February 6, Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Memorial of St. Paul Miki & Companions.
Daily readings: 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30, Mark 7:1-13
An atmosphere of prayer exists in the first reading of today. Solomon stands before the altar of the Lord and prays with spread-out hands to heaven. Solomon makes a solemn profession of faith that there is no God like the God of Israel. God’s outstanding qualities are His steadfast love and fidelity to His covenant. Solomon pleads with God that He may dwell in this house and listen to the pleas of His people.
He also insists that God may forgive the sins of His people. “Regard our servant’s prayer and his plea” displays the confidence that Solomon has in God. His belief is founded on God’s promise that ‘My name shall be there’. This is an assurance that God dwells in this holy place. The Psalmist joins the chorus of Solomon when he says in Ps 84, “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!” In all these, we have to remember that one has to seek God with a sincere heart. It should not be mere lip service!
Worship of God is a matter of the heart. Rituals and traditions are expressions of our love for God. The Pharisees and the scribes who came from Jerusalem in today’s Gospel reading try to replace worship of God with meticulous observances of a few human-made rituals and laws. That is why Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah and calls the people of his time hypocrites who honor God with their lips while their hearts are far from Him. Jesus deplores the tendency to find shortcuts to please God while bypassing one’s responsibilities. For every command of God, the people of Israel found either an escape route or a convenient antidote. Traditions, rules, regulations, and rituals are important to make our celebrations livelier and more concrete for simple souls, but if the inner meanings are forgotten and the responsibilities are conveniently transgressed, worship becomes empty.
Holy Mother Church honors the memory of St. Paul Miki and his companions, the first martyrs of Japan. Paul Miki has the distinction of preaching and forgiving those who crucified him. His 26 companions were comprised of priests, brothers, laymen, Franciscans, Jesuits, and members of the Secular Franciscan Order. They were catechists, doctors, simple artisans, old men, and innocent children.
Call to Action for Catholic Living: It is important to observe all the traditions of our culture and religion. What is more important is the underlying meaning and our social responsibility. How do I look at the rules and regulations?
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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