20201009 CURSES OR BLESSINGS
09 October, 2020, Friday, 27th Week, Ordinary Time
Readings at Mass
Liturgical Colour: Green.
First reading |
Galatians 3:7-14 © |
The sons of Abraham are those who rely on faith
Don’t you see that it is those who rely on faith who are the sons of Abraham? Scripture foresaw that God was going to use faith to justify the pagans, and proclaimed the Good News long ago when Abraham was told: In you all the pagans will be blessed. Those therefore who rely on faith receive the same blessing as Abraham, the man of faith.
On the other hand, those who rely on the keeping of the Law are under a curse, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in observing everything prescribed in the book of the Law. The Law will not justify anyone in the sight of God, because we are told: the righteous man finds life through faith. The Law is not even based on faith, since we are told: The man who practises these precepts finds life through practising them. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law by being cursed for our sake, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who is hanged on a tree. This was done so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 110(111):1-6 © |
The Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
or
Alleluia!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart
in the meeting of the just and their assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord,
to be pondered by all who love them.
The Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
or
Alleluia!
Majestic and glorious his work,
his justice stands firm for ever.
He makes us remember his wonders.
The Lord is compassion and love.
The Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
or
Alleluia!
He gives food to those who fear him;
keeps his covenant ever in mind.
He has shown his might to his people
by giving them the lands of the nations.
The Lord keeps his covenant ever in mind.
or
Alleluia!
Gospel Acclamation | Jn10:27 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice,
says the Lord,
I know them and they follow me.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn12:31-32 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Now the prince of this world is to be overthrown,
says the Lord.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I shall draw all men to myself.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 11:15-26 © |
The finger of God has overtaken you
When Jesus had cast out a devil, some of the people said, ‘It is through Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.’ Others asked him, as a test, for a sign from heaven; but, knowing what they were thinking, he said to them, ‘Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses. So too with Satan: if he is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand? – since you assert that it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils. Now if it is through Beelzebul that I cast out devils, through whom do your own experts cast them out? Let them be your judges then. But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.
‘He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.
‘When an unclean spirit goes out of a man it wanders through waterless country looking for a place to rest, and not finding one it says, “I will go back to the home I came from.” But on arrival, finding it swept and tidied, it then goes off and brings seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and set up house there, so that the man ends up by being worse than he was before.’
CURSES OR BLESSINGS
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [GALATIANS 3:7-14; LUKE 11:15-26 ]
We can appreciate how unsettled the Galatians were by the Judaizers who came and told them that unless they observed the Law, they would not be saved because they did not belong to the people of the Covenant. Indeed, they were misleading them into believing that if they truly belonged to Christ, they had to follow what the Jews did, since Christ was a descendent of Abraham and a Jew. Otherwise, they would forfeit the blessings of Abraham and of the Covenant. How often have our Catholics and Christians claimed that they are saved simply because they are baptized in Christ! In short, we are saved if we belong to a race or an organization. In other words, we are saved by the works of the Law. (cf. Gal 2;16; 3:2,5,10)
What are these works of the Law that St Paul was referring to? It refers firstly to the Mosaic ceremonial works such as circumcision, dietary regulations and codes on ritual purity, Sabbath observances and all the Jewish festivals and feasts. Practising these customs and laws gave them a sense of identity and also inserted them into the Jewish culture. However, Paul was opposed to the Gentile Christians continuing with the Jewish culture and customs. As far as Paul was concerned, such practices were irrelevant for the Christians because we are saved by Christ. Indeed, Abraham was blessed not because of his observance of the Law because it was not in existence then. The law of circumcision came later, after God promised Abraham His blessings. (cf Gen 15:5; 17:9-14)
Only through faith did Abraham receive God’s blessings. Truly, God blessed Abraham because of his faith. In spite of so many obstacles, old age, and the barrenness of his wife, he continued to trust God. And God did the impossible by giving him a son. (Gen 21:1-3) This was just the first of the blessings to come. God also anticipated Abraham that before his people became a great nation, his “offspring shall be aliens in a land that is not theirs, and shall be slaves there, and they shall be oppressed for four hundred years; but I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions.” (Gen 15:13f) So if we have faith in Christ, we will also be blessed too.
In other words, to receive the same blessings as Abraham, the Father of the Jews, is simply to have faith in God. It is faith in Jesus alone that brings God’s blessings on us. Thus, in Galatians, he wrote, “Don’t you see that it is those who rely on faith who are the sons of Abraham? Scripture foresaw that God was going to use faith to justify the pagans, and proclaimed the Good News long ago when Abraham was told: In you all the pagans will be blessed. Those therefore who rely on faith receive the same blessing as Abraham, the man of faith.” (cf Gen 12:2) So it is faith, not the works of the Law, that God gave Abraham His blessings. The Galatians therefore did not need to be Jews, or adopt Jewish customs and laws to inherit blessings from God.
Secondly, the works of the Law refer to salvation by obedience to the Mosaic Laws. This is the attempt to gain salvation through good works using human effort alone. St Paul warned the Galatians that we must not fall into legalism, thinking that we are justified through obedience to the Law. We cannot be made righteous through the Law. Why? Simply because no one can obey the Law perfectly without fault. Our human weakness does not give us the capacity to keep the Law always. Even St Paul made mention of his struggles in his letter to the Romans. “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.” (Rom 7:15) And the reason is because he repeated three times, “sin dwells in me.” (Rom 7:17,20,24)
This is why St Paul concluded that being a slave to the law of God is a curse. To underscore his argument, Paul cited Deuteronomy 27:26“Cursed be anyone who does not uphold the words of this law by observing them.” Indeed, they were subsequently cursed because of their rebellion against God. (cf Dt 28:15-68) Clearly, the Law could only condemn. Even breaking a single commandment would make us stand condemned before God. “For ‘no human being will be justified in his sight’ by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.” (Rom 3:20)
Hence, far from saving us, the Law shows us how weak and sinful we are. Without God’s grace and help, we would not be able to find justice before God. Instead of solving our dilemma, the Law only makes us feel totally helpless and make us fall into despair as St Paul himself said, “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Rom 7:24) Citing from the prophet Habakuk, “the righteous man finds life through faith” (Hak 2:4), St Paul was reminding the Galatians that in spite of the threat of the invasions of the Babylonian barbarians, those in Judah who clung to the Lord in faith were protected by the Lord and survived their attacks.
Indeed, Abraham, the founding Father of Israel by race and the father of all believers by grace, shows us that we become righteous by faith, not by circumcision or through the laws. “‘He believed the Lord; and the Lord reckoned it to him as righteousness.” (Gn 15:6) Thanks be to God, Christ has saved us from the curse of the Law “by being cursed for our sake, since scripture says: Cursed be everyone who is hanged on a tree. This was done so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might include the pagans, and so that through faith we might receive the promised Spirit.” So it is faith in Christ that would save us and justify us. By His death on the cross, Christ bore our curses and took our curse upon Himself. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Pt 2:24) The only condition for us to be saved and be considered righteous is to accept His vicarious death as the means to be saved. “He has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him – provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard.” (Col 1:22f)
This is what the gospel is also inviting us to do. To conquer our enemies, we cannot be in league with Satan or depend on the Law, or on our efforts but to rely on Christ alone. Jesus made it clear that He is the strong man that could defend our house from the attacks of the devil. He said, “But if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you. So long as a strong man fully armed guards his own palace, his goods are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he is attacks and defeats him, the stronger man takes away all the weapons he relied on and shares out his spoil.” Jesus is our strength and our fortress against sin and the Evil One.
We must therefore stand by Jesus. The Lord warns us, “He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.” This saying apparently contradicts His earlier teaching in Luke 9:50 when He taught, “Do not stop him; for whoever is not against you is for you.” Although Christ’s spiritual family goes beyond the visible Church, yet unless we share His values and the gospel working for peace, justice and forgiveness, we cannot be considered His friends. So even if we are not yet believers, we can share in His blessings provided we too share in His paschal mystery even in ways unknown to us by dying to our self, our sins and rising with Him to a new life of grace, compassion and forgiveness. (Gaudium et Spes, no 22) Otherwise, we attract evil and unclean spirits to us.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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