Friday, October 11, 2024

 

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.