Grace Over Law: Embracing the True Gospel
October 7, 2024 - Monday, Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
Galatians 1:6-12
Today, we begin our reflection on Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Galatia was a region in Asia Minor—modern-day Turkey. The letter is addressed to the churches in that region and was written after the Council in Jerusalem (Gal 2:1-10), which took place after the year 50 AD. According to the letter, it was Paul’s illness that gave him the opportunity to preach the Gospel (see Gal. 4:13-14). The Galatians welcomed the ailing apostle, cared for him, and responded positively to his preaching. However, things went wrong after Paul left the community. Other missionaries entered and perverted "the Gospel of Christ" (Gal. 1:7).
The issue at stake was similar to the one in the Acts of the Apostles: how are we saved? Is it through obedience to the law of Moses, or through the grace that comes to us through faith in Jesus Christ? In Acts, Luke narrates that some Jewish believers in Christ claimed, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved" (Acts 15:1). The apostles and other members of the growing Christian community discussed the issue, and a decision was reached. Peter put it this way: "We believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 15:11).
We do not know whether the missionaries who came after Paul were aware of this decision. What we do know is that they believed and preached that unless the Galatians were circumcised and adhered to all the rules and regulations of the law of Moses, they could not be saved. Perhaps we should not blame them; for them, the law of Moses was the core of their religious tradition. Faith in Jesus did not make them stop practicing it. However, it is one thing to be a Jew who believes in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and continues to obey the law of Moses; it is another thing entirely to demand that all who believe in Jesus must also become Jews by undergoing circumcision, obeying all 613 rules and regulations, and following the Jewish liturgical calendar.
Upon hearing that the Galatians had been persuaded by these missionaries, Paul was furious. It seems that not only did these missionaries pervert the Gospel, but they also undermined Paul’s authority. In their view, his Gospel was incorrect, and he was not part of the core group of apostles. Thus, Paul had to defend not only the Gospel he preached but also his authority. He engaged in a polemic with his opponents, employing various arguments to win the Galatians back.
Our faith is based on the testimony of Christ’s disciples—those who were with Him from the baptism of John through His death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven. Their testimony is narrated for us in the four Gospels. However, Paul was not one of them. Yet, the apostle had his personal encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, which transformed his life and thinking. Saul, the Pharisee, blameless according to the law of Moses, became Paul, one of Christ’s disciples, who counted "everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus" as his Lord (see Phil. 3:6-8). This was the moment he became an apostle of Christ and grasped the message of the Gospel.
We can draw two insights from today’s excerpt from the letter to the Galatians. The first is about the distortion of the Gospel: We should guard against adding to or subtracting from the Gospel. The second is about the proper understanding of the Gospel: We all need a sort of Damascus experience, where Jesus Christ becomes the center of our lives. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose memorial we celebrate today, intercede for us that we may remain faithful to the true Gospel and follow Jesus in our lives.
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, pray for us.