Living in Bondage (Monday, Week 28, Year 2)

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In our time, there have been more agitations for freedom than ever. Agitating for freedom is one thing; understanding what freedom really means is another thing. Sometimes, people agitate for bondage thinking that they are agitating for freedom. When you visit those in prison, you will understand the value of freedom. The point is that no one wants to be in bondage. People want to be free. But there are people who live in bondage without even knowing it. As we have seen for some time now since we began to read St Paul’s letter to Galatians, there was a group of people called Judaizers in the Galatian Christian community. The Judaizers were the Jewish Christians who were fanatically attached to the law. A problem arose in that community: there was division; there was discrimination. Those Judaizers discriminated against Gentile converts insisting that they (the Gentile converts) must submit to the law of circumcision before they can be regarded as bona-fide members of that Christian community. A clear example of what it means to live under the bondage of the law! In his response to the Judaizers, St Paul, in today’s reading (cf. Gal. 4:22-24.26-27.31-5:1), made reference to the two sons of Abraham: Ishmael from Hagar (a slave woman) and Isaac from Rebecca (a free woman). And he reminded the Galatians that they are not children of the slave woman. By faith, they have become descendants of Isaac, the son of Rebecca the free woman. If this is understood, why should they continue to remain under the bondage of slavery to law? 

In the gospel, people sought signs from Jesus in order to believe. Just as many of us do today: seeking signs in order to believe! In response to this, Jesus made reference to two Old Testament figures: Jonah and Solomon. Jonah was a sign of repentance to the people of Nineveh. At the preaching of Jonah, the people of Nineveh repented. Solomon was an icon of wisdom in his time. People journeyed from far and near to listen to the Wisdom of Solomon. But in Jesus, was someone greater than Jonah and Solomon. He is not just the sign of repentance like Jonah; He is salvation itself. He is not just someone who communicated wisdom like Solomon; He is wisdom itself. The point is: if those people really understood who Jesus is, they would not have sought signs from Him in order to believe in Him?

From the experience of the Galatian church, we may ask ourselves: are we still in bondage of any law that has suffocated our human relationship (relationship with others)? There are people who can’t marry or relate with a particular group of people because of a certain law/custom of the land. This is living under the bondage of law. There are people who can’t use their tithe money to feed someone who is about to die of hunger because of their church’s obligation about tithing. This is a yoke of slavery to law! From what happened in the gospel, we may ask ourselves: do we look for signs in order to believe in God? If we do, then we are in another form of bondage: bondage of signs and unbelief. May we grow in greater awareness of our freedom in Christ and never again submit to the yoke of slavery to sin, the “law”, unbelief and signs and wonders!   


     

Comments

  1. Unknown12 October 2020 at 07:29

    Thank you Padre for the Word so Sweet😊🎆

    ReplyDelete

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