Meditation
for Monday of the 27th Week in Ordinary Time
(Gal
1:6-12; Lk 10:25-37)
It is interesting that we are beginning the first week of the
month with St Paul’s Letter to the Galatians. St Paul wrote this letter to
address the wavering faith of the Galatian Christians. This was as a result of a
different version or approach to the gospel that some people spread among the Church
in Galatia. This brought controversy and disunity among the believers. St Paul
was very upset about this development, and addressed the issued firmly.
If at the time of St Paul, at the early hours of the
Church, some people were spreading an adulterated version of the gospel, how
much more today that the Christian faith has become an open market place! As we
listen to St Paul this week, we must be conscious of these religious ‘confusionists’,
who speak with so much audacity and eloquence. “Take care then how you hear”
(Lk 8:18). “By there fruits you shall know them” (Mt 7:16). St Paul pointed out
some signs for us to know when a preacher is perverting the gospel of Christ.
Those who preach ‘another gospel’ often seek the favor of
men; their messages are targeted to please men, not God. They bend the gospel to
be at the service of human conditions, instead of man to reach out and be
uplifted by the gospel to the realm of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. This
makes it easy for one to embrace their doctrine, since man is in constant
search for solutions to his problems. Then, it becomes a ‘human-conditioned’ or
‘problem-solving’ gospel message. Imagine how alluring this can be. At the end,
the quest for solution to human problems takes the place of the hunger for
eternal life and salvation in Christ Jesus, which is the ultimate goal of the gospel.
In defending the true gospel, St Paul says, “For I did not
receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through a
revelation of Jesus Christ.” It is a divinely revealed truth, not fruit of
human argument or reasoning. A revealed truth is received and transmitted under
‘obedience of faith.’ This makes those who receive the true gospel docile to
word of God and to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, the
message that came through human reasoning gives rise to stubbornness, rigidity,
and an emotional outburst that can fade away at any time. The revealed truth is
calm, powerful and enduring.
The parable of the good Samaritan demonstrates what can
happen to the lives and homes of those who receive a perverted gospel; charity
is mortgaged. Think about the selective act of charity in the priest and Levite,
their exalted self-importance and self-preservation, and how their selfish
religious sentiments do not embrace common humanity. These are immediate marks
of ‘another gospel’, and they are ravaging our society and Church today. The good Samaritan shows the
ordinary life of one who is schooled in the revealed truth of the gospel of
Jesus: he is inspired, and becomes a source of grace and healing for others;
his love goes beyond boarders and conquers every barrier. Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.
Monday October 3, 2022.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com
