Category: Galatians

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Monday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

CHRYSOSTOM:

The one who is carried away after a long time is worthy of blame, but the one who falls at the first attack and in the initial skirmish has furnished an example of the greatest weakness. And with this he charges them also, saying “What is this, that those who deceive you do not even need time, but the first assault suffices to rout and capture you?” … At the same time he shows in what great and high estimation he holds them. For if he had thought them mere nobodies and easily deceived, he would not have been surprised by what occurred. read more

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Friday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Paul must address Christians strongly about the transition between living under the yoke of the Law, and living under the yoke of grace.  The Law says that we must not sin, and that the punishment due the sinner is eternal and without remedy.  Certainly there remains hope in God’s mercy even under the Law, but one’s life is spent relentlessly attempting to correct one’s behavior so as to maintain some sort of peace of mind that all is not lost. Grace, which we receive by faith in Jesus – His passion, death and resurrection – progressively heals us of our attempts to save ourselves.  Sin gradually disappears from our lives by the grace of God and not because we try harder not to sin.  Grace is not just the help of salvation, but it is more importantly a growing relationship of intimacy with our Creator and Redeemer.  Grace allows us to love and cling to God more than we worry about ourselves and try to stand on our own two feet. read more

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Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sketch by Brie Schulze

Suffering is quite naturally the least appealing part of human experience. Suffering isn’t just pain, it isn’t just a physical experience, it isn’t just sadness. Suffering applies to every way we are deprived of what is good. Sin is suffering because by choosing what seems to be good over what is really good, we deprive ourselves. Jesus takes all forms of human suffering upon Himself so that we may never find ourselves alone when we suffer. Jesus even takes upon Himself the suffering due to sin – though He Himself never sinned. He allowed Himself to be condemned and punished as a criminal, as a sacrifice – the Innocent One – so that we sinners might find refuge in Him. The One who was without sin became sin so that He might destroy it once and for all in His flesh. His body, broken on the Cross, is the image of our broken soul – broken by sin and suffering. The divinity of Christ – a sure support and powerful force of healing – carries the brokenness and weakness of Christ’s flesh all the way through His death to the Resurrection. read more