In Sunday’s lectionary, Paul writes to the Galatians…
“Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.” (verse 6:2),
and…
“For all must carry their own loads.” (verse 6:5).
Now I can make some kind of sense of these separately. The first seems to be about love, caring for your brothers and sisters in Christ. The second is about not judging others, but making an honest assessment of your own performance. They don’t seem to agree with each other, though. Even a simple metaphor for the Christian life, like load-carrying, is so full of meanings that we must interpret it with care.
Paul also writes (verse 10), “So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.” As God cares about everyone, Christian or otherwise, so must we. For instance, people of all faiths with a well-founded fear of persecution are entitled to be treated justly (and more) at our hands. There’s an extra bit in Galatians too, “…especially for those of the family of faith.” I guess that this comes from Paul’s care for the cohesion of the Christian community, and for this to be a witness to what human life could be like. He doesn’t want the dream to become a nightmare, as it so often can.
The branches bending
under the weight of the rain,
a blessing of tears.