February 8, Tuesday, Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
St. Jerome Emiliani; St. Josephine Bakhita
Readings: 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30 & Mark 7:1-13
It's easy to honor Jesus through our words. Jesus, on the other hand, hopes that we will praise him, love him, and surrender to him. Jesus demands a price for discipleship.
We see examples of Jesus' mercy and grace toward the lost and wandering throughout his ministry. He is compassionate and quick to assist the weak. However, we see that there are those whom Jesus strongly and vehemently reproves. The most frequently reprimanded by Jesus are those who profess God with their mouths but trust themselves and their good works.
The Pharisees chastised Jesus and his disciples in Gospel reading for eating with unclean hands. Before eating, it was customary for all Jews to wash their hands and thus cleanse themselves. Additionally, they practiced a variety of other purification rituals.
The Jews inquired of Jesus: "Why are your disciples disobedient to our tradition? Why do they consume food with unwashed hands?" Jesus responds to the charge with a quotation from Isaiah: "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me."
Jesus did not accept empty rituals. He desires that we all have an intimate and loving relationship with one another.
The Pharisees appear religious on the outside but are cold on the inside. The Gospel instructs us to guard against outward religiosity and callousness. We see Jesus places a higher premium on God's commandments than on their traditions; on the interior rather than on the exterior; on genuine conversion rather than on feigned compliance with their laws on the outside.
This is a temptation that we all face. Many of us fall into the trap of observing religious practices outwardly while allowing our hearts to wander. Our hearts must remain fixed on God, and our worship must flow naturally from our gratitude and love for him.
Take one or more steps toward Jesus today. Jesus is standing by, ready to embrace you! We are invited to continue our approach toward him.
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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