The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (176 page)

13:6 pay taxes:
Financial obligations to the State are consistent with the Christian faith. This and other civil responsibilities have their proper place (13:7) but are subordinate to our supreme duty toward God (CCC 2240).
See note on Mt 22:21
. 
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13:8 Owe no one anything:
Obligations to governing authorities (13:7) are surpassed by the duty to
love
others—a debt that always remains outstanding and is never paid off. Our ability to obey the commandments is possible only by the inward help of the Spirit, who pours divine love into our hearts and makes consistent obedience possible (5:5; 8:4) (CCC 1827). 
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13:9 The commandments:
Paul distills four of the seven commandments of the Decalogue (Ex 20:13-17) into one:
love your neighbor as yourself
(Lev 19:18; Gal 5:14). One's "neighbor" has the widest possible application and includes enemies (Mt 5:44) and anyone in need (Lk 10:25-37) (CCC 2196). 
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13:11 salvation is nearer:
With reference to our personal judgment as well as to Christ's future return in glory (Heb 9:27, 28; 1 Pet 1:5). 
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13:12 the night:
The present evil age, when death and darkness still pervade the world (Gal 1:4). It is essentially a time for conversion, until the unending
day
of eternity dawns (Rev 22:5). In the meantime, Christians must be on guard against the devil, protecting themselves with the
armor of light
(Eph 6:11-17; 1 Thess 5:8). 
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13:14 put on the Lord Jesus:
That is, renew the commitments you made at Baptism, when you were first clothed with Christ (Gal 3:27). One has to flee the occasions of sin that entice the flesh.
See note on Rom 7:5
. 
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14:1-15:13
Paul's final instructions are directed toward two groups in the Roman Church, called the
weak
(14:1) and the
strong
(15:1). The weak are mainly Jewish Christians; the strong are mainly Gentile Christians. Apparently the strong have a condescending attitude toward the weak that needs correcting. 
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14:1 weak in faith:
A Jewish Christian minority who maintain a distinctive vegetarian diet (14:2), observe the liturgical feast days of Israel (14:5-6), and may adhere to the food laws of the Torah (14:14). • The behavior of the weak, especially their abstinence from meat and wine (14:21), is probably a conscious imitation of biblical heroes who avoided Gentile foods while living in Gentile lands. Among those who maintained this type of Diaspora diet were Tobit, Judith, Esther, and Daniel (Tob 1:10-11; Jud 10:5; 12:2; Esther 14:17; Dan 1:8; 10:3). 
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14:3 pass judgment:
To inflate differences of opinion is to cause division and strife. The strong should accommodate the weak without gloating over their Christian freedom or looking with contempt on them. In this case, preserving peace is a higher priority than the exercise of liberty. The weak and the strong are answerable to God, not to each other (14:10-12). 
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14:5 one day as better:
Refers to the sacred days of the Old Covenant calendar, including the weekly Sabbath. These ceremonial times belonged to the Mosaic age that expired with the coming of the messianic age (Gal 4:10; Col 2:16). For this reason, they are not binding on the Christian conscience, although Jewish converts are still permitted to observe them in the earliest days of the Church. Note that Paul is not indifferent to holy days as such, but only to the ritual feast days of Judaism.
See note on Acts 21:21
. 
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14:8 we are the Lord's:
Christians belong to Christ in both life and death, having been purchased at the price of his blood (1 Cor 6:20; Rev 5:9). Our highest aim is thus to please him—a pursuit that often requires the suppression of our self-interests and opinions. 
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14:11 As I live:
A reference to Is 45:23. • Jewish theology read the passage as a prophecy of the Last Judgment. Paul follows this tradition in an attempt to dissuade the weak and the strong from judging one another (14:3, 10, 13). Paul moves Christ into the center of this Isaian oracle in Phil 2:10 (CCC 679). 
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14:13 a stumbling block:
A moral obstacle that may cause the weak to fall and despise the gospel (14:16). It would be irresponsible and injurious for the strong to flaunt their Christian freedoms before the weak. 
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14:14 nothing is unclean:
Alludes to the dietary distinctions between clean and unclean foods in the Torah (Lev 11). For the nullification of these distinctions in the New Covenant, see notes on Acts 10:14 and 10:15. 
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14:15 for whom Christ died:
Since the weak are loved by God, the strong should support them, not scandalize them. Personal consideration is more important than personal convictions in nonessential matters. 
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15:1 We who are:
Paul counts himself among the strong Christians set free from Mosaic regulations and their claims upon the conscience.
to bear with:
Not just tolerate, but lovingly encourage and uphold.
the failings:
Literally, "the weaknesses". These are not sins, but the scruples of the weak about various foods (14:14). 
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15:3 The reproaches:
A reference to Ps 69:9. • Psalm 69 describes the righteous sufferer who is persecuted for his faithfulness to God. Paul portrays Jesus in these terms, stressing that Christ followed the will of the Father for the benefit of others, even unto death (Mk 14:36; 2 Cor 8:9; Phil 2:8). His example should inspire the strong to lay aside their pride and unselfishly serve the weak. 
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15:4 encouragement of the Scriptures:
The Scriptures of Israel remain essential to the life and liturgy of the Church, being filled with wisdom for Christian living (1 Cor 10:11). The unity of the two Testaments, Old and New, rests on the unity of salvation history and the divine authorship of all the biblical books (2 Tim 3:15-17; 2 Pet 1:20-21) (CCC 121-22). 
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15:7 Christ has welcomed you:
Jesus is the model for Paul's exhortations (14:1, 3) (CCC 520). 
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15:8 a servant to the circumcised:
Jesus mainly confined his ministry to the people of Israel (Mt 15:24). Paul is here challenging the strong in Rome to serve the "weak" of Israel (Rom 14:1). 
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15:9-12
A chain of OT verses that envision the international make-up of the Church, where Israel and the Gentiles come together to worship the Lord side by side. • The four OT passages are linked together by reference to
Gentiles
(Ps 18:49; the Greek version of Deut 32:43; Ps 117:1; Is 11:10). They support Paul's perspective throughout Romans that the Scriptures of Israel look forward to the full inclusion of the Gentiles in the family of God. 
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15:12 The root of Jesse:
A messianic title for Jesus (Rev 5:5). He was expected to be a descendant of King David (Rom 1:3), whose father was named Jesse (1 Sam 16:1-13).
See note on Rom 11:16
. 
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15:14-16:27
Paul's closing exhortations and greetings. He sketches briefly his plans to evangelize the world further with the enlisted support of the Roman Christians (15:24, 30). 
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15:16 offering of the Gentiles:
Paul views his missionary work as a priestly ministry. His sacrifice is the Gentile world converted to Christ and sanctified by the Spirit. • Paul seems to allude to the missionary prophecy of Is 66:18-20, where God sends out the redeemed to declare his glory among the nations and to bring them back like a sacrificial offering to the Lord. Paul's expressed desire to reach Spain (Rom 15:24, 28) may be influenced by the oracle's reference to the "islands afar off" (Is 66:19), which refers to southern Spain. 
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15:19 I have fully preached:
By the time Paul wrote Romans in the late 50s, he had evangelized the northeast quadrant of the Mediterranean world, from
Jerusalem
in Judea to the province of
Illyricum
along the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. 
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