Denunciation of the Pharisees
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Lk 11:37-41
37After [Jesus] had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. 38The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. 39The
Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside
of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. 40You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? 41But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.”
Reflection:
Prescribed
washing. For devout Jews, it is a customary ceremony to wash cups and
dishes before eating. Besides the hygienic reason, washing for them has a
cultic or spiritual dimension. It indicates an external holiness that
God requires from his people.
But
here Jesus dispenses with this prescribed ritual washing which he
considers as meaningless and empty. Jesus wants people to cleanse their
interior life instead. It is necessary to purify one’s soul, not only to
wash the externals. Inner cleansing demands conversion, getting rid of
hypocrisy, dishonesty, and pretensions. It involves God’s works of love
and mercy translated into action.
The
Gospel calls us to harmonize our inner attitudes with our external
actions. As we hear the word of God, let us work it into our lives. As
we pray, let us practice what we say and pray. As we know God’s
commandments, let us observe them and live by them.
Are you clean inside and out?
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