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.
Saturday of the Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
The end of the story of Job sends a clear message about repentance, humility, and God’s mercy. We are continually tempted to see the bad things that happen to us or to others as some kind of punishment – deserved or undeserved. Job, a truly wise man, finally humbles his mind before the workings and designs of God. “I have dealt with great things that I do not understand[…]” As we sit and meditate upon life’s difficulties, we can become trapped in our own understanding of events. No matter how hard we try, because we are sinners and our minds are weak, our own perception of the “why’s” of evil becomes a burden for our soul. Job’s solution, inspired and helped by the grace of God, is to simply lift his eyes – the eyes of his heart – to look upon the mystery of God. This act of faith is vitally important if we are to let go of the burden of evil, which we carry around in the form of unspoken or unacknowledged judgments and bitterness about the evil we have known. Job looks to God, not for an answer, but for the strength to let go of his limited way of seeing which is not only inaccurate but burdensome.
Saturday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
When worldliness becomes a scandalous gaping wound in the Body of Christ, let us not forget that persecutions condemning the mystery of the Church will inevitably accompany it. When wrongs have been committed by leaders of the Church, we may be tempted to lower our hands in disappointment, disgust, discouragement, and sadness. It is important to perceive with the eyes of faith that not only are the guilty being condemned by the scandal that they caused, but the innocent one – Jesus – whose Body we are, is also being persecuted. Faith leads us forward in our attachment to Christ and to one another, recognizing the part that belongs to scandal and the part that belongs to persecution.