so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
It is I, Paul, who am telling you
that if you have yourselves circumcised,
Christ will be of no benefit to you.
Saint Paul's statement stands as a daring, encouraging manifesto for Christians throughout all ages. We must know that freedom for which Christ died if we would have any idea of how to believe, think, act, or live with other people.
We find our freedom in obedience to the Lord's commands for he has commanded us to believe in him in that freedom for which we were created. Made in God's image, we become his likeness insofar as we are free. We cannot be owned by our property, habits and customs, our preferences, opinions, fears, needs, or expectations. We cannot be owned by anyone who tells us that we owe them anything; or that we must think, feel, and act as they do.
When Saint Francis disowned the property he would have inherited from his father, he disavowed his father's claims on him. Because Pietro Bernadone was owned by his own wealth, his son Francis could not call him father.
Seeking freedom from the addiction, many alcoholics swear to their famillies that they'll never touch it agaain. But their families don't believe it, and rightly. They've heard it all before; and no one can speak of the future with any great confidence. Quitting today doesn't mean I won't drink tomorrow; much less that I will not want to. I can decide only for this day; or perhaps only for this morning or the next hour. After that, I will have to choose again.
...and again and again. Therein is our freedom; we must always choose. Created by a free, unforced, unnecessary choice of God, we are condemned to be free; and we must make that choice daily.
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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.