Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Rom 15:1, italics mine).

“We then who are strong out to bear with the scruples of the weak.” Who knows what a “scruple” is? Yeah, it’s one of those words that doesn’t make it into our contemporary English vernacular much anymore. A “scruple” is a “hesitancy,” but more than this: it is a “hesitation on moral grounds.” It embodies the “I don’t know if I should do… [fill in the blank]” vibe. The world is full of “scrupulous” people. We call them “wet blankets, teachers’ pets, goody two-shoes.” These are the people who are always “dotting their -i’s and crossing their -t’s.” In a more positive caricature, we may say they are “diligent, detail-oriented,” “vigilant,” even. “Scrupulous” is not a dirty word or a poor personality trait. However, in today’s Epistle Reading, the Apostle does juxtapose this quality with a more endearing quality: strength, confidence; specifically, “spiritual strength,” a “strength of faith.”

“We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Rom 15:1, italics mine).

Here, St. Paul seems to say clearly enough: the strong are without scruples; to be scrupulous—surprisingly—is an indication of… weakness?

            But this advice reads… counter-intuitively. Ought we not to be scrupulous, as Christians? Ought we not to be diligent, vigilant, moderate, mindful, cautious? Yes, we are. So, what is St. Paul getting at? It is unfortunate that today’s reading is not expanded, and by that, I mean, it does not include all of Romans, chapter 14, in addition to chapter 15, which is its broader context. And really, it is impossible to interpret St. Paul’s words in chapter 15 without reference to chapter 14. There, St. Paul writes (and forgive the lengthy quotation),

“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. … You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgement seat. … Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. … Let us make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. … [W]hatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God” (Rom 14:1-3, 10, 13, 19, 22).

“Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters.” As the Apostle is writing to the Church at Rome, what “disputable matters” is he referring to? Food. Specifically, unclean foods under the Jewish law. You will remember, St. Peter in Acts, chapter 10, has a vision of a large sheet, coming down from earth to heaven, and inside are all varieties of animals, some clean, some unclean, and God tells Peter, “Get up… . Kill and eat” (cf. Acts 10:9-16). Peter contests, and the Lord rebukes him, saying, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean” (v. 15). This imperative has a two-fold meaning: (1) the most literal meaning, being, all meats are now permissible to consume under the New Covenant, and (2) the more consequential meaning, being, Gentiles are included in the evangelical audience of the new People of God. In short, meats are fair-game; Gentiles are fair-game. Go get ‘em!

            So, what does this have to do with scruples? Well, you can imagine, in the context of the early Church, the kind of ruckus this imperative—this liberty—would cause among its Jewish constituency. You’ve grown up your whole life being told, “Shellfish = bad; catfish = bad; pigs = bad.” Now, Ss. Peter and Paul say, “Ah, … it’s alright. It’s not that big of a deal.” The Jewish, ritual holiness law was for the sake of, well, holiness, to distinguish the Jewish people from their pagan neighbors. But our Lord says,

“Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man, but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man” (Matt 15:11).

Moreover, and conversely, it is not what we do eat which hallows us, but the Spirit of God, that is, the Holy Spirit of God hallows us, and our actions are testimony to our sanctification. “Not that which goes into the mouth defiles… [or sanctifies!].” Huh, interesting.

            Brethren, in the middle of a fasting season, St. Paul’s admonition to the Romans is amply relevant for us. In the middle of a fasting season, there are manifold reasons for us to judge one another. “Is he eating meat? Is she eating cheese?” [**sniff sniff**] “I smell… olive oil.” Importantly, it is the one keeps the fast who is liable to St. Paul’s accusations of weakness on account of scrupulousness, for to be scrupulous is not just to be vigilant and obedient, but to be vocally hesitant, even, annoyingly, critically, judgmentally hesitant, and so, morally superior. You don’t want to be that guy. Keeping the fast is one thing; being vocal in keeping the fast, or opposing another’s keeping of the fast with less scrupulousness than you deem appropriate… ughhh… you don’t want to be that guy.

            But you also do not want to be the Christian who approaches everything and anything in the most cavalier of ways. “You were called to freedom, brothers!” (Gal 5:13a). “See,” one will say, “St. Paul says that we are called to freedom! And here—in Romans, chapter 15—he condemns scrupulousness as an indication of a weak faith. Maximum liberty equals ‘strength of faith.’ Scrupulousness equals ‘weakness of faith.’” Yes, St. Paul does say, “You were called to freedom, brothers,” but he completes this quote, saying,

“Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Gal 5:13-14).

In sum, brethren, we do not want to be the Christian who second-guesses every action because they are worried about offending God. We also do not want to be the Christian who acts mindlessly and carelessly, with the attitude of “All is forgiven. All is forgotten. All is permissible.” Like most things in life, we must strike a balance, and most, most importantly—as a synthesis of these two apostolic commands (one from Romans; one from Galatians)—we must not aim to “please ourselves,” but to “please our neighbors,” that is, “to love our neighbors as ourselves” (cf. Rom 15:2; Gal 5:14).

            Is it sinful, brethren, to eat meat during the fast? Is it sinful to not cross yourself at the “Blessed is the Kingdom,” which begins our Divine Liturgy? Is it sinful for a woman not to wear a head-covering in the temple? Is it sinful not to stand at the recitation of the Creed? In a word, “No.” None of these things are sinful as actions in themselves, without deeper intent. But, is it sinful to be willfully disobedient to the inherited faith and practice of the Church? Yes. And is it also sinful and disobedient to judge and condemn my brother? Yes. The wisdom of the Church in these matters is the wisdom of the Apostle in today’s Reading:

“We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves” (Rom 15:1, italics mine).