My husband and I were once invited to join a Jewish family for Passover dinner in their home. We loved the stories behind each course and every ritual and it gave me a better sense of my own faith. To someone unfamiliar with Jewish dietary laws, they seemed complicated, but to this family it was an important and respected part of their religous practice.
In today’s gospel, Jesus speaks to a crowd who would have been very familiar with the food laws. But, as sometimes happens to all of us, there might have been more focus on the technicalities of the law rather than the importance and meaning of the religious practice. Jesus tries to shift the focus from the rules about the defilement of our bodies to something more important – what is in our hearts. We see a very human Jesus using the example of the most basic bodily functions. He says that it is not what comes out of our body that defiles us but what goes into our hearts.
Then he notes the kinds of sins that might be in our hearts. It’s a list most of us can start reading comfortably, knowing we don’t commit those sins. Jesus begins his list: “unchastity, theft, murder, adultery…” Really, those are the kinds of sins other people commit.
Then Jesus gets to the end of his list: “envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly”… Now I feel the pinch. These are clearly things Jesus says will defile us. Am I ever envious? Do I use God’s name in vain? Arrogance – it’s one of my best sins! Folly? It means the lack of good sense and to that I must sometimes admit guilt, most often during a good bout of arrogance.
The list of things that defile us, take away from the dignity and sanctity we have as human beings, is a list of ordinary struggles of everyday life. When we run into a situation that is overwhelming, do we spontaneously turn to God or do we conclude we can handle this situation ourselves? That arrogance, that independence, draws us away from feeling God’s presence in our lives. God is still there just as deeply, but we are so busy testing our own power, sure we can go it alone.
Today’s gospel is a reminder that we aren’t created to “go it alone” and that Jesus is our savior, wanting to heal us. We have to be aware of how often we fall short, because it is only when we realize how much we need a savior, that we will allow one to enter our lives. We can ask for Jesus’ grace to change what comes out of us, to bless our envy, blasphemy, arrogance and folly, and to transform it by his love into generosity, kind words, compassion and a willingness to let go of our stubbornness.
Lord, change my heart and what comes out of it. Bless my efforts and my life and allow me to really feel how much I need you as a savior in my life. Let my heart be open to everyone you have sent to be in my day.
Maureen McCann Waldron
The most important part of my life is my family – Jim my husband of 47 years and our two children. Our daughter Katy, a banker here in Omaha, and her husband John, have three wonderful children: Charlotte, Daniel and Elizabeth Grace. Our son Jack and his wife, Ellie, have added to our joy with their sons, Peter and Joseph.
I think family life is an incredible way to find God, even in (or maybe I should say, especially in) the most frustrating or mundane moments.
I am a native of the East Coast after graduating in 1971 from Archbishop John Carroll High School in suburban Philadelphia. I graduated from Creighton University in 1975 with a degree in Journalism and spent most of the next 20 years in corporate public relations in Omaha. I returned to Creighton in the 1990s and completed a master’s degree in Christian Spirituality in 1998.
As our children were growing up, my favorite times were always family dinners at home when the four of us would talk about our days. But now that our kids are gone from home, my husband and I have rediscovered how nice it is to have a quiet dinner together. I also have a special place in my heart for family vacations when the kids were little and four of us were away from home together. It’s a joy to be with my growing family.
Writing a Daily Reflection is always a graced moment, because only with God’s help could I ever write one. I know my own life is hectic, disjointed and imperfect and I know most of us have lives like that. I usually write from that point of view and I always seem to find some sentence, some word in the readings that speaks right to me, in all of my imperfection. I hope that whatever I write is in some way supportive of others.
It’s an incredibly humbling experience to hear from someone who was touched by something I wrote. Whether the note is from someone across campus or across the world, it makes me realize how connected we are all in our longing to grow closer to God.
