Word to the Wise
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 - St. Teresa of Avila, OCD (foundress of the Discalced Carmelites, mystic and doctor of the Church)
[Galatians 5:18-25 and Luke 11:42-46]Now those who belong to the Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.
To understand St. Paul's impassioned words to the Galatians, it is important to understand his "spiritual anthropology." "Flesh" and "spirit" are not contrasted in the sense of something that is material and eathly battling against something that is spiritual and heavenly! What he is referring to is the human person who has come to faith in Jesus and has accepted baptism as a sign of that faith! Hence the "works of the flesh" represent the negative ethical forces and conduct that characterize the "unredeemed" person. Whereas, the "fruit of the Spirit" represents the positive ethical forces and conduct that should characterize a person who has received the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus. In the Letter to the Romans, he speaks of having been "baptized into Christ's death" which would mean that such a person will have "crucified their flesh with its passions and desires." All of us who are professed Christians know that baptism is no complete protection against temptation! However, the more we acquire those habits and dispositions that promote the "fruit of the Spirit" the less likely are we to fall prey to conduct which is destructive and reflects the "moral relativism" against which Pope Benedict XVI has been so passionately preaching! The acquisition of those habits and dispositions, which are traditionally referred to as "moral virtues," is a matter of education and effort which are aided by the faith we have in God, the hope we share of salvation, and the love with which God loves us and we should have for one another. The indifferent secular culture with its individualistic goals of self-fulfillment at the cost of any relationship or faith is obviously set against such values! St. Paul may have been writing not more than 30 years after the death of Jesus, but he may has well have been writing directly to us! AMEN
config
view
logs
3840.0 KB
76 ms
4
