Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Five weeks ago St. Paul said the gospel that he preached is not his own; it is from God. He was called to do so in his mother’s womb, and his call was a service for the Church. Every Christian is called to serve the Church in some capacity; it is not just a call for priests and nuns.
Paul ends that same letter to the Galatians (chapter 6: 14-18) reminding them and us not to rely on themselves but on the cross of Jesus Christ. You and I should boast in the cross, not in our efforts. It was not a mystical experience that saved him but an enlightenment of the meaning of Christ’s cross and resurrection. My cross has been my mother; now in a different way from a year or two ago. But this is what gives me life. For many years my cross was the difficulty of caring for her, and now the separation from her and entrusting her care to others. Boast of that St. Paul says. Don’t be ashamed of it. This is what gives life.
The proof of this new life for Paul is revealed in his ‘marks.’ The wounds in his body that he has suffered: one stoning, three shipwrecks, five whippings, three times beaten with rods, and much more. Marks on a slave indicate the owner; Paul is using this analogy to show to whom he belongs and in whose service he is. What about you and me? To whom do we belong, and what marks show that? Jews glory in their circumcision, Paul in the sufferings of Jesus Christ. The one who says: I am circumcised, may be hiding from his true cross.
Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule can also mean: peace will be given to all who walk in the way of the Lord. To walk in the way of the Lord is to go an extra mile when asked, or not asked, to turn the other cheek when slapped or insulted, to love the one who hurts you. A rule was originally a ‘reed’ or measuring stick to determine the faith of a person, and later on it was applied to the decision of whether to include a book in Sacred Scripture. Those who walk by the rule are ready to see the Lord; as opposed to Israel who refuses to see him. They spurned his grace and desired temporal things. Do you and I walk in this way, ready to see Christ in the others and in our difficulties?
In the gospel (Luke 10: 1-12) the seventy-two disciples are sent out like lambs among wolves; why would Jesus do this? He will be their shepherd—for the rich and poor, small and great, teachers and students. I will be with you, help you and deliver you from all evil. I will make the wolves into sheep.
Let us trust in God that he will not give us more than we can handle in life. Even if others reject us, peace comes back to us. You do not loose anything by helping others and doing good for them. Peace will always come back to you, even when they reject you! Jesus makes this promise to us today!
