MONDAY, TWENTY SEVENTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Gal 1: 6-12; Ps 111: 1-2, 7-8-10; Lk 10: 25-37
THE TRUE GOSPEL COMES FROM ABOVE
The Galatians are being seduced by a “different gospel.” this different gospel is a message that sounds Christian but is actually “a perversion of the gospel of Christ.” Paul’s fierce response reveals something essential: there is a true Gospel and there are counterfeits. What makes the Gospel authentic? “The gospel preached by me is not of human origin… but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” The true Gospel cannot be manufactured by human wisdom, packaged by human strategy, or modified to suit human preferences. It comes from God alone, and it often contradicts our natural inclinations.
Both, Teresa of Avila and John of the Cross warned their readers against the subtle danger of substituting human effort for divine grace, of trying to construct a spiritual life based on our own ideas rather than surrendering to God’s self-revelation. Teresa constantly fought against those who wanted to reduce prayer to techniques and formulas; that is, to human effort. She insisted that authentic prayer is receptivity to God’s action, not mastery of methods. We cannot engineer our way to holiness. We can only open ourselves to receive what God freely gives. John, in his writings, warns against spiritual seekers who cling to visions, consolations, and extraordinary experiences, creating their own “gospel” of spiritual sensation rather than accepting the naked faith God asks of us. We must be willing to let go of everything we think we know about God, every consolation we have received, every spiritual achievement we are proud of, to receive the truth that comes only through divine revelation.
False gospels – whether the gospel of works, the gospel of spiritual achievement, the gospel of consolation-seeking – ultimately lead to bondage, not freedom. Paul challenges us to examine what we believe, reminding us that the true Gospel always moves us to become nothing so that Christ can become everything. May we strive for the grace to recognize the true Gospel of Christ, and to resist the temptation to remake it according to our liking.
Response: The Lord will remember his covenant forever.
Copyright ©2026 ©Springs of Living Water https://springs.carmelmedia.in