Homily Twenty-Seventh Saturday of Ordinary Time (Galatians 3:22-29) “Lighten Up”

Homily Twenty-Seventh Saturday of Ordinary Time (Galatians 3:22-29) “Lighten Up”

St. Paul often wrote about two ways of living one’s religious life.  One way was to try to follow the religious rules.  The other way was to live according to the Spirit and to rely on a graced relationship with God.

Paul started off his religious life as a Pharisee.  He was an expert in the law.  The Jews believed the old saying that if you kept the law the law would keep you.  The law was a direct gift from God to guide us toward sanctity.

The religious leaders of the Jewish faith were like the leaders of many religious denominations. They expanded on the law. Some believed that they could write enough laws to cover every situation a person could be faced with in life and every choice.

The problem was that following laws and rules can often lead to rigidity.  Life is not black and white.  When we must live in the gray it can lead to a crisis of conscience.  Paul was racked by guilt in his early life.  He was often ashamed of his inability to keep religious rules perfectly.

When Jesus called Paul to be a Christian it was a real moment of conversion in his life.  He became aware that one thing was necessary to achieve salvation which was that he needed to accept Jesus as his Lord and savior.   He needed to believe in the limitless mercy of God that Jesus preached.

Paul learned to relax.  He learned that cooperating with God’s plan was not as difficult as he always thought.  Belief in Jesus lifted a great burden.  His life was never the same.

Reflection Questions:

1. How scrupulous am I?  Am I a believer who believes that the only way to salvation is perfection?
2. Did Jesus teach justice, or did he teach about mercy?  What barriers are there that keep me from believing in the unconditional love of God?

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Dear Parishioners,

          Remember that we will be having an open house at our parish tomorrow.  We hope that many people will come and see our refurbished windows. 

          Sacred Heart Church is a wonderful landmark in the Moline.  If you have friends who have never been inside you might want to invite them to walk through. 

          Everyone will be wearing masks and we will keep the appropriate social distance.  This will be a moment to celebrate a great milestone.

          May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.

          Fr. Mark