March 27 Day 19
Galatians 5:4-5
“You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope.”
REFLECTION
When we experience the broken heart of metanoia it is all too easy to fall away from that moment of vulnerability and faith and drift back to our (very human) desire to manage our own salvation. “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” (Bonhoeffer). It is hard for us to resist the urge to back away from the complete transformative process of regeneration! And it is all too easy for us to attempt to resume management of our own sanctification.
But that will fail. The error of works-righteousness is that it seeks to limit the being of God while attributing god-like abilities of self-perfection to our own will. During Lent, we meditate on the moment of our redemption: called to salvation, justified by Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Our commitment, then, is to God’s faithful work…not our own. We do not commit to good works, service, charity, or prayer, but rather commit to faithful submission to God’s Spirit who produces all of those, and all good fruit of the spirit, within us.
PRAYER: Lord, take away our false hope of being good, loving unconditionally, and becoming righteous by means of our own will. Instead, overcome our will by your Spirit and give us a new life of obedience and trust in your will alone. AMEN
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