Deut 4:1-2, 6-8 Ps 15:2-3a, 3b-4a, 4b-5 Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27 Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer The Daily Reflections

In this Gospel passage Jesus is being questioned by the Pharisees about why his disciples are not practicing the tradition of the elders, which is to cleanse themselves before their meals. Jesus responds by saying, “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: These people honor 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.” (Mk 7:6-8)

I like what Jesus is saying because it makes people really look at themselves and the world around them. Especially in today’s society we are always faced with the rules of our society and the rules of God. Things that can be acceptable in our society today may not be acceptable and pleasing to God. It is very easy to fall under the influence of our society’s norms. What we see on television, the lyrics in the songs we listen to and the things we read on the internet all seem to be okay because we have become desensitized by the norms of society, when in reality they are not pleasing to God.

This passage also encourages me to think about how I am living my life. It is so easy to say how awesome our love is for God and for others, but it is usually harder for us to show this in our actions. Father Jerome Cummings said, “Love is shown in your deeds not in your words,” which I believe was Jesus’s other point in this passage. If we say that we love God and proclaim our faith in him to everyone but do not show our trust in him then our words mean nothing. We need to go to Mass, receive the sacraments, trust in God’s plan for us, and practice loving him, others and ourselves.

Jesus then continues to say, “Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile. From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come form within and they defile” (Mark 7:14-15, 21-23).

This is another concept that we need to be reminded of everyday. The thoughts we have within us are what make us who we are. We can put on a good front but God can see what is in our hearts, and what is in our hearts is also reflected in our actions. We must continue to pray to God and ask him to help fill us with his grace so that we can better live our lives in a loving and pleasing way.