Freedom of God's Children

 Reflection on Today's Readings, Monday, 28th Week in Ordinary Time Year II, October 12, 2020

Texts: Gal.22-24.26-27.31-5:1; Ps.113:1b-7; Luke 11:29-32

The freedom of the children of God consist in living for the realization of the kingdom of God, the heavenly Jerusalem. St. Paul in today's first reading use the allegory of slave woman and free woman to bring home that our freedom consist in orientating our lives towards heaven. He says, "Now this is an allegory: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother." The children of Hagar are those whose concern is about the world; they do what their flesh tells them. Hence, St  Paul says, "But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, the son of the free woman through promise." The children of the slave woman are not forward looking; they consider the earth as their inheritance. They consider the things of this world first and prioritize them. Their philosophy is let us eat and drink now, for tomorrow we shall die. They become slaves to their desires. Their desires become their master. They think they have freedom, but it could rather be said that they are loosed than being free; they are under the control of their desires.

Freedom is self-mastery, not just ability to do whatever one likes. Freedom is ability to free oneself from one's desires by deciding when and how to exhibit them, and whether or not to exhibit them. The children of heaven are free because they are free from their desires. The desires of the flesh have as their object the affair of the world, while the children of the free woman are concerned about the matters of the heavenly kingdom. The way to free oneself from slavery to desires is to raise one's heart to heaven and prioritize the matters of God's kingdom. Jesus Christ sets us free by raising our hearts to heaven through his resurrection. St. Paul says, "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand fast therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery."

Jesus, in today's gospel reading, condemns insistence on sign before believing in him. He says, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign". We do not need any sign apart from his presence, teaching and deeds to believe in him. The people of Nineveh heard the preaching of Jonah and repented, the queen of the South came from the ends of the the earth because of Solomon's wisdom. Jesus Christ is Word himself and also Wisdom.  It is the gospel of Christ that saves and gives freedom. Sign does not save or make us free.

Lord our God, we beg you to free our our hearts from the cares of this world and set them on heaven that we might be truly free. Amen.

Rev. Fr. Andrew Olowomuke