In today’s First Reading Paul uses a striking allegorical interpretation of Scripture to warn the Galatians against turning away from the Gospel by embracing secondary religious practices of Jewish origin that preceded the Gospel. What’s shocking about this interpretation is that he associates the covenant at Mt. Sinai as akin to Hagar, the slave girl with which Abraham had a son, as a covenant of slavery that continues to enslave. Mt. Sinai was where the people of Israel were constituted. He contrasts this with a covenant made from “Jerusalem above”: from Heaven that represents a promise made and fulfilled. The son begotten of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, was the fulfillment of the promise made by the Lord that Abraham and Sarah in their old age would have an heir. They were free and had faith in the Lord’s promise, despite a few bumps along the road. That faith was free and continued to keep them free through the generations.
The Galatians run the risk of enslaving themselves and perpetuating their slavery by focusing exclusively on superseded secondary religious practices and not on faith. Just as Paul used the example of the disciplinarian a few days ago, just sticking with past practice is like never taking the training wheels off you bicycle or letting your parent stop steadying your ride. They very thing that helped you in one moment of your life now shackles you and holds you back. You may make some progress, but wobbling and dragging unneeded weight behind you the whole time. It presents a moment of decision of whether you’re going to live your faith with spiritually maturity or just go through the motions as “fire insurance.”
Our Lord promised that the truth, his truth, would set us free. Let’s ask him today to help liberate us from anything that might be holding us back spiritually, and for the strength to pull off that ball and chain ourselves if we’re our own worst slaver.
Readings: Galatians 4:22–24, 26–27, 31–5:1; Psalm 113:1b–5a, 6–7; Luke 11:29–32. See also 1st Week of Lent, Wednesday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time, Monday, and 16th Week in Ordinary Time, Monday.
