Meditation Minute

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

 

“Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil.”

 

Gospel Reading: Luke 11:37-41

 

After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal. The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.”

 

What is most important, what is inside our heart or what shows to others.  The Pharisee questioned Jesus because he did not followed the ritual cleaning process.  His response questions their hypocrisy which is cloaked in their legalistic ways. The Pharisees know the Mosaic law backward and forward, but they do not understand the spirit of the law. What good is it to appear clean when your thoughts and your intentions are dirty. What part of the cup is most important to be clean – the inside or the outside?  Similarly, what is more important, clean hands or a clean heart and mind. It is easy to put on a fake façade and make people think you are righteous. But to truly be righteous, it must come from the heart. You must be willing to freely give from within. “But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” If our thoughts and our desires our clean, then our outward actions will be based on truly righteous beginnings. We have to be generous with those things we tend to hoard, those things we tend to hold back and keep from others. To give from your inner treasures is to give the love which Christ poured out for us on the cross. You must be willing to make the inward sacrifice for others through both a deep concern for their spiritual and material welfare. Jesus use the phrase “to give alms” which means to give mercy and compassion. Therefore, you are asked to give mercy and compassion as Christ gave to you. This must start from within.  How much better the world would be if we sacrificed everything for our fellow man. Unfortunately we allow greed and envy plague our heart.  We allow hatred become the foundation of our actions.  To defeat hatred, we must allow our hearts to be filled with the love of Christ himself.

 

A Simple Prayer

 

Lord, you are so kind and merciful.

You poured out your love and grace to save me from my sins.

Help me cleanse my inside so that I can free myself from greed and envy.

Give me a clean mind and clean heart.

 

Yours in Christ

Michael Marcon