Reading 1
Gal 5:1-6
Brothers and sisters:
For freedom Christ set us free;
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.
Once again I declare to every man who has himself circumcised
that he is bound to observe the entire law.
You are separated from Christ,
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.
Ps 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48
Responsorial PsalmR. (41a)
Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Let your mercy come to me, O LORD,
your salvation according to your promise.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Take not the word of truth from my mouth,
for in your ordinances is my hope.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will walk at liberty,
because I seek your precepts.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will delight in your commands,
which I love.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will lift up my hands to your commands
and meditate on your statutes.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Gospel
Lk 11:37-41
After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.”
Meditation: Galatians 5:1-6
“For freedom Christ set us free.” (Galatians 5:1)
Imagine if every time you got in your car, you had to bring a big, heavy book that you had to consult every time you saw a stop sign, a traffic light, or a speed-limit sign. That would make driving pretty difficult, wouldn’t it? As it is, you already know the traffic laws. You probably even know the unwritten rules of driving etiquette. In fact, if you’ve been driving for any length of time, most of these laws have become instinctive.
The Galatian Christians were dealing with a similar issue. Paul warned that they were taking their observance of the Law of Moses to an unhealthy extreme. They had lost sight of the fact that through his cross and resurrection, Jesus had fulfilled the just requirements of the Law. Circumcision was no longer necessary; what was necessary instead was “faith working through love,” the evidence of a life transformed by the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:6).
Although we live in different times, we can still fall into a similar trap. We may not be concerned about Jewish ritual law, but there are plenty of other ways we can think that God’s grace isn’t enough to set us free. Maybe we think that we need to work extra hard to get God’s attention and approval. Maybe we treat Mass superstitiously, thinking that showing up every Sunday will guarantee us a place in heaven. Or perhaps we judge other people as worthy or unworthy based on our own criteria instead of seeing them through the eyes of divine mercy and love.
All of these attitudes run contrary to the heart of the gospel message: Jesus has given his life for our sins, and he has given us his Spirit to empower us to live a new life. Wherever that Spirit is, there is freedom! Freedom from condemnation and fear. Freedom to live in love and to walk in peace. We don’t have to be absolutely perfect. Rather, we can accept our redemption as a gift freely given—and we can freely give our lives back to the Father in return.
“Lord, I praise you for your love! As I look at you on the cross, I rejoice in the grace you have poured out. Thank you, Jesus, for setting me free!”
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