Some scoffers to be heard

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary bring us into consideration of the role of civil law, Church law and politics in the decisions and path of the followers of Christ. The Church commemorates an early bishop of Antioch and martyr in Rome, St Ignatius of Antioch, today. He was caught up in the zeal of the Roman ruler for religious uniformity in the Empire. This religious law sought order by prescribing an official and pagan worship. Paul delivers, according to Friar Jude Winkler, an extremely well crafted message to the Galatians to compare the total disorganization of the licentious life flirting with vice and the superlative virtues associated with the Life in the Spirit. The idea is that the Law condemns by creating dividing lines between good action and evil action giving the clever human legalistic mind the false sense of righteousness by “staying inside the line”. Political discourse today between social conservatives who look to law to bring justice and social liberals who advocate policies of communal attention to the needs of the marginalized have polarized Christian activists. Our mandate, like that voiced by the psalmist, is to be thankful for the guidance of God in our lives and to avoid the advice of the wicked, who are motivated by their comfort, and have forgotten that the path to peace and righteousness before God is marked by evidence which is the fruits of the Spirit presented to the Galatians.