Word to the Wise
Wednesday, October 13, 2010 - Wednesday in the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
[Galatians 5:18-25 and Luke 11:42-46]The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit. [Galatians]
I think most of us know from experience the truth of the expression: "The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak!" We invoke it especially when we are trying to reform a particular aspect of our life and find it difficult to give up the old, but harmful, practices. We easily lapse back into the "comfort" of the old way! In using the expression, however, we probably do not advert to the philosophy/anthropology that underlies it! After all, it's tough enough to concentrate on getting enough Spirit/will power going to pass up the very attractive but harmful old habit. However, if we are reading St. Paul in an effort to find some inspiration, it is helpful to understand where he's coming from when he speaks of the "works of the flesh" and the "fruits of the Spirit." Although Christianity arose in a Jewish Middle-eastern cultural context, it did not take long for Greek ideas to present themselves as means of understanding some of the demands of Jesus' teachings. In a Hebrew context, the one in which Paul was raised and educated, the human person was not seen as a composite of body and soul, especially the way we modern folks think of the body as a less than perfect container for what we hope can be a perfectible soul! For Paul, the list of "works of the flesh" is not a description of one part of the Greek dualism that is warring against the other part - "the fruits of the Spirit." On the contrary, both lists concern the whole person who has become identified with Christ. That identity, assumed at baptism, is not governed by the "Law" (i.e. the law of Moses) but is governed by faith in Christ. This requires a whole new way of looking at life. The works of the flesh are destructive. The fruits of the Spirit are life-giving. Making choices that are "life-giving" can be difficult in a culture that offers so many options that seem attractive but ultimately fail to bring any happiness. Discipleship can be clearly counter-cultural as any parent knows who is trying to teach a child or adolescent that certain attractive life-style choices are not possible for a true Christian. It is very easy to identify what we "want" and call it what we "need!" Our temptation is to view flesh and Spirit as separate compartments and think that we can "mix and match" or "optimize our options." That is not the goal of Christian life. When St. Paul says that Christian commitment means "cruficifying" our passions and desires, he has a particular model in mind! The model of Christ on the cross may not seem very attractive when we are seeking comfort in our battles, but it is the model that leads to the resurrection. Spirit and "flesh" can be in tension, but it's all going on at the same time in each one of us. AMEN
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