God's Mercy and Graciousness

 In today's first reading, Galatians 3: 7-14, St. Paul challenges the people concerning their beliefs, namely that they are saved by their observance of the law. Not true!  We are saved by our faith in Christ Jesus. The law condemns! Jesus saves!  "For all,"  St. Paul tells  us, "who depend on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, Cursed be everyone who does not persevere in doing all the things written in the book of the law.  And that no one is justified before God by the law is clear, for the one who is righteous by faith will live, [as did Abraham]. But the law does not depend on faith; rather, the one who does these things will live by them.  Christ ransomed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written. Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree."

God's love for us is unconditional and so, too, is the gift of salvation. You and I do not earn salvation or God's love. It is freely given out of God's incredible and infinite love for us, a love for us before we were even born!

Many of us, perhaps, grew up with being told that God was watching our every deed, meaning that He kept track of our wrongdoing and would hold such against us! Being "good," that is always being obedient, truthful, caring, loving and forgiving--keeping all of the commandments to the letter of the law--was the only way God would love us, it seems was the message some of us received as children! We would, in short, be denied heaven by our misdeeds and God would not, in any way, love us when we did wrong! Yes, many of us may have been taught, inadvertently, that God's love had conditions!  Not true! 

Lord, open our eyes and hearts to know your unconditional love, a love that led you to being hung on the tree of the cross, "that the blessing of Abraham [his faith] might be extended to the Gentiles--[to us]-- through Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith"  and know God's "wondrous deeds [and how] gracious and merciful is the Lord" (Psalm 111)--a graciousness and mercy  not dependent on our good deeds!  I ask this in Jesus' name!