HOMILY for 27th Sat per annum (II)
Gal 3:22-29; Ps 104; Luke 11:27f
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, there is neither male nor female” (Gal 3:28). This verse of Scripture has sometimes been used for modern political purposes, whether to argue against racism or slavery or gender equality. Although these are important concerns and things we should be interested in, Scripture should not be misappropriated and made to say what it doesn’t in fact say. For St Paul is not so much concerned with the temporal and social order, with earthly things but with heavenly things, in particular the question of who has the potential to attain eternal salvation.
He is arguing against certain people who have been telling the Christians in Galatia that they need to become observant Jews who keep the Law. St Paul strongly rejects this, and his concern is to stress that neither the Jewish Law, nor a particular race, or social status, or gender are necessary for access to salvation; the Law and so on do not privilege one in God’s eyes. Rather, all – so long as they are human beings! – have equal access, equal opportunity to salvation. All that is necessary is that one has faith in Jesus Christ and believes that he is the Son of God, the Saviour who rose from the dead so that Mankind need not suffer eternal death anymore but can now share in his divine identity. Hence St Paul says, “in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (Gal 3:26).
A similar point is being made in the Gospel. Our Lady isn’t privileged when it comes to eternal salvation because she gave birth to him and nursed him. She, too, has equal access and equal opportunity with every other human person to salvation. It comes through faith in Jesus Christ, that is hearing him, the Word of God and keeping his Word, that is, believing in who he is. Our Lady, of course, is pre-eminent above all other Christians in her faith in God’s Word, and her belief in Christ as her Saviour. However, the point of today’s Gospel, like St Paul’s letter to the Galatians, is not to diminish Our Lady’s holiness but to stress the fundamental equality of every human person for being saved and being made holy. Thanks to Christ, salvation is now possible for all regardless of who one is, or what one has done, or what one’s social and political status is. Thanks to the Holy Spirit and the gift of sanctifying grace, this potential is actualised so that one becomes a saint, can be made holy – one just needs to “hear the Word of God and keep it” (Lk 11:27).
Therefore, let this Gospel, this good news of equal opportunity for all to attain salvation and holiness, be preached and made known to all peoples. And for those of us who have received the Gospel, let us listen to Christ’s Word and live according to his teachings and commandments. Thus shall we become blessed, that is, have eternal happiness in heaven.
If we have this in mind, and have heaven as our goal and prime concern and interest, then earthly and political concerns soon fade away – not because they’re unimportant in themselves, but because they pale in comparison to our quest for holiness and the joy that lasts for ever. This is the proper order of things, for we can otherwise become so preoccupied with earthly temporal matters that we ignore the vital questions concerning our salvation, our eternal life. Thus, St Paul expressed his principal concern when he told the Colossians: “Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col 3:2).