From: 1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21
Elijah’s encounter with God
The call of Elisha
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Commentary:
15-18. It is important to note that the “anointing” given to the prophet Elisha is
on a par with that given to the kings – and that there is already a reference here
to the remnant of Israel (cf. Is 4:3).
19-21. Elisha’s response to Elijah’s call is quite exemplary: he leaves everything
behind and puts himself at the disposal of the prophet. That will be how the apos-
tles respond to Christ (cf. Mt 4:20, 22; etc.), and it should be how anyone re-
sponds when the Lord calls him or her to a mission which involves leaving every-
thing. But the call issued by Jesus is more pressing than Elijah’s, as can be
seen from the Gospel passage where Jesus, in response to someone who says,
“I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home,” replies,
“No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of
God” (Lk 9:61-62). Obedience to a call involves a radical self-surrender: “Detach
yourself from people and things until you are stripped of them. For, says Pope
St. Gregory, the devil has nothing of his own in this world, and naked he comes
to battle. If you go clothed to fight him, you will soon be pulled to the ground: for
he will have something to catch you by” (St. J. Escriva, The Way, 149).
The name “Elisha” means “My God saves” and it epitomizes this prophet, just
as the name “Elijah” catches the essence of that prophet’s message: “My God
is the Lord.”
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Galatians 5:1, 13-18
Christian Liberty
The Fruits of the Spirit and the Works of the Flesh
[16] But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not gratify the desires of the flesh. [17]
For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are
against the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing
what you would. [18] But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the law.
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Commentary:
1-3. The Law of Moses, which was divinely revealed, was something good; it sui-
ted the circumstances of the time. Christ came to bring this Law to perfection (cf.
notes on Mt 5:17-19 and Gal 5:14-15). All the elaborate legal and ritual prescrip-
tions in the Mosaic Law were laid down by God for a specific stage in Salvation
History, that is, the stage which ended with the coming of Christ. Christians are
under no obligation to follow the letter of that Law (cf. St Thomas Aquinas, “Sum-
ma Theologiae”, I-II, q. 108, a. 3 ad 3).
Although in this letter to the Galatians the Apostle is emphasizing, as we have
seen, freedom from the Law of Moses, obviously this liberation cannot be entire-
ly disconnected from freedom in general. If someone submits to circumcision af-
ter being baptized, it amounts to subjecting oneself to a series of practices
which have now no value and to depriving oneself of the fruits of Christ’s Redemp-
tion. In other words, subjection to the Law brings with it a loss of freedom in ge-
neral. Paul is using the full might of his apostolic authority when he says, “If you
receive circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you.” Christ’s Redemption
alone is effective; it has no need of the rites of the Old Testament.
14-15. To prepare the way for the coming of the Redeemer, God revealed to the
chosen people the fundamental principles of the natural law, because, as a result
of original sin and personal sins, mankind’s knowledge of these principles have
been obscured and weakened. The ten commandments which he revealed to Mo-
ses (Ex 20:1-21; Deut 5:6-22) traced out very clearly the way to follow to please
God and be saved (cf. Lev 18:5; Neh 9:29; etc.).
When the Savior came, the Decalogue continued in force, because it was part
of the natural law. Indeed, Christ reinforced it and showed that the key to and es-
sence of the ten commandments is Love—love of God, which necessarily brings
with it love of neighbor (cf. notes on Mt 22: 34-40 and Jn 13:34-35).
“It might also be asked”, St Augustine comments, “why the Apostle here speaks
only of love of neighbor, saying that this way the whole Law is fulfilled [...], when
in fact charity is perfect only if one practices the two precepts of love of God and
love of neighbor [...]. But who can love his neighbor, that is, all men, as himself,
if he does not love God, since it is only by God’s precept and gift that one can
love one’s neighbor? So, since neither precept can be kept unless the other be
kept, it is enough to mention one of them” (”Exp. in Gal.”, 45). See also the note
on Rom 13:8-10.
17-21. The fall of Adam and Eve left us with a tendency to seek created things
for our own pleasure, instead of using them to lead us to God. The desires of the
flesh make their appearance, urges which are at odds with God and with all that
is noble in our personality. But when grace enters our soul and justifies us, we
share in the fruits of the Redemption wrought by Christ and we are enabled to
conquer our concupiscence and life according to the flesh.
The vices referred to in vv. 19-21 have their roots in something much deeper —
life “of the flesh”. And, St Augustine asserts, “it is said that someone lives ac-
cording to the flesh when he lives for himself. Therefore, in this case, by ‘flesh’ is
meant the whole person. For everything which stems from a disordered love of
oneself is called work of the flesh” (”The City of God”, 14, 2).
This is why we find included in the “works of the flesh” not only sins of impurity
(v. 19) and faults of temperance (v. 21) but also sins against the virtues of reli-
gion and fraternal charity (v. 20).
“Significantly, when speaking of ‘the works of the flesh’ Paul mentions not only
‘immorality [fornication], impurity, licentiousness [...], drunkenness, carousing’
— all of which objectively speaking are connected with the flesh; he also names
other sins which we do not usually put in the ‘carnal’ or ‘sexual’ category — ‘ido-
latry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, envy’ [...]. All these sins are the
outcome of ‘life according to the flesh’, which is the opposite to ‘life according
to the spirit”’ (John Paul 11, “Address”, 7 January 1981).
Therefore, as the Apostle says, anyone who in one way or other obstinately per-
sists in his sin will not be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven (cf. 1 Cor 6:9-10;
Eph 5:5).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.