Theme of Pope’s general audience: The propaedeutic value of the Law

August 18, 2021

Continuing his weekly Wednesday general audience series on St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, Pope Francis spoke on August 18 about the propaedeutic value of the Law—that is, its value as preliminary instruction.

Previous addresses in the series were entitled “Introduction to the Letter to the Galatians“ (June 23), “Paul, the true apostle“ (June 30), “There is just one Gospel“ (August 4), and “The Mosaic Law“ (August 11).

“Dear brothers and sisters, in our continuing catechesis on the Letter to the Galatians, we have seen how Saint Paul teaches that faith in Jesus Christ brings a spiritual freedom that liberates believers from the demands of the Mosaic Law.,” the Pope said, in the words of the official Vatican summary of his remarks.

The summary continued:

For the Apostle, the Law served a ‘pedagogical’ function; as a merciful gift of God, it demanded obedience to his commandments, while at the same time pointing to the reality of our sinfulness and need for salvation. With the coming of Christ and his redeeming grace, the Law finds its fulfilment in the Gospel message of new life and freedom in the Spirit.

 

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Further information:

• General audience (Vatican press office)