DAILY REFLECTION Thursday, October 12, 2006

In Paul's letter to the Galatian, Chapter 3, verses 1-5, Paul shows a side not often seen: anger. Calling the Galatians "stupid" twice in five verses reveals his anger. But why? Some of the Galatians who had a good knowledge of Jesus and all that he did. They knew the wonder of the crucifixion and the resurrection. For some reason these folks decided it was time to return to the Torah. That is what angered Paul. He was convinced they had been offered better than the Torah. The Galatians were living in a kind of relativism --- they decided to do what they thought was best. They were abandoning the gift of freedom that came from God through his Son and his gift of dying and rising. Sin was overcome. Maybe we have the same experience. It may not be reading the King James version of the Bible. Our turning away from the teachings of the Church could be likened to the Paul event. For example, the issues of abortion, living the 10 Commandments and the laws of the Church: do we turn from the truth that God teaches us to determine how we think we should live. I wonder: would Paul be angered by me and how I live my life? What would he see as my turning away from the freedom of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection?