Iron & Altar

"The one who is righteous by faith will live." - Galatians 3:11

Paul puts a hard sentence in front of the Galatians. All who depend on works of the law are under a curse. The law says to keep all of it, and nobody has. Christ ransomed us by becoming a curse for us. The one who is righteous by faith will live.

A steward is not saved by his ledger.

The examen could go wrong at this point in the Vineyard Weeks. For three more weeks we will ask what fruit a man is bearing, and a man who takes that question seriously can turn it into a scorecard. He counts his prayers, his Masses, and his good deeds, and decides whether he has earned his place. Paul says that road leads to a curse. You cannot keep every item on the list, so you either despair or lie about the tally.

The alternative is receiving. The Spirit came to the Galatians because they heard and believed. The blessing of Abraham reaches us through Christ. Fruit follows that receiving. It grows from something you were given and cannot be built as a wage.

Keep this in front of you as the examen goes on, brother. When you inventory your prayer and your works, you are looking at what a gift has produced. If you find the harvest thin, go back to the gift.

Friday asks one more thing of you. A man does not receive grace by fasting, but he can offer what he gives up for someone else. Grace makes the sacrifice possible.

It is Friday again. Pick a small sacrifice before breakfast, and decide by lunch who it is for. Then take your card and write at the bottom one thing you are tempted to count as earning God's favor. Cross it out.

I can't earn what you have already given, Lord. Let what I give up today reach the person I am thinking of. Amen.