RBWords

     Having exhorted the Galatians to understand the "freedom" they have received as a result of their baptism, Paul has to warn them against the problems that beset the Corinthians!  There is a list of vices that Paul identifies with those who live "according to the flesh," and a list of virtues for those who live "according to the Spirit."  His clear message is that if a person is "identified" with Christ [cf. Romans 6:3-4], they have "crucified their flesh with its passions and desires," so as to embrace the freedom offered by the Spirit with the "fruits" offered by the Spirit.  

     It is worthwhile to look at both those lists.  The list of vices may be ancient, but it is also very modern!  Most of it is available "online" at the nearest computer!  Paul warns that the lifestyle characterized by the vices is not one that leads to the Kingdom of God.  Those who wish to enter that Kingdom must embrace the cross and take hold of what the Spirit offers.  That list may be a challenge to our unruly passions but like the earlier list, it is as modern as it is ancient.  A good holy life requires effort - daily effort.  I remember well the countless students in my campus ministry days who spoke to me about the difficulty of that effort when so many opportunities for vice were offered on a daily basis in university life!  Student life offices publish warning pamphlets at the beginning of each year for new freshmen that I found terrifying!  At least there are resources for help near at hand in the university environment.  Once one enters the post-graduate world of family and work, the temptations are still there and there is less peer support for the "fruits of the Spirit."

     That second list needs more than individual effort.  It means working together with others in the church and in neighborhoods to promote those values.  If we see them as mere ideals and the first list as the "normal" way of living, we will pay a terrible price.  Perhaps we can make the "fruits of the Spirit" the "new normal!"  AMEN