The Holy Martyr Mamas; Our Venerable Father John the Faster, Patriarch of Constantinople.
Galatians 3:15-22; Mark 6:7-13.
Read Galatians 3:15-22
St. Paul reminds us that God’s promise comes before the Law. The Law has an important purpose: it reveals sin and shows us our need for God. But the Law itself cannot give life. Life comes through the promise fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
This is especially important from an Eastern Christian perspective. Salvation is not simply about following rules or satisfying a legal requirement. It is about communion with God. The Law can show us what is wounded within us, but only Christ can heal that wound and restore the image of God in us.
St. Paul says that Scripture “confined all things under the power of sin.” In other words, we cannot save ourselves. Our prayer, fasting, good works, and religious observance are important, but they are not ends in themselves. They are meant to open our hearts to God’s grace and lead us more deeply into Christ.
St. Athanasius the Great expresses this beautifully: “For He was made man that we might be made God.” This is the Eastern understanding of theosis: Christ came not simply to make us better people, but to unite us with God and transform us by grace.
The Law shows us that we need healing; Christ is the Physician who heals us. The commandments show us the path, but Christ Himself is our destination.
So perhaps the question for us today is not only, “Am I keeping the commandments?” but something deeper: “Through my prayer, choices, repentance, and daily life, am I becoming more like Christ?”