Brothers and sisters: For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1). St. Paul in this Sunday’s second reading uses very strong language to make his point. When we think of slavery, we think of bitter hardship, harsh labor, and cruel slave drivers. So, why would we ever want to “submit again” to this kind of slavery after having experienced freedom? St. Paul is showing us the difference between worldly freedom – which enslaves us to “sins of the flesh” – versus Christian freedom – which is freedom for excellence.
These days we hear a lot about “freedom.” On Thursday, the United States will celebrate 246 years of freedom from British rule. Right now, we celebrate the overturning of Roe v. Wade this past Friday. For us as Catholics, it is important to distinguish between what “freedom” is and what “freedom” is not. As St. Paul makes clear, Christian freedom is not a license to indulge in sin and selfishness. Unfortunately, society thinks this is what “freedom” is. To say “I have a right to abortion” shows how demented society’s notion of freedom has become.
However, we as Catholic Christians enjoy a freedom for excellence, which means we are free to mature in grace and become the saints we are called to be. Once Christ has called us from sin, we have to rely on His grace so we do not fall back into slavery to sin, that is, slavery to Satan. (Sadly, as a priest, I see this all the time. People who had deep conversions often revert to their old ways. It is easy to “take our eyes off Christ”; that is why we have to pray constantly, receive Communion frequently, and confess our sins regularly.)
While living this freedom for excellence and scorning the things of this world, we always must be on guard against biting and devouring one another(Gal 5:15). St. Paul reminds us that the whole law is summed up in “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. In our disgust and frustration with where our country is going, sometimes we as Catholics appear to be “insensitive to women in crisis pregnancies” or to “hate LGBTQ+” people. Even if people in society reject Christ, we have to show Christian love to them so that they will turn back to Jesus. In the gospel this Sunday, the apostles want to call down fire upon a village that rejects Christ, but our Lord rebukes them (Lk 9:54-55). He knows that hell fire is not the answer to hardened souls, but only love. And that is what we must use our freedom for: to condemn the sins of our time, but as sinners who have been redeemed by Christ, to announce the glorious freedom in Christ Jesus.
Very Rev. Nolan Lowry