Word to the Wise
Friday, October 7, 2022 - Friday in the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
[Gal 3:7-14 and Luke 11:15-26]Realize that it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham. Scripture, which saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, foretold the good news to Abraham, saying, "Through you shall all the nations be blessed." Consequently, those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham who had faith. [Galatians]
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2022 OUR LADY OF THE ROSARY
[Galatians 3:7-14 and Luke 11:15-26. These scriptures will vary at Dominican locations because we observe it as a greater feast.]
Realize that it is those who have faith who are children of Abraham. Scripture, which saw in advance that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, foretold the good news to Abraham, saying, "Through you shall all the nations be blessed." Consequently, those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham who had faith. [Galatians]
One of the blessings that can come from familiarity with the Word of God in the Bible is the awareness that we are all part of a great human saga in which we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. St. Paul places all people who believe in Christ in a narrative that goes back BEFORE the covenant with Moses to the covenant with Abraham. The covenant with Moses resulted in the Torah (aka the Pentateuch] contained in the first five books of the Bible. St. Paul's conversion experience led him to reject those books as the basis of salvation, even if they shaped the Jewish way of life. Faith would be the basis, not observance of the Mosaic Law. Indeed, although Jesus was a Jew, his continued insistence on mercy ahead of observance earned him the enmity of religious authorities who plotted against him. He accused them of turning human traditions into God's law! [Mark 7:8, 13]
This is a problem that has caused the Church great damage in the past, when attempts to promote faith by rules and regulations wind up discouraging that same faith! Pope Francis has focused attention on this problem by referring to the Church as a hospital for the sick and wounded and not a club for a spiritual elite. Those traditions that can help faith, like the rosary, can appeal to those with a "weak" faith. On this feast day, we have an opportunity to realize that a simple "object" like a rosary can awaken faith as long as we don't surround it with all kinds of "extras." We Dominicans have been promoting the rosary since the 15th century and wear a 15 decade rosary as part of our "habit." It is a way of reminding us of the great story of salvation in which each of us has a part. AMEN