you who are trying to be justified by law;
you have fallen from grace.
For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness.
For in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything,
but only faith working through love.
Saint Paul struggled to persuade his Galatian disciples of his vision of the Gospel; but stripping them of their old ways of thinking and acting proved as difficult and as painful as circumcision. They clung to the Law and their privileged status as the chosen people, and would admit gentiles to their predominantly Jewish church only if they suffered the humiliation and pain of circumcision.
Saint Paul would not compromise with them. If you would belong to Jesus you cannot be observers of the Law. You must live by "faith working through love." This challenge keeps the Church fresh in every age, for we never quite get it. We're always almost there, with insurmountable obstacles in the way.
Meanwhile we struggle in every direction to clarify what faith means for ourselves, our new members and our children -- and to explain it to our critics. Currently we are in turmoil about gay marriage, birth control, abortion and sexuality in general. We provide the secular press with innumerable stories about bishops who speak too sternly and priests who are too accommodating; about Catholics for abortion and gay marriage; about Catholics who are anti-abortion and pro-capital punishment; and endless copy about our infidelities. We're a regular three ring religious circus!
During the Second Vatican Council the Catholic Church announced what Protestants had been saying for centuries, that the call to holiness belongs to everyone, not just the elite. But holiness -- let's call it the Life of Faith -- is mysterious and elusive. Jesus himself remarked, "Many are called, few are chosen." And only He can explain it clearly to our eager, obedient hearts.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.