The Yoke of Freedom

Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Galatians 5:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
For freedom Christ set us free;
so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.

It is I, Paul, who am telling you
that if you have yourselves circumcised,
Christ will be of no benefit to you.
Once again I declare to every man who has himself circumcised
that he is bound to observe the entire law.
You are separated from Christ,
you who are trying to be justified by law;
you have fallen from grace.
For through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness.
For in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything,
but only faith working through love.

Responsorial Psalm Psalm 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48

R. (41a) Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Let your mercy come to me, O LORD,
your salvation according to your promise.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Take not the word of truth from my mouth,
for in your ordinances is my hope.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will walk at liberty,
because I seek your precepts.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will delight in your commands,
which I love.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will lift up my hands to your commands
and meditate on your statutes.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.

Alleluia Hebrews 4:12

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Luke 11:37-41

After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.”

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Lectionary for Mass for Use in the Dioceses of the United States, second typical edition, Copyright © 2001, 1998, 1997, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine; Psalm refrain © 1968, 1981, 1997, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. Neither this work nor any part of it may be reproduced, distributed, performed or displayed in any medium, including electronic or digital, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

October 13, 2026 // Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Read the Word // Open your Bible to today’s First Reading: Galatians 5:1-6

Reflect on the Word //

If you’ve ever been a parent to a teenager you probably understand the frustration of trying to teach the same lesson, or correct the same bad behavior, over and over and over again. You explain why the bad behavior is wrong, why it’s bad for that child personally, all the unintended possible consequences, and the importance these actions can have on their immortal souls. But lo and behold, that same teenage kid goes out and chooses the same not-so-great behavior.

I think about this frustration when I take my own sins to the Lord in Confession. I commit the same small sins over and over and over again even though I know Christ’s teachings. Just like my own children, I commit the same mistakes and sins again through habit but also because one of the effects of sin is to enslave us, sometimes even in those small pesky sins we think are no big deal.

Maybe you are like me and think that the small sins we commit or allow to continue just out of habit aren’t a big deal. But that may be part of the yoke of slavery that Saint Paul speaks of today (see Galatians 5:1). By assuming small sins are no big deal, or that habits of sin don’t need to be broken, our minds have fallen under a kind of yoke. A belief that we don’t need to actively choose freedom in Jesus Christ.

“For freedom Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1), a freedom that rejects even the small sins that want to pull us down into slavery. By choosing to receive the Sacrament of Penance we stand firm against that yoke and, through Christ’s mercy and forgiveness in the Sacrament, we can again experience “faith working through love” (Galatians 5:6). It is this faith that makes a life of freedom possible.

Relate to the Lord // Examine your conscience today and make a commitment to receive the Sacrament of Penance this week.

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About Christy Isinger

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Christy Isinger is a cradle Catholic, wife, and mother of five teenagers from western Canada. During the short Canadian summers she tries to garden and grow flowers, while in the long cold winters she reads a lot of books, writes, and homeschools. Her Substack newsletter can be found at christyisinger.substack.com.