May the Lord give you peace, grace, and health in the Holy Spirit. It is on 12th October 2022. We reflect on Galatians 5:18-25 and Luke 11:42-46.
The tension between the flesh and the Spirit is real. The flesh does not mean only bodily elements in our personality but includes the unspiritual nature that is at war with the Spirit and doing things that do not please God.
The lists of virtues given in the first reading are endowed in us and we need to nurture love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness, and self-control in us on a daily basis as the opposite encroaches and invades us without our efforts. Behavior that makes us live as children of God needs our conscious, constant, and consistent efforts. As St. Paul puts it, we need to crucify those carnal things to enjoy and experience the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Lawlessness and injustice do not qualify us for the Kingdom of God. Even though the Laws are holy, and good yet can only point out what we are supposed to do, it has no power to stop it. We need to clean up our egotism and pride regularly otherwise we remain hypocritical and pretentious. We need to have the light of the Lord as we are intent to follow Him.
We are born to be healthy integrally. We cannot enjoy the favour of physical health while we are at loggerheads with our spiritual welfare. The Gospel reminds us that God takes it seriously when we neglect the love of God and justice. May God continue to bless us.