In his letter to the Galatians, Paul is writing to a community caught in a controversy about circumcision. Some people are boasting that they have been circumcised as a sign of their conversion to Christ. But Paul, who was circumcised as a Jewish infant, reminds them that there is only one thing that they should boast about. It is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Today, there are some who boast about their good works, their prayer life, their faithfulness to what they perceive to be the most important aspects of the Christian faith. Yet Paul’s message to the Galatians is clear – never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.

If we are proud of our faithfulness, then we are certainly not poor in spirit, as Christ calls us to be. Any of us can be tempted to arrogance about how we are living the faith. Then, however, we are making it sound like we are saved by our actions rather than by the grace of God. The cross of Christ and the salvation won by it are pure gift, unearned and undeserved. Therefore, we have nothing to boast about, but the cross that saves us.