Here we go again. The Pharisees and scribes are confronting the young rebel Jesus because his disciples are not following all the traditional rituals of their religion (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23). The implication is then that they are going against God. Never mind the overwhelming observation that everything Jesus is about and is shepherding his disciples to become is a humble, without hesitation or condition, manifestation of the love of God.
One of the gifts I received in my church upbringing was a tangible sense of Presence. Rituals in the liturgy called into play all my senses and ignited my imagination, pointing to and helping me experience God in my midst. Traditions of my home life, like saying prayers before bedtime and being together each night at the dinner table, spoke volumes as to what was a good way to order my life. School service clubs and church youth groups had their ways of instilling the value of accompanying and reaching out to others.
Jesus honored the precepts of his religion, guided by one affecting principle: how these laws helped put people in touch with God’s love and mercy. Tradition was to guide people in being loving neighbors. It was all about amazing grace.
Too often religion, made by human hands, veers from God’s blessing. It is easier to talk about what is good than to do good and to judge rather than extend compassion. Rituals can become empty of meaning and self-importance come to replace the generous flow of the Spirit.
Individuals, churches, governments, organizations can become separated from the essence that inspired them into being for the common good.
Jesus cautions us to be conscious of where our words, motivations, and actions are coming from. To pay attention to what’s going on inside us. To look to God for wisdom. I must admit I am close to consumed by despair to hear the litany of sins that are enumerated in today’s reading, which originate within the human heart. What keeps me hopeful is knowing that Jesus was human too. He leaned into an abiding Spiritual Heart, which is also a part of our DNA. Any one of us, and together, are capable of a heart centered on, broken open by, and freely given in Love—or not.
“Let us pray: Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
For reflection:
- What is the state of your inner compass?
- How might you cultivate a humble, generous heart?
-Trish Stefanik, Overlook Retreat at Dayspring
