20251022 TRUE FREEDOM COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY
22 October 2025, Wednesday, 29th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Romans 6:12-18 |
Make every part of your body a weapon fighting on the side of God
You must not let sin reign in your mortal bodies or command your obedience to bodily passions, you must not let any part of your body turn into an unholy weapon fighting on the side of sin; you should, instead, offer yourselves to God, and consider yourselves dead men brought back to life; you should make every part of your body into a weapon fighting on the side of God; and then sin will no longer dominate your life, since you are living by grace and not by law.
Does the fact that we are living by grace and not by law mean that we are free to sin? Of course not. You know that if you agree to serve and obey a master you become his slaves. You cannot be slaves of sin that leads to death and at the same time slaves of obedience that leads to righteousness. You were once slaves of sin, but thank God you submitted without reservation to the creed you were taught. You may have been freed from the slavery of sin, but only to become ‘slaves’ of righteousness.
Responsorial Psalm | Psalm 123(124) |
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
‘If the Lord had not been on our side,’
this is Israel’s song.
‘If the Lord had not been on our side
when men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive
when their anger was kindled.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
‘Then would the waters have engulfed us,
the torrent gone over us;
over our head would have swept
the raging waters.’
Blessed be the Lord who did not give us
a prey to their teeth!
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Our life, like a bird, has escaped
from the snare of the fowler.
Indeed the snare has been broken
and we have escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.
Our help is in the name of the Lord.
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: | Mt24:42,44 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Stay awake and stand ready,
because you do not know the hour
when the Son of Man is coming.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 12:39-48 |
The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.’
Peter said, ‘Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone?’ The Lord replied, ‘What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns. But as for the servant who says to himself, “My master is taking his time coming,” and sets about beating the menservants and the maids, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the unfaithful.
The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive very many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes. When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.’
TRUE FREEDOM COMES WITH RESPONSIBILITY
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Rom 6:12-18; Ps 124:1-8; Lk 12:39-48]
We are created to be free, for that is what it means to be made in the image and likeness of God. Freedom is intrinsic to us as human beings. In fact, what differentiates us from other creatures is our ability to exercise freedom. We are not programmed to act merely according to our nature, like animals that follow their instincts. We can act either against ourselves or in accordance with our true identity. Being true to our identity as God’s children and acting as God would act is what the Scripture readings invite us to do as Christians. This is what the first reading from Romans instructs us to do: “Does the fact that we are living by grace and not by law mean that we are free to sin? Of course not.”
Earlier, St. Paul reminded us that Christians are called to live a righteous life in accordance with the life of Christ by virtue of our baptism. “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? Therefore, we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” (Rom 6:3f) Being baptised in Christ requires us to die with Him to our sins. “For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him.” (Rom 6:7f)
Consequently, the freedom that Christ has gained for us is not merely the natural freedom given to us by virtue of our humanity, but the power to use that freedom for love and life. It means that we will no longer allow our freedom to fall under the reign of sin. Indeed, it would be a mockery of Christian baptism, as St. Paul said: “What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin go on living in it?” (Rom 6:1f) On the contrary, “The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 6:10f)
Within this context, St. Paul urges us in today’s reading: “You must not let sin reign in your mortal bodies or command your obedience to bodily passions, you must not let any part of your body turn into an unholy weapon fighting on the side of sin.” The choice is ours. Do we want sin to reign in us and rule our thoughts, words, and actions so that we become sin’s allies and bring destruction to ourselves and others? We must therefore be clear in our minds that, having been redeemed by Christ’s death and resurrection–bought at a price–we now come under the reign of Christ. As St. Paul said to the Corinthians, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Cor 6:19f)
This means, as St. Paul continues, that we must “make every part of your body into a weapon fighting on the side of God, and then sin will no longer dominate your life, since you are living by grace and not by law.” The only way to fight against the dominion of sin is to fight on the side of God. The only way to overcome the darkness of evil is to bring the light of truth and love. We cannot side with sin or even remain neutral, for in the Gospel Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Mt 12:30) Having accepted Christ, we must join Him in fighting against sin and evil in society.
In other words, Christ and His grace must reign in our hearts. “You know that if you agree to serve and obey a master you become his slaves. You were once slaves of sin, but thank God you submitted without reservation to the creed you were taught. You may have been freed from the slavery of sin, but only to become ‘slaves’ of righteousness.” We who have been set free from slavery to sin and passion must now give ourselves completely to Christ for the service of our Lord, God, and our fellow men. We are called to live lives of grace and truth, love and mercy.
That true freedom is the freedom for love and service is underscored in today’s parable of the watchful servant. We are all slaves to someone or something; we are possessed by what we possess. God has called us to be His servants of righteousness and truth. This kind of “slavery” is the only true freedom because it brings life, love, and joy to the heart. Being a slave of God means that we are open to all the good things and blessings of life. This was the case of the faithful servant in the parable. Jesus told the disciples: “What sort of steward, then, is faithful and wise enough for the master to place him over his household to give them their allowance of food at the proper time? Happy that servant if his master’s arrival finds him at this employment. I tell you truly, he will place him over everything he owns.” When we are responsible with the graces He has given us, we are rewarded with an even greater capacity to love and serve. Indeed, one’s happiness depends on how magnanimous the heart is. The more we are capable of love and service, the more we share in the heart of God and in His joy, for joy increases when our heart expands in love.
However, if we abuse the freedom He has given us and use it to hurt or destroy others because of selfishness, we will only make ourselves miserable. When we become slaves to our passions–sin, pride, laziness, pleasure, addictions, anger, lust, and greed–we cannot be truly happy. The tragedy of sin is that most of us are unaware that when we give in to sin and allow ourselves to remain in sinful situations, we invite trouble and death. The Lord said: “But as for the servant who says to himself, ‘My master is taking his time coming,’ and sets about beating the menservants and the maids, and eating and drinking and getting drunk, his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know. The master will cut him off and assign him the same fate as the unfaithful.”
The Lord also warns us that the more blessings we have, the more is expected of us. “The servant who knows what his master wants, but has not even started to carry out those wishes, will receive many strokes of the lash. The one who did not know, but deserves to be beaten for what he has done, will receive fewer strokes. When a man has had a great deal given him, a great deal will be demanded of him; when a man has had a great deal given him on trust, even more will be expected of him.” Those of us who have been given more resources and talents are required to give and share more. And for those in leadership, we must exercise greater responsibility and mentorship toward those under our care. We are leaders not to control others but to serve them and work for the common good. Real power is not the freedom to do whatever we want but the strength to do what is right and good. True power entails the proper exercise of freedom for love and service.
Indeed, when Jesus speaks of the Day of the Lord, it does not refer only to the coming of God’s Kingdom at the end of time. It also means that He can come at any moment, even today. This is the intent of the Lord’s warning when He said: “You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what hour the burglar would come, he would not have let anyone break through the wall of his house. You too must stand ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Therefore, we must always be alert and seek to live responsibly each day–with integrity, honesty, humility, and selfless service. When we live under the reign of God’s grace, walking in His Spirit, St. Paul says, “you are not subject to the law. Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. Those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (cf. Gal 5:18-21) This is the only way to live a life of true freedom without fear. When we have overcome sin, God lives in us and we live in Him. This is why we must consciously ask the Lord to be with us in prayer. With God on our side, there is nothing to fear. We have perfect freedom.
Best Practices for Using the Daily Scripture Reflections
- Encounter God through the spirit of prayer and the scripture by reflecting and praying the Word of God daily. The purpose is to bring you to prayer and to a deeper union with the Lord on the level of the heart.
- Daily reflections when archived will lead many to accumulate all the reflections of the week and pray in one sitting. This will compromise your capacity to enter deeply into the Word of God, as the tendency is to read for knowledge rather than a prayerful reading of the Word for the purpose of developing a personal and affective relationship with the Lord.
- It is more important to pray deeply, not read widely. The current reflections of the day would be more than sufficient for anyone who wants to pray deeply and be led into an intimacy with the Lord.
Note: You may share this reflection with someone. However, please note that reflections are not archived online nor will they be available via email request.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved
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