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Friday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Galatians 3:7–14
Today Saint Paul brings Abraham into the discussion.
Some missionaries were telling the Galatians:
If you want to belong to God’s people,
you must be circumcised.
After all, circumcision was the sign of the covenant between God and Abraham.
But Paul goes back to an earlier moment in Abraham’s story.
Before circumcision.
Before the law of Moses.
Before all the rules.
God brought Abraham outside and said:
Look at the heavens.
Count the stars, if you can.
So shall your descendants be.
Abraham believed God.
And this faith was counted as righteousness.
That is Paul’s point.
Faith came first.
The law came later.
Circumcision came later.
But Abraham’s trust in God came first.
So who are the children of Abraham?
Paul answers:
Those who live by faith.
Not only those who share Abraham’s blood.
Not only those who keep Jewish customs.
But all who trust God,
all who believe in Jesus Christ.
This is why the Church is catholic.
Catholic means universal.
The Church is not for one nation,
one language,
one culture,
or one race.
In the Book of Revelation,
Saint John sees a great multitude
from every nation,
tribe,
people,
and language
standing before the throne and before the Lamb.
That is the Church.
The world divides us in many ways:
race,
culture,
skin color,
education,
money,
status,
politics.
But in Christ, these are not our deepest identity.
Our deepest identity is faith.
Faith unites us to Christ.
Faith makes us children of Abraham.
Faith brings us into God’s blessing.
Paul says:
Those who have faith are blessed with Abraham.
When we think of blessing,
we often think of health,
money,
success,
family,
opportunities,
and comfort.
These are good gifts.
But they can change.
They can disappear.
They can be lost.
For Paul, the greatest blessing is faith in Christ.
Faith places our life in God’s hands.
Faith gives us a promise stronger than death.
Faith opens us to salvation and eternal life.
Christ redeemed us by taking upon Himself the curse of the cross.
Through Him,
the blessing promised to Abraham
comes to all nations.
So today, let us thank God for the gift of faith.
Let us not reduce the Gospel to rules alone.
Let us live as people who trust God.
For the righteous shall live by faith.
Biblical Reflections on the Gospel of Matthew
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition,
copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council
of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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© 2025 Krakus.
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