Tag: through love serve one another

Controlled Not By Law But By the Spirit (Tues. Sept. 27)

· Fr. Basil
The Word of the Day is “fulfill”’ as in to “fulfill desire.”  In our reading of Galatians 5:11-21, St. Paul urges his flock to “Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh” (OSB Galatians 5:16).  Today we consider Paul’s warning not to use our freedom in Christ as a pretext for indulging in our sinful desires. Paul qualifies that Christian liberty does not mean license. His congregations in Galatia are being torn apart by bitter and hateful controversy.  But it is not merely a theological argument over circumcision.  Paul sees that the deeper problem is a misunderstanding of his teaching of believers’ liberty in Christ. A False Choice It seems that the Galatians are…

Free to Serve One Another in Love (Tues. Oct. 5)

· Fr. Basil
The word of the day is “freedom.”  What do people have in mind when they seek freedom?  They seek release from whatever controls or threatens to restrain them.  And yet, in the name of freedom, many let themselves be dominated by all sorts of indulgences: the pursuit of fame, wealth, adventure, comfort, lust, and power.  In today’s reading of Galatians 5:11-21, Paul writes, “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (OSB vs. 13).  Today we will learn what should control us as those who are free in Christ. Imagine that a group of children are in a candy shop.  The storekeeper announces…