This blog follows the daily bible readings of the Catholic Church
Reading 1
O stupid Galatians!
Who has bewitched you,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
I want to learn only this from you:
did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,
or from faith in what you heard?
Are you so stupid?
After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now ending with the flesh?
Did you experience so many things in vain?–
if indeed it was in vain.
Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you
and works mighty deeds among you
do so from works of the law
or from faith in what you heard?
carrying the Torah
Representatives of a Torah-based Christianity have influenced the Galatians. Paul reminds them that Jesus Christ was condemned by the Torah. Why then would they want to obey it? The indwelling Spirit who is the daily miracle for people of faith, surely it was given to them through profession of their faith and baptism rather than Torah obedience. The word “flesh”, Greek “sarkos” means “flesh and blood” the realm of humanity as separate from God, that is, the realm of Torah obedience; but it also reminds the male Galatians that Torah involves an operation on their bodies, namely circumcision. Paul gives a more nuanced account of Torah in Romans. Here Paul wants his readers to see it as a form of human self-assertion, opposed to God’s transformative generosity in Christ.
The Church is always tempted to substitute law for Gospel; to become self –righteous rather than rescued, exclusive rather than evangelical.
Gospel
Luke11:5-13
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?”
Jesus in Gethsemane-answered or unanswered?
The logic of the parable is: if even a grumpy friend will eventually give you what you need, how much more will God freely give to those who ask. A false similarity with the parable of the Unjust Judge in Luke 18, has led to interpretation of this parable in terms of persistent prayer. Luke’s point is that with a human friend you may have to persist; but God responds readily to his children. Above all He is generous with his own being which He gives in the Holy Spirit. Matthew version (Matt. 7) quotes the last phrase as “how much more does the father in heaven know how to give good gifts to his children.” This is more likely to be original, but the meaning is not so different. Jesus encourages prayer to be bold; assures us that it is always answered and that God always gives something good. Sometimes, as with prayer for seriously ill loved ones, for example, this does not seem to be true. I believe it is true, but I didn’t always think so at the time.
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