In Galatians (3:7-14) Paul seeks to open hearts constricted by a rigid adherence to the Law: the Law for the sake of the Law. This is a challenge to the gift of the Holy Spirit, the gift of faith. Recall: faith in the fullest is planted in our hearts from the first moments of being because we are created through our parents by God. Just as the fullness of our physical structure is there at the first moment of conception, just as the smallest acorn has within it the mighty oak, faith is with us from the very beginning.
Paul's words in these verses are directed at his efforts to join the community of Gentiles and Jews. He has to bring them together without overlooking the good that is in their traditions. The key for success in this effort is to remind them of their faith, especially as honored in the founder of Judaism, Abraham, "our father in faith."
It is in faith rather than a rigid, closed-mindedness to the 613 laws of the Jewish faith that anyone experiences a growth in faith. It is in the very faith of Abraham, the same faith that each person has received in the fullness of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we have the opportunity to grow in our faith. For me, then, openness of my heart is an ability to hear the call of God to allow the Holy Spirit, through the teaching of Jesus and the Church, to be the freeing law that determines how I live my life.
