20241011 OUR CHRISTIAN IDENTITY
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.’
11 October 2024, Friday, 27th Week in Ordinary Time
OUR CHRISTIAN IDENTITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [GALATIANS 3:7-14; LUKE 11:15-26]
Knowing our identity is important. This is the theme of today’s scripture readings. We must be clear of our identity, who we are. This is especially true for those of us in Asia, Africa and Oceania who were converted from our ancestors’ faith. The religions which our ancestors passed down to us are often embedded in the cultures that we were brought up with as well. The greatest obstacle in conversion to Christianity is that Christianity is often perceived as a Western religion (even though it is not the case as it originated in the Middle East, not in Europe!) Many converts had to give up not just their ancestral faith but also their culture to become Christians. But this would be a denial of their origin and their cultural values that have preserved the communities together over the centuries, values that promoted filial piety, family life and loyalty and respect for the Sacred. This is the consequence of a failure to distinguish faith from culture. What many fail to realize is that faith transcends cultures and should be expressed through our cultures, just as Christianity, which was embraced by the Europeans introduced European culture into Christianity, which was a Middle East religion.
In the case of the Galatians, they too were unsure of their identity. Many of them were converts from their pagan religions. But having been converted to Christianity, they were not too sure where they belonged. They had abandoned their gods and pagan worship. But they were not Jews either, and did not worship at the synagogues. They might have read the Jewish scriptures and believed in Jesus. But they did not have a clear identity, not knowing whether they were Jews or Christians. At the same time, they were told by some ultra-Jewish Christians that unless they followed the Jewish laws, they could not be saved. They were told that they had to belong to the Jewish family if they were to become members of the People of God. In other words, if they wanted to be God’s children, they would have to be Jewish first. This was because circumcision and the law were necessary to for them to belong to the People of God so that they could enjoy God’s blessings given to Abraham and his people.
In the gospel too, Jesus was challenged on His identity. When He cast out a devil, the people suggested that He was in league with “Beelzebul, the prince of devils, that he casts out devils.” They were not disputing the fact that He had the power to exorcise the devil but that His authority came from the Evil One himself. By challenging the source of His authority, they were in fact questioning His identity. If Jesus was who He claimed to be, that “if it is through the finger of God that I cast out devils, then know that the kingdom of God has overtaken you.” So, Jesus made it clear that His power came from His identity with God and that was why He had power over the Kingdom of Satan. He is the strong man who could overcome the Evil One. “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.”
It is within this context that Paul wanted to assure the Galatians that they too belonged to God. They were children of Abraham by virtue of their sharing the same faith in God. They did not have to belong to the Jewish race or observe the Jewish Law to be considered a member of the People of God. “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.” Since they believed as Abraham did on the promises of God, the Christians by believing in the Crucified Christ too received the blessing of the Spirit.
Paul drew the parallel between the faith of Abraham and that of the Galatians. Both responded in faith and enjoyed the divine blessing because they believed. This is a great assurance to those who said that the Galatian Christians were excluded from the family of God because they did not qualify to be the People of God due to the fact that they were not circumcised, and they did not observe the law of Moses. Until then, entry to fellowship in the People of God was based on racial, social and religious requirements. But Paul said, it was no longer so. Quoting Genesis 15:6, “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness”, he taught that faith is the only criterion for entry to full membership in the family of God. Ultimately, faith is one’s relationship with God and keeping the laws would not be required for membership.
What is the content of faith? For Abraham, it was his faith in God’s promise of posterity. The Lord told Abraham, “Look up at the sky and count the stars – if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” (Gn 5:5). The faith of the Galatians was similar. Faith is believing what they heard. “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the preaching of Christ.” (Rom 10:17). The Galatians heard the preaching of the crucified Christ. They believed and consequently, they received the Holy Spirit which is the pledge of our inheritance. Paul, writing to the Ephesians wrote, “we who first hoped in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of his glory. In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.” (Eph 1:12-14).
The Holy Spirit is the divine blessing that Christians received. Through the Holy Spirit, the Christians tangibly experienced being the sons and daughters of God just as Abraham and his people became members of the family of God through faith in God. “But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So through God you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then an heir.” (Gal 4:4-7) Secondly, the Christians witnessed for themselves the power of the Holy Spirit in the miracles that were worked among them. (Gal 3:5). Finally, the great blessings they received are the fruits of the Holy Spirit, namely, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Gal 5:22).
Consequently, today, we are called to affirm our identity as the heirs of God and heirs with Christ. We are truly members of the New People of God. As St Paul wrote in Romans, “you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, “Abba! Father!” it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Rom 8:15-17). This is what Jesus also asks of us when He said, “Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin, and a household divided against itself collapses.”
We must stand together in the family of God and stand together with Christ. For the Lord also said, “He who is not with me is against me; and he who does not gather with me scatters.” We must be on the side of the Lord so that we too can share His blessings. Only with Jesus, the strong man, can we overcome the temptations of the Evil One, which is to depend on ourselves, on our achievements and our efforts. St Paul warns us, “those who rely on the keeping of the Law are under a curse. The Law will not justify anyone in the sight of God, because we are told: the righteous man finds life through faith.” Rather, for us, Christians, we rely on Christ by our faith in Him. Indeed, the Lord assures us, “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.”
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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