20261013 FAITH MAKING ITS POWER FELT THROUGH LOVE
13 October 2026, Tuesday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time
First reading | Galatians 5:1-6 |
It is faith, not the Law, that justifies us
When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. It is I, Paul, who tell you this: if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you at all. With all solemnity I repeat my warning: Everyone who accepts circumcision is obliged to keep the whole Law. But if you do look to the Law to make you justified, then you have separated yourselves from Christ, and have fallen from grace. Christians are told by the Spirit to look to faith for those rewards that righteousness hopes for, since in Christ Jesus whether you are circumcised or not makes no difference – what matters is faith that makes its power felt through love.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 118(119):41,43-45,47-48 |
Lord, let your love come upon me.
Lord, let your love come upon me,
the saving help of your promise.
Do not take the word of truth from my mouth
for I trust in your decrees.
Lord, let your love come upon me.
I shall always keep your law
for ever and ever.
I shall walk in the path of freedom
for I seek your precepts.
Lord, let your love come upon me.
Your commands have been my delight;
these I have loved.
I will worship your commands and love them
and ponder your statutes.
Lord, let your love come upon me.
Gospel Acclamation | Ps118:135 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Let your face shine on your servant,
and teach me your decrees.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Luke 11:37-41 |
Give thanks for what you have and it will all be clean
Jesus had just finished speaking when a Pharisee invited him to dine at his house. He went in and sat down at the table. The Pharisee saw this and was surprised that he had not first washed before the meal. But the Lord said to him, ‘Oh, you Pharisees! You clean the outside of cup and plate, while inside yourselves you are filled with extortion and wickedness. Fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside too? Instead, give alms from what you have and then indeed everything will be clean for you.’
FAITH MAKING ITS POWER FELT THROUGH LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [GALATIANS 5:1-6; LUKE 11:37-41]
“When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.”
There are two kinds of slavery from which Jesus came to liberate us. Both enslave us in different ways, and both prevent us from living a life of authentic freedom. Yet, not everyone agrees on what truly enslaves us. How do we know when we are in bondage? We know it when our actions leave us unhappy and miserable. As St. Paul warns us: “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. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Gal 5:19-21)
The truth is that when we live under the rule of sin, we are trapped in addiction. All addictions are a form of slavery because they cause us to lose self-control. Sin leads to slavery precisely because it robs us of our freedom to choose. Therefore, it is a contradiction when those living in sin claim they are free to do whatever they like. They may be free to sin, but they are not free to choose otherwise; they have no power to break away from it. Sin holds us tightly, making sinful habits difficult to break. In varying degrees and intensities, we all experience the bondage of the seven capital sins: Pride, Envy, Anger, Sloth, Gluttony, Lust, and Covetousness. Those deeply bound by one or more of these sins often find it nearly impossible to escape. These capital sins consume us until we can no longer resist temptation, no matter how hard we try.
St. Paul describes this inner conflict in his letter to the Romans: “For we know that the law is spiritual; but I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am!” (cf Rom 7:14-24)
Ironically, true happiness comes from placing ourselves under the rule of God. On the surface, the world views this as no better, believing we are simply swapping one master for another–becoming slaves of God instead of slaves of sin. So, what is the difference? Do the “slaves” of God find greater happiness than the slaves of sin and Satan? Are we merely surrendering our personal freedom for God’s rule?
This explains why many people assume religious believers are worse off. They see religion as a heavy list of rules to follow, rituals to perform, and designated days to observe. Believers must attend church or temple, offer prayers, and make sacrifices. Bound by countless “dos and don’ts,” many end up living in fear and guilt whenever they break a commandment, terrified of God’s wrath, punishment, or eternal condemnation in hell. To the secular world, religious life seems neither happy nor liberating.
Indeed, every Sunday we see people dragging their feet to church, arriving late just as the Gospel reading ends. Given the choice, they would prefer to sleep in and go out for lunch. Those who attend Mass purely out of fear of breaking the law may be physically present, but their spirits are elsewhere–checking their phones, closing their eyes, or letting their minds wander. Some stand near the exit and slip away immediately after Communion. While they might take comfort in knowing they checked the box and avoided God’s judgment, are they truly happy? Do they feel free? Do they experience the fullness of life?
In truth, the answer is no. Religion for them is merely an added burden, and at times, they secretly wish they had never been baptised Catholic.
St. Paul addresses this very reality: whether we are under the bondage of sin or the bondage of the law, we remain unfree. He speaks specifically to the context of the Mosaic Law, particularly the requirement for Jewish males to be circumcised: “If you allow yourselves to be circumcised, Christ will be no benefit to you at all. Everyone who accepts circumcision is obliged to keep the whole Law. But if you do look to the Law to make you justified, then you have separated yourselves from Christ, and have fallen from grace.” (cf. Gal 5:2-4)
The Jews who claimed that Christians must observe all Mosaic laws in order to be saved were denying that Christ is our sole saviour. In any case, they knew that no one can observe the law perfectly, a reality Paul knew first-hand from his own internal struggles as a devout Jew.
How then can we be certain that in Christ we are truly free? St. Paul writes: “Christians are told by the Spirit to look to faith for, since in Christ Jesus whether you are circumcised or not makes no difference – what matters is faith that makes its power felt through love.” (Gal 5:5-6)
For Christians, salvation comes through faith in Christ, who died for our sins to set us free from both sin and bondage to the law. Our Christian freedom is not earned by our own efforts; it is a gift given in Christ. As Paul explained earlier: “If a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would indeed come through the law. But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.” (Gal 3:21-22)
Clearly, we are all condemned prisoners by the law and under the slavery of “elemental spirits of the world.” (Gal 4:3) The law itself cannot save us; it can only point out our transgressions. “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.” (cf. Rom 7:9-10, 13) Through the law, sin is exposed for what it is.
Yet, Christ has delivered us from both the law and sin. He redeemed us from the curse of the law “by becoming a curse for us–for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.'” (Gal 3:13) Thus, “when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.” (Gal 4:4-5) Because we believe in Christ, God has sent “the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.” (Gal 4:6-7)
Having been made a new creation and set free from the bondage of sin and the law–through no merit of our own–we now have the responsibility to live as free people. This is why Paul urges us: “When Christ freed us, he meant us to remain free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” (Gal 5:1) Christ frees us so that we can live in genuine freedom, doing what is good and right not out of fear or a desire to earn salvation (which has already been given), but to confirm our identity as God’s children. As St. Peter writes: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more eager to confirm your call and election, for if you do this, you will never stumble. For in this way, entry into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will be richly provided for you.” (2 Pt 1:10-11)
This faith is a “faith that makes its power felt through love.” We know our faith in Christ’s saving death is genuine when God’s love flows through our lives. Through His death and the gift of the Holy Spirit, God empowers us to do what is right according to His will. This is what the Lord meant when He reprimanded the Pharisees: “Oh, you Pharisees! You clean the outside of cup and plate, while inside yourselves you are filled with extortion and wickedness. Fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside too? Instead, give alms from what you have and then indeed everything will be clean for you.” (Lk 11:39-41)
True freedom is not a blind observance of laws, but a love that flows freely from the heart without seeking merit or reward.
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.
