Mass Readings: Genesis 2:4b-9/Mark 7:14-23
The scribes
and Pharisees of Jesus’ day were obsessed with the external. Strict observance
of every ritual and law was paramount. As we see over and over, this
preoccupation with the external was at the expense of the internal. Worse, they
seemed most obedient to the obligations that most sheltered them from serving
their neighbor.
It’s easy to
do the external. Following rules or rituals doesn’t require much difficult
change. The external does not necessarily require us to be open to the needs of
our neighbor. Real change, real conversion, real love--that’s a different
story. If God breathes his own breath into us to make us living beings, then “evil
thoughts, unchastity…greed, malice” and other impurities of our hearts are all
the more profane. Our need for cleansing is all the more profound.
Prayer: Lord, cleanse my heart of all impurity; of all
that is not you.
No comments:
Post a Comment