Daily Reflection – 2/7/2023
Sacred Scripture
Now when the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. (For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace, they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles [and beds].) So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” He responded, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.’ You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” He went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.’ Yet you say, ‘If a person says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is corban”’(meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.” (Mark 7:1-13)
Reflection
Today’s scripture should strike home with all of us. The simple subject is hypocrisy which all of us are guilty of. With some, it happens seldomly. With others, its al most a way of life.
The problem is that we don’t recognize how damaging its effects are on us. When we deceive others, we deceive ourselves. The dishonesty of the actions or the words open the door to further dishonesty. The more dishonest we are, the more corrupt we become. It’s like a tree with deep roots. Dishonesty sinks deeper and deeper in our lives and ultimately wraps itself around our very being, our very soul. We can’t see the truth because we have built our own truth. The world now is judged by our standards, our beliefs, our litmus test of what is right.
Look around us today and we see it everywhere. But truth is we have it in ourselves.
The greatest tragedy is that it damages (and sometimes destroys) our having a relationship with God.
Our relationship with God is at the very base of our life. More than anything in the world, we should want to not only have that relationship but have it alive every minute of our day. When it is, our life changes. We see others in His light. Our words are guided by His truths. The physical world looks different because we recognize His creation. Our fears, our sorrows, our hurts become more bearable because we know He walks at our side.
We know that we are loved.
The life of Jesus Christ secured for us much more than a new set of traditions. Jesus Christ rescues us from our failure to obey God and He builds in us hearts capable of love. Love of Him and love for others.
You and I need to close the gap between our lips and our hearts. If we believe in Jesus Christ, if we love Jesus Christ, then our lips need to speak of love, our actions need to reflect His teachings, our hearts need to sing a song of love and peace.
If we do that then we are born again. We know that we can’t be dishonest. We know that we can’t spread lies. We know that we must avoid those that spew hate, those that ridicule others, those that seek their own glory and not His glory.
Let Jesus Christ become fully alive in you. See the world with His compassion and His love. As you do this every day, you will feel His presence in you.
And here’s the good news. Jesus wants that for you. That’s why He gave himself to the cross. He took that cross of wickedness, of tyranny and bigotry and His blood washed it clean and made it a cross of love for you and me.
Prayer of The Day
“Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and make my heart like yours. Strengthen my heart, mind, and my will that I may freely choose to love what is good and to reject what is evil.”
Daily Note
Compassion, care, inclusion, and love are at risk in our world today. God is calling each one of us to do what we can to live by the core messages of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, not by trying to “contain” God but by living the moral and ethical demands that Jesus calls us to fulfill.
