints. They have successfully accomplished their mission on earth and are not seeing God face to face in heaven. There are many famous saints as well as unsung heroes. But the most important of all, the Church celebrates us as well because we are all saints. We are called to be saints.
To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 1:7).
To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:2-3).
Therefore, according to the theology of St. Paul, we are saints. We are called to be saints, to lead a saintly life.

The Gospel reading is the Beatitudes of Matthew 5. It is a passage all Christians are familiar with. Actually, it is the introductory part of the whole thing called "The Sermon on the Mount" which extends across Matthew 5 to Matthew 7. Some call this part the Magna Carta of the Kingdom of Heaven. Yet, it is rather impossible to follow these high ideals in our daily life.
How can we offer the other cheek when we have been struck and humiliated? How can we love our enemies and put up no resistance against evils? Can we see our family members being butchered and still pray for the murderers? There is so much injustice in the world. How can we be blessed / satisfied when we hunger and thirst for righteousness?
The evangelical ideals are simply too difficult to follow without God's grace. We have to admit our impotence and pray for the empowerment from God. Fr. Milanese quoted the reading a few weeks back where the disciples were amazed by Jesus' remark that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the rich to enter the Kingdom. Then Jesus added that it was possible for God.
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." 
When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?" 
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:24-26)
Therefore, the Sermon on the Mount is the blueprint of a Christian life, a life of sanctification. It is a life open to God, open to His grace. It is a life of continuous transcendence, a life of transcending the old self everyday.

To wrap up his homily, Fr. Milanese quoted the last verse in Matthew 5. We are called, not only to be saints, to lead a life of sanctification, but also to be perfect.
ἔσεσθε οὖν ὑμεῖς τέλειοι ὡς ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τέλειός ἐστιν.
You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48).
The word "perfect τέλειοι" appears only twice in Matthew. It appears again in the story of the rich young man who failed to respond to Jesus' call.
Jesus said to him, "If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." 
When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions (Matthew 19:21-22).
It is this story which prompted Jesus to teach us to rely on the grace of God. With Him, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

Dear Lord, holiness belongs to You and is beyond our reach but perfection is attainable. I pray that You continue to support us in our pursuit of perfection. Amen.