Catholic Exchange

Gal 1:6-12 / Lk 10:25-37

As we grow a little older and have been around long enough to notice the evolution of fashions, there’s something basically humorous about the relative speed with which women’s skirts move up and down and men’s ties run the gamut from one to six inches in width. As they say, just hold onto your old clothes and they’ll be high fashion again before you know it.

Our passion for the latest fashion is part of a larger picture, our generally low threshold of boredom and our eternal fascination with the new. This was old news when Henry David Thoreau talked about it nearly two centuries ago on the banks of Walden Pond.

Our fascination with the new can make for some interesting fashions, foods, buildings and automobiles, but it can be an archenemy to the truth. Too many things that ought to be cherished get discarded simply because they’ve been around awhile. St. Paul warns us about this in today’s epistle.

The core of the message that we have received from Jesus Christ is very old but it remains valid and true for all ages. Don’t get distracted by side issues, but hear what the apostles heard. Listen to the inside of Jesus’ teaching, the core and essence of it, and let it bring you life. As Paul says, “there is no other.”