Gn 1:20-2:4a Ps 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Mk 7:1-13

Weekly Guide for Daily Prayer The Daily Reflections

Quite often, there are two ways in which we look upon religion in general: through our mind and through our heart. We study theology with our intellect in order to logically reason tradition, faith, and the history of the Church. On the other hand, we discover that we cannot always rely on our logic in order to explain the mystifying aspects present within religion. Rather, we must rely on something greater than our own power and dependence. The heart is what brings deep desire and faith leading us closer to our Lord. In today’s Gospel, the Pharisees are clinging to human tradition and are honoring faith with their lips rather than their internal heart. They fail to see the deep devotion the apostles have for the Lord but the true problem lies within themselves.

Have you ever thought that the difference between knowing God and truly knowing him is approximately twelve inches? The distance between the brain and heart could prevent one from living a life of fulfillment. One must both know and love the Lord just as his apostles did in order to embrace a life of joy and purpose. As Christ says, we must combine our reason and faith on a daily basis for with both, we are completely serving the Lord. As the late John Paul II states, “Faith and reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of truth; and God has placed in the human heart a desire to know the truth - in a word, to know himself - so that, by knowing and loving God, men and women may also come to the fullness of truth about themselves.” We must unite our brain with our heart, thus embracing our uniqueness as humans and using our capacities to the greatest potential. As Catholic Christians, we must remember our mission: we are called to know, love, and serve our Lord.