In the preceding sections of the letter to Galatians, a lot of theological thinking has gone on: theological clarifications about the law, about faith, and so on. As St Paul rounded off his discourse, it was now time for practical application. In practical terms, how can the Galatians benefit from all that he had said? What should they do and not do? I think that is what today’s portion (cf. Gal. 5:18-25) of that letter is all about. For St Paul, all the vices that he mentioned found their way into the Galatian community because people lived according to the promptings of the flesh. When St Paul talks about “the flesh”, he is making reference to concupiscence and unruly desires. The flesh is unruly; the flesh is wild; the flesh is dictatorial; the flesh is rebellious. Sometimes, what we do not want to do, we see ourselves doing it. Why? Because human beings are burdened by the demands of the flesh. And the works of the flesh are evident: envy, strife, dissension, immorality, selfishnes...
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