The Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians
Chapter 3
¹ You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly exhibited as crucified! ² The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard?
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 1 to 2)
Oh God my Father today You would ask us the same question:
"You have witnessed miracles all over the world, Lourdes, Fatima Medjugorje, and many other episodes of My hand at work in circumstances where healing seemed to be humanly impossible, and still your faith is lacking? You have placed your trust in the science and technology which I have given You but not in Me Your loving Father?
³ Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 3)
Oh God, my Father, we would indeed be foolish if we started believing in You and then went back to our old ways. Forgive me, my Father, for at times I am also worthy of being called foolish, for at times I regress back to my old self, and let the flesh take control.
⁴ Did you experience so much for nothing?-if it really was for nothing. ⁵ Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 4 to 5)
Oh God my Father, throughout these fourteen years of marriage You blessed us and showered us with Your divine and material providence, however, our response was not always positive. Little by little, we started becoming lax in our practice and worship. Nevertheless, You remained there and the faith that You planted in me is still blazing to this day and for this, I greatly thank You, my God and Father.
⁶ Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." ⁷ so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 6 to 7)
Oh God, my beloved Father indeed it is through faith in You that I can be accounted as being one of Your descendants and thus related to You. This proves why I address You as being my Father with such confidence, and even if this was so, I would still address You as being my Father, for I have no other true Father but You. Amen.
⁸ And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you." ⁹ For this reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 8 to 9)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for giving us the modern day gentiles to receive the gospel accept it as an integral part of our lives by living according to the messages that You gave us by means of all that is written in it. I thank You for this blessing, for in the Bible I find the answers to my daily life issues. You are indeed my point of reference Amen.
¹⁰ For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not obey all the things written in the book of the law."
³ Are you so foolish? Having started with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh?
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 3)
Oh God, my Father, we would indeed be foolish if we started believing in You and then went back to our old ways. Forgive me, my Father, for at times I am also worthy of being called foolish, for at times I regress back to my old self, and let the flesh take control.
⁴ Did you experience so much for nothing?-if it really was for nothing. ⁵ Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 4 to 5)
Oh God my Father, throughout these fourteen years of marriage You blessed us and showered us with Your divine and material providence, however, our response was not always positive. Little by little, we started becoming lax in our practice and worship. Nevertheless, You remained there and the faith that You planted in me is still blazing to this day and for this, I greatly thank You, my God and Father.
⁶ Just as Abraham "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." ⁷ so, you see, those who believe are the descendants of Abraham.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 6 to 7)
Oh God, my beloved Father indeed it is through faith in You that I can be accounted as being one of Your descendants and thus related to You. This proves why I address You as being my Father with such confidence, and even if this was so, I would still address You as being my Father, for I have no other true Father but You. Amen.
⁸ And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, declared the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the Gentiles shall be blessed in you." ⁹ For this reason, those who believe are blessed with Abraham who believed.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 8 to 9)
Oh God, my Father, I thank You for giving us the modern day gentiles to receive the gospel accept it as an integral part of our lives by living according to the messages that You gave us by means of all that is written in it. I thank You for this blessing, for in the Bible I find the answers to my daily life issues. You are indeed my point of reference Amen.
¹⁰ For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who does not obey all the things written in the book of the law."
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 10)
Oh God my beloved Father, sometimes St. Paul really confuses me, for what he preaches does not always match with the image of You, that You have been showing me every day of my life. Many times I have sinned against You my God and Father, however I feel the guilt of what I had done and go to confess my sins, but never have I feel or made an experience of being cursed, apart from the curse of sin, which I totally hate even though I am not free of it Amen. Oh God, I pray that You free me from this body of sin and the environment that I am living in Amen.
¹¹ Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for "The one who is righteous will live by faith." ¹² But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, "Whoever does the works of the law will live by them."
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 11 to 12)
Oh God, my Father many people reduce our Faith in You to assumptions and arguments and continue complicating life more than it already is. My motto has always been and always will be that of keeping life as simple as possible. In Your eyes, we are all material and that material is prone to sin. Therefore as sinners, none of us can save ourselves alone, but by Your Divine intervention and by the graces that You give us. Even though we may have good intentions to live according to Your ways, our humanity is always there to challenge us in living according to the ways of the world. I pray for Your justice and mercy oh God my Father.
¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us-for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"- ¹⁴ in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 13 to 14)
Oh God, my Father You generously and lovingly took upon Yourself the shame of having to die on the cross, in spite of what others said and thought about You. However, You acted in the good and interest of all the world. Many people will also talk to me when I separate, but I am also doing this to achieve a greater good for myself and for the rest of my family Amen.
¹⁵ Brothers and sisters, I give an example from daily life; once a person's will has been ratified, no one adds to it or annuls it.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 15)
Oh God, my beloved Father, before I was born You also made a plan for me, that is still unfolding to this very day. Even though I make changes in my life which I may consider at times as being mistakes, this does not hinder the original plan of my salvation. I thank You, oh God for being so patient, loving and kind, in Your relationship with me. Amen.
¹⁶ Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring; it does not say, 'And to offsprings," as of many; but it says; but it says, "And to your offspring," that is, to one person, who is Christ.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 16)
Oh God my Father as one of the children of the promise, I thank You for the prize that is awaiting me on dying. That is to be with You forever. I pray that You make me worthy to receive such a prize Amen.
¹⁷ My point is this: the law, which came four hundred thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 17 to 18)
Oh God, my beloved Father my point of departure shall always be the "Good News" as found in the Bible. In the New Testament, You ratified the Old Testament, therefore, no Council or Vatican 2 document or Encyclical can be credible to me if it does not comply with the message of the "Good News" Amen.
¹⁹ Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring would come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained through angels by a mediator. ²⁰ Now a mediator involves more than one party; but God is one.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 19 to 20)
Oh God my Father, You are my mediator, I appear before You with all the good deeds and my sins, and You advocate for me before Your Son and the Holy Spirit and between You, please judge where I have gone wrong in my life. May Your Word be the basis on which I am to be judged and not according to the sinful ways of the world. I pray for Your mercy my God and Father Amen.
²¹ Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would indeed come through the law.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 21)
Oh God, my beloved Father, Your ways are the ways of life and not of death. Your commandments are there to protect us from ourselves and even from doing injustice to others. May they always be our reference point Amen.
²² But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 22)
Oh God, my beloved Father, I thank You for the Bible, and for the Holy Spirit who inspired the Biblical writers to include all that is good and empowering for our faith in You Amen. I thank You for all the promises that You not only made but fulfilled and are in the process of fulfilling during Your second visit Amen.
²³ Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 23)
Oh God my beloved Father, before the light of faith became active in my life, I was dictated by the sinful and natural law of the flesh that leads to the committing of even more sins. Although I am not free from this law because I am like a pendulum swinging to and fro from sin to grace and vice versa I have a strong will to live a good life Amen.
²⁴ Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 24)
Oh God my beloved Father, the civil law is there to help us live in communion with others and obey the rules of the state, however the instructions found in the Bible continue to support the civil law for it also helps us to live in love and unity towards both the rules of the state up to the point where they do not go against the values and instructions that You gave us as found in the Bible. Amen.
²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 25 to 26)
Oh God my beloved Father, in truth we do not need a law in order to ensure our obedience because our faith in You is enough to make us obey You and whoever obeys Your laws can never go against the civil code of the world that is also based on obedience and self-control in relation to others Amen.
²⁷ As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸ There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 27 to 29)
In light of the third chapter of St Paul's Letter to the Galatians I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:
Oh, brothers and sisters, we are all part of one big family that of Christ Jesus. Therefore nobody is a burden and nobody is a foreigner and we are to treat each other as family and not as a threat to our well being Amen.
¹¹ Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for "The one who is righteous will live by faith." ¹² But the law does not rest on faith; on the contrary, "Whoever does the works of the law will live by them."
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 11 to 12)
Oh God, my Father many people reduce our Faith in You to assumptions and arguments and continue complicating life more than it already is. My motto has always been and always will be that of keeping life as simple as possible. In Your eyes, we are all material and that material is prone to sin. Therefore as sinners, none of us can save ourselves alone, but by Your Divine intervention and by the graces that You give us. Even though we may have good intentions to live according to Your ways, our humanity is always there to challenge us in living according to the ways of the world. I pray for Your justice and mercy oh God my Father.
¹³ Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us-for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"- ¹⁴ in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 13 to 14)
Oh God, my Father You generously and lovingly took upon Yourself the shame of having to die on the cross, in spite of what others said and thought about You. However, You acted in the good and interest of all the world. Many people will also talk to me when I separate, but I am also doing this to achieve a greater good for myself and for the rest of my family Amen.
¹⁵ Brothers and sisters, I give an example from daily life; once a person's will has been ratified, no one adds to it or annuls it.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 15)
Oh God, my beloved Father, before I was born You also made a plan for me, that is still unfolding to this very day. Even though I make changes in my life which I may consider at times as being mistakes, this does not hinder the original plan of my salvation. I thank You, oh God for being so patient, loving and kind, in Your relationship with me. Amen.
¹⁶ Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring; it does not say, 'And to offsprings," as of many; but it says; but it says, "And to your offspring," that is, to one person, who is Christ.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 16)
Oh God my Father as one of the children of the promise, I thank You for the prize that is awaiting me on dying. That is to be with You forever. I pray that You make me worthy to receive such a prize Amen.
¹⁷ My point is this: the law, which came four hundred thirty years later, does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God, so as to nullify the promise. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance comes from the law, it no longer comes from the promise; but God granted it to Abraham through the promise.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 17 to 18)
Oh God, my beloved Father my point of departure shall always be the "Good News" as found in the Bible. In the New Testament, You ratified the Old Testament, therefore, no Council or Vatican 2 document or Encyclical can be credible to me if it does not comply with the message of the "Good News" Amen.
¹⁹ Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring would come to whom the promise had been made; and it was ordained through angels by a mediator. ²⁰ Now a mediator involves more than one party; but God is one.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 19 to 20)
Oh God my Father, You are my mediator, I appear before You with all the good deeds and my sins, and You advocate for me before Your Son and the Holy Spirit and between You, please judge where I have gone wrong in my life. May Your Word be the basis on which I am to be judged and not according to the sinful ways of the world. I pray for Your mercy my God and Father Amen.
²¹ Is the law then opposed to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could make alive, then righteousness would indeed come through the law.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 21)
Oh God, my beloved Father, Your ways are the ways of life and not of death. Your commandments are there to protect us from ourselves and even from doing injustice to others. May they always be our reference point Amen.
²² But the scripture has imprisoned all things under the power of sin, so that what was promised through faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 22)
Oh God, my beloved Father, I thank You for the Bible, and for the Holy Spirit who inspired the Biblical writers to include all that is good and empowering for our faith in You Amen. I thank You for all the promises that You not only made but fulfilled and are in the process of fulfilling during Your second visit Amen.
²³ Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 23)
Oh God my beloved Father, before the light of faith became active in my life, I was dictated by the sinful and natural law of the flesh that leads to the committing of even more sins. Although I am not free from this law because I am like a pendulum swinging to and fro from sin to grace and vice versa I have a strong will to live a good life Amen.
²⁴ Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verse 24)
Oh God my beloved Father, the civil law is there to help us live in communion with others and obey the rules of the state, however the instructions found in the Bible continue to support the civil law for it also helps us to live in love and unity towards both the rules of the state up to the point where they do not go against the values and instructions that You gave us as found in the Bible. Amen.
²⁵ But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, ²⁶ for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 25 to 26)
Oh God my beloved Father, in truth we do not need a law in order to ensure our obedience because our faith in You is enough to make us obey You and whoever obeys Your laws can never go against the civil code of the world that is also based on obedience and self-control in relation to others Amen.
²⁷ As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. ²⁸ There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. ²⁹ And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise.
(The Third Chapter of the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians verses 27 to 29)
In light of the third chapter of St Paul's Letter to the Galatians I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:
Oh, brothers and sisters, we are all part of one big family that of Christ Jesus. Therefore nobody is a burden and nobody is a foreigner and we are to treat each other as family and not as a threat to our well being Amen.
