Listening with my heart

To receive these posts by e-mail each Monday, sign up.

For more commentary on this week's readings, see the Reflections on the Lectionary page, which includes Berry's current Living by the Word column as well as past magazine and online-only content. For full-text access to all articles, subscribe to the Century.

This Sunday's passage from Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome seems to be an example of Year C's theological focus on those who are living in a state of alienation from Jesus Christ and the church. Yet when I think about rebuilding the bridges of love, trust, and belonging in contemporary Christian community, Paul isn't the first person who comes to mind. Callista Isabelle notes that if you want to create division, one tried and true approach is to "just start talking about who is saved and who is not. Set up the criteria, then point out who is in and who is out."