Wednesday 14 October 2026
St Callistus I
Galatians 5:18-25. Those who follow you, Lord, will have the light of life – Ps 1:1-4, 6. Luke 11:42-46.
Love and justice are intertwined
Writing to a largely Gentile audience, Luke presents a God whose love stretches beyond legalism to compassion for all, especially the marginalised. Luke’s Gospel reveals a truth the Pharisee appears to miss: God’s grace is not to be earned but received. It is ‘poured into your lap, a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over’ (Lk 6:38).
Yet we can resist this gift, standing faithful and dutiful like the older brother in the story of the Prodigal son but closed off to mercy for ourselves and others. God’s love unsettles our sense of justice and invites us to be abundantly generous in spirit. As Rabbi Sacks observed, ‘without justice, love is blind; and without love, justice is impersonal and cold’. Justice without love becomes cruel.
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