20181017
OVERCOMING LAWLESSNESS
AND LEGALISM IN THE SPIRIT
17 OCTOBER,
2018, Wednesday, 28th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Red.
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First reading
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Galatians 5:18-25 ©
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To belong to Christ, crucify all
self-indulgence
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If you are led by the Spirit, no law can
touch you. When self-indulgence is at work the results are obvious:
fornication, gross indecency and sexual irresponsibility; idolatry and sorcery;
feuds and wrangling, jealousy, bad temper and quarrels; disagreements,
factions, envy; drunkenness, orgies and similar things. I warn you now, as I
warned you before: those who behave like this will not inherit the kingdom of
God. What the Spirit brings is very different: love, joy, peace, patience,
kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control. There can be no
law against things like that, of course. You cannot belong to Christ Jesus
unless you crucify all self-indulgent passions and desires.
Since
the Spirit is our life, let us be directed by the Spirit.
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Responsorial Psalm
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Psalm 1:1-4,6 ©
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Anyone who follows you,
O Lord, will have the light of life.
Happy indeed is the man
who follows not the counsel of
the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
nor sits in the company of
scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
and who ponders his law day
and night.
Anyone who follows you,
O Lord, will have the light of life.
He is like a tree that is planted
beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
and whose leaves shall never
fade;
and all that he does shall
prosper.
Anyone who follows you,
O Lord, will have the light of life.
Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
shall be driven away by the
wind:
for the Lord guards the way of the just
but the way of the wicked
leads to doom.
Anyone who follows you,
O Lord, will have the light of life.
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Gospel Acclamation
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cf.Ps26:11
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Alleluia, alleluia!
Instruct me, Lord, in your way;
on an even path lead me.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Jn10:27
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Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my
voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Luke 11:42-46 ©
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You overlook justice and the love of God
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The Lord said to the Pharisees: ‘Alas for
you Pharisees! You who pay your tithe of mint and rue and all sorts of garden
herbs and overlook justice and the love of God! These you should have
practised, without leaving the others undone. Alas for you Pharisees who like
taking the seats of honour in the synagogues and being greeted obsequiously in
the market squares! Alas for you, because you are like the unmarked tombs that
men walk on without knowing it!
A
lawyer then spoke up. ‘Master,’ he said ‘when you speak like this you insult us
too.’
‘Alas
for you lawyers also,’ he replied ‘because you load on men burdens that are
unendurable, burdens that you yourselves do not move a finger to lift.’
OVERCOMING LAWLESSNESS AND LEGALISM IN
THE SPIRIT
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ GALATIANS 5:18-25; LUKE 11:42-46 ]
How can we enter the
kingdom of God? To answer this question, it presupposes we understand
what the kingdom of God is. It is the reign of God’s love, justice and
peace. “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will
dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with
them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning
and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed
away.” (Rev21:3f) Conversely, those who live a lawless
and self-indulgent life cannot find happiness because God is not in them and
they are not in God. This is what St Paul wrote, “When self-indulgence is at
work the results are obvious: fornication, gross indecency and sexual
irresponsibility; idolatry and sorcery; feuds and wrangling, jealousy, bad
temper and quarrels; disagreements, factions, envy; drunkenness, orgies and
similar things. I warn you now, as I warned you before: those who behave
like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Lawless people are a law
to themselves. They
are ignorant of the greater joy and happiness of life. They
are enslaved by their addictions to the world and their passions. They
think that they are free to do what they like but in truth they are not free
because it is their passions that control them, the world that dictates to them
what they should like and enjoy and have. They are at the mercy of the
world’s enticements and changing goals. The world promises them illusory
happiness which never arrives. The world misleads them into working and
becoming ambitious for more power, wealth and position. After spending
their whole life laboring for such worldly things, they come to realize the
futility and emptiness of popularity, power and wealth. This desire to
find fulfillment in the things of this world leads to competition, selfishness,
quarrels and division. When there is no peace and unity,
there can be no joy or security in life!
To overcome lawlessness
and injustices, laws are instituted.
But as St Paul wrote, laws are meant for the wicked, not for the good.
“Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it legitimately. This
means understanding that the law is laid down not for the innocent but for the
lawless and disobedient, for the godless and sinful, for the unholy and
profane, for those who kill their father or mother, for murderers, fornicators,
sodomites, slave traders, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to
the sound teaching that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed
God, which he entrusted to me.” (1 Tim 1:8-11)
Ironically, the laws can
cause us to commit more sins because
the devil will tempt us to break the laws since what is forbidden looks more
attractive and enticing. Life is so ironical. We desire what we
cannot have and what we have, we no longer treasure. The devil plays on
our cravings, and that is why he entices us. But the moment we have them,
we lose our passion and our interests. This is true for everything,
whether it is a car, a house or a job, or even our friends. This was what
St Paul wrote, “Yet, if it had not been for the law, I would not have known
sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You
shall not covet.’ But sin, seizing an opportunity in the
commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin
lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the
commandment came, sin revived and I died, and the very commandment that
promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity
in the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.” (Rom 7:7-11)
Indeed, the laws can
only tell us what is right or wrong but they cannot empower us to obey. This is because laws are written not in
the hearts of men but on tablets. We are basically disobedient
people. We want to have things our way because we are ignorant and we
allow our passions and desires to control our thoughts and actions. We
are also proud people and we will not submit to authority or to an external
law. We want to do what we like and often because of ignorance, hurt ourselves
and our loved ones in the process. Deep in the hearts of men, we find the
laws a burden to us. We are hostile towards the laws. Some would
break them and those who comply do so only with resentment. So we pretend
to obey the laws, but we know we cannot. And even if we do, we are not
happy to obey.
As a consequence, those
who seek to obey the laws fall into legalism. The Pharisees were
condemned for their inconsistencies. “Alas for you Pharisees! You who pay your tithe of
mint and rue and all sorts of garden herbs and overlook justice and the love of
God! These you should have practised, without leaving the others undone.”
Yes, we can be honouring all the petty laws but the more important and
over-arching laws, we do not observe. How often self-righteous Catholics
squabble among themselves over liturgical laws and church laws, but they lack
the most important virtues in life, that is, charity, compassion, forgiveness
and inclusivity. They are good at finger-pointing. They take pleasure
in fault-finding, as if they are so perfect.
Behind the
self-righteousness of people are pride and egotism. Like the Pharisees, we want to be
seen and thought highly by others. “Alas for you Pharisees who like
taking the seats of honour in the synagogues and being greeted obsequiously in
the market squares! Alas for you, because you are like the unmarked tombs that
men walk on without knowing it!” We observe the laws for the wrong
motive. It is about ourselves and not about the love of God and our
fellowmen. In such a situation, it is also a sin because sin is to live
for oneself, and love is to live for others. Observing the laws with such
motive does not free a person for life and love. We are no better than
those who break the laws.
Such people are hypocritical. They themselves know that they are
not able to keep the laws that they teach and impose on others. And yet
they demand that others follow what they are not able to do. “Alas for
you lawyers also,’ he replies, ‘because you load on men burdens that are
unendurable, burdens that you yourselves do not move a finger to lift.”
Those of us who are legalistic should ask ourselves whether we have fulfilled
the laws perfectly, not just according to the letter but according to the
spirit of the laws. The Lord said, “Let anyone among you who is without
sin be the first to throw a stone.” (Jn 8:7) Hence, “Do not judge, so that
you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged,
and the measure you give will be the measure you get.” (Mt 7:1f)
Of course, there is no
denying that “the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good.” (Rom 7:12) The psalmist says, “Happy
indeed is the man who follows not the counsel of the wicked; nor lingers in the
way of sinners nor sits in the company of scorners, but whose delight is the
law of the Lord and who ponders his law day and night. Not so are the wicked,
not so! For they like winnowed chaff shall be driven away by the wind for the
Lord guards the way of the just but the way of the wicked leads to doom.”
So the law is good. Indeed, “Anyone who follows you, O Lord, will have
the light of life. He is like a tree that is planted beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season and whose leaves shall never fade; and all
that he does shall prosper.”
What is needed then is
to let the Spirit of God, the spirit of love reign in us. St Paul exhorts us, “Since the Spirit is
our life, let us be directed by the Spirit. What the Spirit
brings is very different: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
trustfulness, gentleness and self-control.” We must allow the laws
to guide us in our daily life, but we must invite the Spirit of God to lead us
and empower us to love and serve God and others. But we “cannot belong to
Christ Jesus unless (we) crucify all self-indulgent passions and
desires.” Only Christ can help us to overcome legalism and lawlessness by
showing us the light and love of the laws.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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