Theology of Love: St. Paul, Jewish Law, Sin, and the Spirit

One question that I feel many non-Christians (and even some questioning Christians) ask has to do with the faithful not practicing all the Jewish laws. In one of my religious studies classes, my task was to find the answer to that question in chapters 5 and 6 of St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians.

Below is the essay that addresses the issue:

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul writes the members of the church that “for freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal 5:1). He is speaking, of course, not of actual enslavement of the body, but the enslavement of the human soul. That enslavement of which Paul writes is the enslavement of the Torah bound people.

To be free in Christ is to live free of the Torah and of the Jewish Law. Paul discusses this freedom at length in Galatians. To live by the Law rather than by the Spirit as Christ commands us, is to live by the flesh. We do not live according the flesh only through “fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like” (Gal 5:19-21). When we deny the Spirit and its fruits as the the way by which we may “inherit the kingdom of God” (Gal 5:21), and exalt and rely upon the Law as the way to such an inheritance we are living according to the flesh just as through the above mentioned works.

While living by the Torah and by the Law is not in and of itself sinful, it is the exaltation of the Law as a means of salvation that is the sin. Paul makes this clear to us when he writes that “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail,” but that “faith working through love” is the new Law (Gal 5:6). Paul’s theology of love begins to emerge here. We all live on earth in our flesh, in our earthly bodies. If Paul writes for us not to live according to the flesh but by the spirit and not according to the law but to freedom, how do we conduct our earthly bodies in a way that is in accordance with the Spirit? If “faith working through love” is the new Law by which we must live, then we must obey this as our new Law (Gal 5:6) so that “if we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit” (Gal 5:25). Paul further unfolds his theology of love commanding us to “have no self-conceit, no provoking of one another, no envy of one another” (Gal 5:26).

Paul’s theology of love tells us that a sin is an act against love, for “faith working through love” is the new Law (Gal 5:6). Going against the love of self is to deny yourself as a temple of the Spirit or to willfully corrupt the temple of the Spirit. To go against the love of others is to “grow weary in well-doing” a sin against which Paul warns us (Gal. 6:9). To go against love of the Spirit is to go against God himself, as the Spirit is the gift of the new Law from God. To live by Paul’s theology of love is to “live by the spirit” and to “walk by the spirit” (Gal. 5:25). This gives us an entirely new approach to sin and the avoidance thereof. The new Law is not one of forbiddance but one of allowance. In its very concept it guides us toward works of love, rather than away from acts of sin. It gives us freedom to live by the Spirit through our spirit to guide our flesh, rather than live by the Law through our already corrupt flesh, resulting in a faulty guide for our spirits.

While we must live in our flesh, but we must not live by the flesh, for Paul writes that “he who sow to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption” (Gal 6:8). However, while living in our flesh, if we live not by it but by the Spirit then “from the Spirit [we] will reap eternal life” (Gal. 6:8). In order to truly live in accordance with the Spirit, we must not live for the flesh but in the flesh for the Spirit.

Following the path of St. Mary Magdelen

Many of us have special affections for our patron saints and the saints’ names under which we were confirmed. Each of us chose a saint that spoke to our souls. I was confirmed under the name Jennifer Mary Magdalen. I didn’t tell my sponsor until we were standing outside St. Benedict Church that Mary Magdalen was going to be my confirmation name because I myself did not yet know until that point. But as I stood there on the steps of the church waiting to process into the church and be accepted into the faith I took a few moments for reflection.

I looked up at the processional crucifix and the symbolism was striking. I was following it into the ceremony were I would promise to follow Jesus Christ as His faithful disciple. The path of any penitent sinner who turns to Jesus is that of St. Mary Magdalen. She was exorcised and cleansed by Christ, as I was baptized by water and the Spirit. She washed Christ’s feet in thanksgiving and love, as I pray to Him in thanksgiving and love. She was faithful to Christ as a disciple as I strive to be faithful to Christ as a disciple. She also received the greatest blessing of Christ revealing Himself to her in His transfigured state on Easter morning. This is a blessing we all pray to receive.

During my time in RCIA a woman who has become a dear friend of mine said that the Catholic Church is not a Church of saints, it is a Church of sinners. It is truly a Church of those in need of healing, for as Jesus said, "those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners” (Lk 5:31). Just as St. Mary Magdalen did, we the faithful of the Church have heard Christ’s call to a continuing conversion of heart. Now we must follow our shepherd.

Ecumenical Prayer Day for Pope

After having received several requests, concerned emails, and prayerful emails regarding the violent and stubborn threats on Pope Benedict XVI and his office, I have decided to post one of them. In a true spirit of ecumenicism, let us all join together to pray for the safety of a great leader and holy man, Pope Benedict XVI. The following email was received by me and is being posted here with permission from one of our many brothers in Christ.

"Wednesday September 20th marks the one week anniversary of Pope Benedict’s address at the University of Regensburg. In the days that followed we have seen an escalation in threats, violent rhetoric and actual violence against Christians by radical Islamic extremists. Several threats on Benedict’s life have been made public.
I would like to invite all Christians, Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican or Protestant to join me in making this Wednesday, September 20th a special of day of united Christian action. Please join by offering prayer, fasting, penance or almsgiving for the intention of Pope Benedict’s safety and a peaceful resolution for this situation.
Yours in Christ
David (an Eastern Orthodox Christian)"

God Bless and keep the Pope. We love our German Shepherd.

Muslims Angry at Pope Benedict...touchy.

I read an article on CNN.com this morning about how Muslim authoritative bodies worldwide are upset about a statement the Pope made when he quoted 14th-century Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus who said, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

Of course, this was preceeded by the Holy Father commenting on how discourteous the emperor's comment was. So lets do some logical thinking here... The Pope makes an academic speech where he says the emporer was not very nice for saying "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

You'd think Muslims would thank him for saying this. But no...instead they are up in arms because it was mentioned in the first place. Yes, I'm serious. Also, from CNN, there is this...

Condemnation also came from Turkey where Benedict is scheduled to visit in November.

"His words are extremely regrettable, worrying and unfortunate in terms of the Christian world and common peace of humanity," the Anatolian state news agency quoted Ali Bardakoglu, the head of Ankara's Directorate General for Religious Affairs, as saying.

"I do not see any use in somebody visiting the Islamic world who thinks in this way about the holy prophet of Islam."

I can't get that last statement out of my head. Isn't it kind of silly to say/think? I mean honestly, the Pope is visiting in an effort to be ecumenical in the truest sense of the word. To "love thy enemy" and to witness to billions of muslims the Christian faith.

"who thinks in this way about the holy prophet of Islam." I don't mean to call anyone out on this, but I'm going to guess that the Pope, like any true faithful Christian, doesn't even believe that Muhammad was a prophet, let alone holy. And the muslim leaders know that! So why even make that comment? Think on that.

9-11

Five years ago today a horrible thing happened in New York, USA. You know what it was, everyone does. And while it's largely seen as a horrible American tragedy, I offer a view that's un-nationalistic. Yes, I'm aware that "un-nationalistic" isn't a word, but I had to choose carefully how I worded what I'm trying to say. You see, to say unpatriotic would not be accurate. The attack on the World Trade Center was very much driven by and an attack against patriotism. I'm not unpatriotic, I have a love for this country that's rooted in my right to be free and gratitude for the things I often (though I shouldn't) take for granted.

The "un-nationalistic" view I offer is one of worldwide tragedy. The day muslim extremists hijacked those planes and ran them into the towers and the Pentagon was a day of horrorific tragedy for all that is good and holy in the world. It doesn't just affect the families of the victims, or New York, or this country. It affects anyone that believes in anything right and just. And for those who feel that what happened was just and right, a true seed of evil is planted in them, one that deeply saddens me. Christians worldwide must unite under a banner of unwavering trust in Christ or such seeds of evil will sprout into much more dangerous forms. We see it even today in the Middle East where extremist groups operate under the brainwashed guise of martyrdom.

God Bless the families of the victims of the 9-11 attacks. God Bless the heros aboard Flight 93. God Bless America and every other country in the world. God Bless thouse who stand for peace and the light of truth. Pax Christi.

Lucky . . . wait, no . . . blessed me.

I always took for granted the towering structure that is a central landmark for my college’s academic campus. It is an attractive structure that added a much needed architectural flair to the newer part of the university with all of its utilitarian brick buildings. However, it wasn’t until this semester when the combination of a ripening faith and bad off-campus parking took hold that I realized how blessed I am. On a (state) university’s campus sits the cathedral of the Richmond Diocese.

You may be asking yourself why bad parking has made me appreciative of the cathedral’s location. Well, every morning when I emerge from Monroe Park and see the academic campus the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart stands directly in front with its inscription reading “IF YE LOVE ME KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS.” It’s a reminder of what it means to love God and that my actions must reflect that love.

It wasn’t until these past few weeks that I’ve realized this blessing of the cathedral’s placement. Until know, I never knew the privilege of being able to say my morning prayers in a church, or to step in for a visit between American studies and chemistry.

My brother-in-law said something once that made me realize the beauty and importance of praying inside a church where the Eucharist is present: If your grandmother lived in the same city as you, and you only spoke on the phone, that would be a neglectful action, an incomplete relationship. How can you say you love her but never visit, despite her close proximity? Similarly, how can you say you love God if you never visit Him in His house? I’ve been blessed with the presence of the cathedral, and I can now visit God in his house daily.

Reflection on Authority

When I reflect on authority, I often wonder on what authority do modern Christians preach what they preach. The claim of our non-demoninational and protestant brothers and sisters in Christ is that they preach and develop doctrine on the authority of scripture. But is that so? Wouldn't it be more accurate to say they do so on the authority of their interpretation of scripture? And even then, most often only on a particular exerpt from the Bible, not the entire thing. If you can bare with me for a second, I'd like to try a short exercise in this mindset... "God so loved the world that He sent his only Son,..." (John 3:16). What? His only son! That means we aren't all Children of God, we must be something else! <-- See what I mean?

Then there's the groups who read the Old Testament but feel it is secondary and often obsolete compared to the New Testament. What do they think the earliest Christians were reading? They didn't have a collection of the gospels and letters that created the New Testament! The Old Testament is as much Christian as it is Jewish. Jesus completed the law, the OT is Christian scripture.

So where does authority come from? Well, if you look at the schismatic and segregating nature of modern Christian movements (and by modern I mean the protestant reformation to present day), it's obvious to me that Sola Scriptura (scripture alone) is an idea that isn't working. If the Word of God is supposed to be uniting us in Christ, then the modern attempts of "Bible Only! All that other stuff doesn't matter!" aren't doing the job because we are becoming more and more seperated.

If it's not rites and rituals that seperate us, it's interpretations of scripture. I've heard too many times "All that other stuff doesn't matter, we need to be living out God's Word in scripture," and then witnessed first hand how "all that other stuff" (rites, rituals, marian dogma, etc.) is replaced with various interpretations contradicting eachother. And what really gets me is where most of these comes from. It's surprising how many theologians are in the world today, regardless of educational background, vocational training, etc.

But what many people don't get is that we are not "better equipped" (as I've heard many times) today than the Christians in the 2nd century were to interpret scripture and Apostolic tradition. Want to know why? Because the Christians of the 2nd century were the students of the apostles and the students of their students. The redemptive message was alive and fresh! So why is it then that I see protestants running into Christian bookstores and buying Bible study guides and telling me that we are now "better equipped" because we have all the original languages translated, blah blah blah? Seriously, I used to work in one such store and I have this preached to me many a time. I have no problem with people studying the Bible, I know I do and others should to, but to think that we know better than the students of the apostles and the apostles themselves is just ignorant.

So what do we do? Where does authority lie if not completely in scripture? "Ummm...what is 'Sacred Tradition?'" Correct! Think about it. What Christian faiths aren't constantly schisming and seperating? The answer is, those in line with Sacred Tradition. While the protestant, reformed, non-denominational, etc. etc. churches of the world constantly break apart and form new bodies, the Catholic and Orthodox churches of the world hold it together. Sure there are people who leave, groups that break off from time to time, but what do they go and do? Create new churches that fail, break down, seperate, etc. And all the while, the unwaivering doctrines and dogmas of ancient Christian churches stay firm. But some people cringe at the idea that they don't know better than the earliest Christians.

Sacred Tradition is very much the glue. The 2nd century Christians knew what they were doing and talking about because they were learning it from the Apostles and students of the Apostles themselves! Important sacraments such as the Eucharist (which has immense Biblical basis, instituted by Christ himself at the last supper) are rooted in the tradition of the early Christians who celebrated the feast of life! And even important sacramentals, such as the sign of the cross, are rooted in the rich spiritual tradition of those earliest Christians.

I guess it's easy to dismiss those things because they are often "man made." But lets not forget who came down from heaven and became man for us and our salvation. The physical world is not evil, it is not unclean. "What goes into your mouth does not make you 'unclean.' It's what comes out of your mouth that makes you 'unclean.'"(Matt 15:10) Rituals and Rites rooted deeply in Christ are not wrong, if anything they are healthy to one's spiritual journey. Sometimes we need to spend less time attacking what we don't agree with and try to understand why it is we don't agree. Often we'll find that we don't disagree at all.

Harmartiological Reflection

What if one's sins were worn on the outside, like some sort of jacket that showed people the person's true actions? Would (s)he feel worse or more ashamed?
I think I would. Which leads me to ask, do I fool myself about sin? Do I feel worse about my sin if I get caught or suffer some sort of immediate, lasting consequence? It is far easier to ignore all my sins until it’s time for an examination of conscience an hour before Saturday confession. But I shouldn’t ignore my sin and push it to the back of my brain until I’m forced to pull it forward. That makes it too easy to start a register and add to it daily with little thought or consideration.
My sin should be in the front of my mind. I should feel guilty about sins of which I am guilty, not just sins from which I feel lasting effects which force me to keep the sin in the fore of my head.
Lets look at an example of sinning and lasting effects, but in a different way. Take for example a person who engages in intercourse outside of a sacramental marriage one time. This person may immediately regret their decision and feel remorse. However, what if a pregnancy results from this one act, becoming a physical display and reminder of the sin. Would this compound the guilty feelings? Why should it? The pregnancy itself is not a sin itself, but a consequence of one. I'd imagine the loss of sanctity and chastity would be distressing, but would that person not be able to regain a feeling of spiritual health after confessing? In thinking about that, if it was me, I have the distinct impression that I would carry guilty and shameful feelings long after confessing if a pregnancy resulted from the single act, much moreso than if it didn't.
What about lying? A lie is a lie, white or otherwise. If I know my lie has hurt someone, I experience guilt that far exceeds that which I experience after telling a “white” lie that has resulted in no ostensible harm. What does this say about my experience of sin and of reconciliation?
What do these examples tell us about how we, as children of God, view our sins and experience guilt? While obsession with our own sin is a sin in itself, perhaps we do need to dig deeper in our consciences to find the source of guilt. I should think that if we experience guilt for a reason other than the sins we have committed (i.e. judgment of others, seeing obvious effects) it is difficult to determine whether we feel guilty for the sin at all.