Our life in this mortal frame is often subject to forces beyond our control. We are often victims of forces that keep us in bondage, but there are also forces that bring liberation. These two opposed brands of forces are well captured in the liturgical readings of this day.
The Carnal Forces and the Liberating Force of God’s Spirit
The first reading from Rom 8:12-17 speaks of the bondage to carnal forces and the liberating force of the divine Spirit. As long as we remain in the flesh, we are prone to subjection by the passions of the flesh, which involve innumerable vices. All these make it difficult for us to live freely as we are always in fear and drawn to fleeting attractions that keep us never fully satisfied and yet hold us in bondage.
Pope Francis, in his Apostolic Exhortation, The Joy of the Gospel (Evangeliun Gaudium), expresses the consequences of such inordinate passions. According to him, “the great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. This is a very real danger for believers too. Many fall prey to it, and end up resentful, angry and listless.”
The Spirit of God comes to liberate us by making us children of God through Identification with Jesus Christ. We are initiated into the divine sphere, and this empowers us to overcome the attractions of the flesh. The Adoption as God’s children is an invitation to become inheritors of God’s immense riches. The consciousness of such greatness makes the fleshly attractions pale into insignificance.
Evil Forces and the Liberating Presence of God
The play of forces is seen again in the story of the crippled woman in the Gospel today. The story has it that her terrible condition was caused by an evil spirit. The crippling condition was such that she was bent double. She was completely knocked down and could not move freely. She was in real bondage. This debilitating condition had lasted for eighteen years. She was brought into contact with Jesus and received instant healing.
Her experience of Jesus is the experience of the presence of God. Whenever God meets us in our condition of bondage and misery, we receive healing and new life. This is the joyful experience of the Gospel. Pope Francis puts it aptly: “The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness, and loneliness. With Christ, joy is constantly born anew.” Unfortunately, not many expose themselves to this joy. They prefer to remain in bondage to attractions from contrary forces.
Finally, the only way forward is to expose our lives to the real force of liberation. No matter the type of hard condition we find ourselves, God is ever there to console and deliver us whenever we call upon Him. As the psalmist of today’s Psalm 68 says, He is the father of orphans and the defender of widows. He gives a home to the forsaken and leads forth prisoners to prosperity. He bears our burdens, saves us, and controls the passageways of death.
