The Fifth Sunday of Lent, March 22 Homily

March 22, 2026

English

I don’t know if you did a double-take when you heard St. Paul in our second reading today from Romans say that we are not in the flesh?  At first, I felt like saying: “What do you mean, Paul, of course I am!  Flesh and blood, here I am.  Isn’t this stuff hanging to my arms and legs flesh?”    

But, like many words, when it comes to the word “flesh”, there are multiple layers of meaning.  So here, when Paul is speaking about the flesh, he’s not talking about the biology of skin that covers muscle and fat tissues.  Rather, he’s referring to that part of us that lives apart from faith and is closed off to God.  The flesh is that part of us that is connected to this fallen world of sin and resists being transformed by God.  The creature that sets itself up in opposition to its loving Creator.  And what is “of the flesh” is actually displeasing to God, because flesh wants to do its own thing.  In other words, self-will, as opposed to God’s will.    

Standing in opposition to the flesh is what St. Paul terms the spirit.  Whereas the flesh is that natural part of us that is closed off to God, the spirit is that supernatural part of us that is alive because of God.  While our body is earthly – “Remember, you are dust, and to dust you shall return” – our soul is spiritual, and is immortal, meaning without end.  And, as children of God, baptized into Christ, you and I are born again of water and the Holy Spirit.  And because we have God’s Spirit dwelling within our spirits, we have eternal life because God is eternal.

So, that’s why St. Paul can say that we as Christians are not “in the flesh”, but rather, “in the spirit”, but “only if the Spirit of God dwells in us”.  It is God’s Spirit, who raised Jesus from the dead dwelling in us – in our spirits – that gives everlasting life to these mortal bodies of ours.

OK…great, so now all of you understand that 100%, and you’re all ready to get your biblical theology degrees – right?  Yes, I know that was quite complicated and even philosophical to boot.  However, there’s a reason I’m bringing this all up today, aside from the fact that it’s in today’s Scriptures.  And that reason is because this has everything to do with how we live our lives, which we intentionally focus on during this season of Lent.  Are we living natural lives or supernatural lives?  Do we live according to the flesh or to the spirit?  

We have a choice – and we’re the only ones who can make that choice for ourselves.  We can live out of the flesh or we can live by the spirit.  And, as St. Paul says in another of his letters – to the Galatians, “a person will reap only what he sows, because the one who sows for his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows for the spirit will reap eternal life from the spirit.”  In other words, what you plant is what you get.

The real problem, then, is when we try to live somewhere between the flesh and the spirit.  We profess to be Christians, who are living in Christ and for Christ one moment, but then we act like the rest of the world, focusing on gratifying the flesh the next.    

If you live for the flesh, there’ll be natural happiness.  But we can’t be surprised when that natural happiness - things, pleasure, money, stuff – doesn’t last or ultimately doesn’t satisfy us on the deepest level, because it’s just temporary, like this world.  

However, if we seek to live in the spirit, we will more and more be creating a welcome place for the Holy Spirit within us.  What does that mean to live in the spirit?  It means that we are intentional about our relationship with God, bringing Him into every aspect of our day.  We start the day with a meaningful time of prayer.  Pick a room or a corner in your house where you’re by yourself.  Have a crucifix to focus on.  Talk to Jesus from your heart about what’s in your heart.  And then in silence listen with your heart.  Pick up your Bible and read some Scripture.  Then talk with God about what you just read.  Then listen some more.  And bring this time with God into the rest of your day.  The more we give God space in our day and in our lives, the more He makes space in our hearts for His Spirit to dwell.  And the more His Spirit dwells within us, the more we live in the spirit and not for the flesh. 

St. Paul also says in Galatians, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”  If we live in the spirit, we will have happiness mixed with sadness, just like everyone else.  But the major difference here is this type of happiness cannot be taken away from us.  And so, even when illness, hurt, death, or misfortune touch our lives – God, who occupies the first place in our lives, carries us through in the Spirit.  And so today, as we celebrate this holy Mass, let us really ask the Lord for the grace to really live in the spirit today.  God bless you.