Putting On The Yoke Of The Devil

 

Flesh is the yoke of the devil.

Reflection on Today’s Readings, Monday of 30th Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, October 30th, 2023
Texts: Romans 8:12-17; Psalm 68:2,4,6-7,20-21; Luke 13:10-17 

Today’s readings remind us of the possibility of putting on the yoke of the devil as Christians. We claim to be Christians, yet we live under the yoke of the devil. St. Paul calls our attention to this in today’s first reading. He says, “Brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh”. Flesh is the yoke of the devil. Hence, St. Paul says, “if you live according to the flesh you will die”. Living by the flesh is a path to death. Living by the flesh is denying ourselves of the promise of eternal life. Let us not deny ourselves of eternal life by life of the flesh.  

St. Paul shows, today, that we cannot live by the flesh and at the same time by the Spirit. This is clear by defining life of the spirit as putting to death the deeds of the body. In his words: “if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live.” The spirit cannot be alive in us when we live by the flesh. Giving up the deeds of the flesh is to live by the Spirit. He affirms that living by the Spirit is a path to life. This means giving up the things of the flesh is to live. Let us give up the things of the flesh, that we may live. 

Slaves labour for others

St. Paul tells us why we are not to live by the flesh. He says, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship.” When we live by the flesh, we are slaves in God’s household. Slaves have no claim to the fruits of their labour and are not paid for the labour. Slaves labour for others. However, St. Paul tells us that we are not slaves but sons. Being sons we are not to live like slaves by life of the flesh. 

We learn in today’s gospel reading that the law only encourages living under the yoke of the devil. The law does not set us free from the yoke of the devil. It is Jesus Christ who liberates us from the yoke of the devil. We read, “Jesus saw her, he called her and said to her, ‘Woman, you are freed from your infirmity.’ And he laid his hands upon her, and immediately she was made straight, and she praised God.” When we turn to Jesus we put to death the things of the flesh and live by the Spirit. It is in Jesus Christ that we obtain the promise of eternal life.

Prayer 

Lord our God, grant that we may put to death the deeds of the flesh and live by the Spirit. Help us, O Lord, to live as sons and no longer as slaves, that we may attain eternal life. Amen  

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke