Homily - Raised for Sonship

What if prayer, fasting, confession, and Holy Communion are not assignments from a strict schoolmaster but the ordinary practices of life in our Father's house? Reflecting on Galatians 3:23–4:5, this homily invites us to see the Christian life as a journey from guardianship to sonship, from preparation to fulfillment, and from obedience to loving communion with God.

---

Galatians 3:23-4:5

In today's Epistle, Saint Paul says something that has puzzled Christians for centuries. He tells us that "before faith came, we were kept under guard by the Law." Then he says that "the Law was our tutor"—our guardian—"until Christ came."

That naturally raises a question. If Christ had to come, then why did God give the Law in the first place? Was the Law a mistake? Did Christ come to replace what God had already done?

Not at all.

Saint John Chrysostom says Paul isn't criticizing the Law. He's defending it. The Law accomplished exactly what God intended it to accomplish. The problem wasn't the Law. The problem was thinking that the Law was the destination instead of the journey.

Perhaps an example will help. Imagine someone saying, "Elementary school is useless because you can't become a doctor unless you go to medical school."

Well, of course you can't. But that doesn't make elementary school a failure. It was never meant to produce physicians. It was meant to teach you to read, to write, to count, to think, so that one day you could become something greater. You don't despise elementary school because you've graduated from it. You honor it because it accomplished exactly what it was designed to do: it prepared you for something greater.

That is exactly what Saint Paul is saying.

The Law was God's elementary school—or, as Paul says, the guardian who escorted His children until they were ready for Christ. It taught His people who He is. It taught them holiness. It taught them justice. It taught them mercy. It taught them that sin separates us from God. It taught them that sacrifice is necessary. It taught them to long for redemption.

Every commandment, every sacrifice, every feast, every priest, every prophet was preparing Israel for Christ.