In Galatians 3: 7- 14, Paul says we are saved by faith, not by morality. Faith is knowing God by sharing in God’s own knowledge of himself. “This is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3. And see Matthew 11:27.) 

Jesus came that we might have “life to the full” by knowing the Father’s “name”; that is, his true spirit. To keep all of God’s rules without seeking intimate knowledge of his heart is not to be Christian—or fully human: we were created to “know, love and serve God.” If we truly know God, we will love him. If we love him, we will keep his commandments. But knowing and loving God are both the source and the goal of keeping his law. 

Paul calls us “stewards of God’s mysteries,” and Peter “stewards of the manifold grace of God.” As “trustworthy” stewards, we need to act against the Pharisees in the Church who, as in the time of Jesus and of Paul, would focus us more on keeping the rules than on seeking intimate, affective knowledge of the mind and heart of God. 

In Luke 11: 15-26, Jesus answers those who were determined to find fault with him, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Jesus is the touchstone. 

Christians divide up as “conservatives” and “liberals,” or as “Catholics” and “Protestants,” and fight over doctrines, rules, and even devotional observances. Some of these are important. But the first question we should ask ourselves and (only after that) others is: “What is our relationship with Jesus? How do we experience him? How do we pray?” If we want to fight for orthodoxy as faithful stewards of Jesus, we should fight first to keep first things first. What comes first is knowing Jesus. And the first sign that we know him is our love for one another. 

Before we start to argue religion with another, we should stop and pray together, getting in touch with the way we both feel about Jesus, and how we experience him. Then we may well find either that one or both of us is not in touch with Jesus or that our disagreements are not the obstacle to union of heart that we thought they were. 

The “fruit of the Spirit” is love, joy, and peace. If we lose these in defending our religion, it is not the religion of Jesus we are defending. We are not being faithful “stewards of the manifold grace of God.” 

The Responsorial (Psalm 111) focuses us on God’s spirit: “The Lord will remember his covenant forever.”  

Prayer Prompt: In what specific ways do I strive for “unity in the bond of peace?” What can I do differently the next time I am involved in a disagreement over religion? 

— Fr. David M. Knight

View today’s Mass readings, Lectionary #465, on the USCCB website here

Fr. David M. Knight (1931-2021) was a priest of the Diocese of Memphis in Tennessee, a prolific writer, and a highly sought after confessor, spiritual director, and retreat master. He authored more than 40 books and hundreds of articles that focus primarily on lay spirituality and life-long spiritual growth.