Friday
of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
(Galatians
3:7-14; Luke 11:15-26)
It is
doubtful that the Galatians could have followed St. Paul’s subtle argument in
today’s first reading. Yet Paul does not
desist probably because he understands the Galatians. He knows that if the Jewish-Christian
missionaries could have convinced the Galatians from an argument from the Law
that circumcision and eating kosher were necessary for salvation, then he could
provide a better argument from the same Law that faith in Christ is what saves.
In the
gospel Jesus is also refuting detractors.
They call him worse than a charlatan.
They say he is in league with the devil.
Jesus’ rebuttal is not so subtle as Paul’s. He argues that the prince of devils would
never allow someone to drive another devil from a person possessed.
We may be challenged
to defend our faith in Jesus. We may not
have Paul’s subtlety, but we can simply tell others that Christ not only promises
us eternal life but also his ways make us better people.
