Galatians 5:1-6 / Luke 11:37-41
One of the things many adults remember from their high school chemistry course is that litmus paper turns red when placed in a solution of acid. In other words, red-colored litmus paper is a sure sign that acid is present. Paul says that love performs a similar function when it comes to true Christian faith. Love is a sure sign that the Christian faith is present. In other words, if we are loving toward other people, it’s a sure sign that our faith is truly Christian.
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How loving are we in our relationships? How seriously do we work at those relationships to keep them growing and developing in the right direction? “I may have all the faith needed to move mountains—but if I have no love, I am nothing.” Corinthians 13:2
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Introduction
Paul insists that our freedom comes from our faith in Christ, and we should never give away that freedom again. The only thing that matters is faith working through love.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus reacts against pious Jews who stress the observance of the externals – laws, rules, customs – without inspiration and motivation from the inside. Most probably, the Pharisees were sincere in practicing these outward regulations, but they easily gave the ones practicing them the conviction of saving themselves through them. In fact, in today’s world, externals count heavily. People buy things for their wrappings. Appearances are often all that matters... It is not the shining cup that matters but the contents. Indeed, the contents must be first-rate.
St Teresa of Jesus (of Avila) had to grow from a lukewarm Carmelite nun into a fervent one. In The Interior Castle, she describes her mystic experience of deep union with the Lord. God is felt with a quiet, mystic feeling as living in one’s deepest castle. Notwithstanding much opposition, Teresa reformed her Carmel and much of the Carmelite order on the basis of a life of deep prayer and a profound sense of community. Because of her writings about mysticism, she became the first woman to be a doctor of the Church.
Opening Prayer
Lord, our God, Jesus touched the dead and unclean lepers
to raise them to life and to heal them. Let us not be afraid of dirtying our hands to help people but of soiling our tongues to tell lies and to besmear the good name of our brothers and sisters, to quarrel with them and to hurt them. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Intercessions
- That the People of God, its leaders and members, may never put the law above people but always practice the great commandment of loving God in one another, we pray:
- That priests and religious make the poverty and love of Christ visible in them, so that their teaching may be credible, we pray:
- That our communities may be strong and faithful witnesses in our world for the truth, honesty and authenticity, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God, you look into our hearts and you invite us to come to the table of Jesus and to worship you with him in spirit and in truth. Let there be no pretence in us, no mere outward display, no attempt to impress people as to how good and religious we are. Make us honest with you and ourselves through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, this eucharist has been for us an occasion of reflection on the way we live our faith. Let the word of Jesus echo in us that we do not save ourselves by our own practices, but that we owe everything to you. Accept our thanks and love that all we are and have we have received from you through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
What is inside us? God knows, and I hope each of us knows too. May the Lord love what he sees, and may almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Commentary
Mercy, not Sacrifice
When St. Luke wrote the Gospel, his concerns were to introduce Jesus, the Son of God, who became a human being. His audience was Gentiles who had no clue of the Jewish customs and traditions. Therefore, the ritual washings and other purification rites of the Jews would mean nothing to them. Yet, Luke used this story to teach his community not to judge others.
This is another dinner scene. Jesus is invited to dinner by a Pharisee. He goes in without following the custom of ritual washing. Was it because Jesus did not care for the traditions which his host followed meticulously? How come he goes on the offensive towards the Pharisees after being invited for a dinner? Jesus uses the occasion to tell the Pharisees that the practice of external rituals does not make anyone holier than the rest.
Certainly, St. Luke is giving a catechesis here. He draws the attention of his readers on the false religion. Through narrating the incident, he teaches his readers not to judge a person’s virtues by his performance or non-performance of an external ritual. Such pharisaic attitudes are visible in today’s Church too. Recently, we have witnessed serious divisions in the Church due to the liturgical rubrics and rituals. Bishops, priests and faithful are divided over how to celebrate the Mass. Ironically, we are fighting over the rituals used in the Eucharist - the ultimate expression of Jesus’ love for humanity!
The last verse of today’s Gospel suggests us what should be our priority. Jesus suggests us that we give alms to the poor. An act of love and compassion to the needy is more pleasing to God than all the observations of rituals and traditions. Our participation in Sunday Mass, Bible studies, and retreats are all meaningful only when these religious practices help us to be better people, better father, mothers, sisters, brothers or better wives or husbands who brings the love and mercy of God to the people who are around us in our families, churches and society.
It is so easy to judge people, including our fellow Catholics, by their observance or non-observance of certain customs. Most of the passages in the Gospel attacking Pharisees are really directed against us – the modern-day Pharisees
Elsewhere, Jesus has told us not to judge because it is very difficult for us to know what is going on in the life of the other. Let us not forget the Word of God: “What I want is mercy and not sacrifice.”
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15 October 2024:
Luke 11:37- 41
Tidy up your inner self prior to applying any make-up!”
St. Teresa of Avila was born in 1515 in Avila, Spain. She entered the Carmelite Convent at the age of 20 and lived as a contemplative nun for 17 years. At age 38, she underwent a spiritual transformation and dedicated the next 20 years to reforming the Carmelite Order and founding 18 new monasteries for women. In 1970, Pope Paul VI declared her the first woman Doctor of the Church.
When St. Teresa initiated the Carmelite reform, she emphasised the importance of three virtues within her communities: love for others, detachment from worldly possessions, and humility. She considered humility the most crucial virtue because it formed the foundation for the other two. Teresa believed that detachment and humility were closely linked, referring to them as "two inseparable sisters" that are always intertwined.
The Gospel presents another dinner scene in which a Pharisee invites Jesus to a banquet but he becomes critical when Jesus does not follow the ritual washing before the meal. The setting helps us understand that Luke was using this dinner scene for catechesis for his community. It discusses Jesus's instructions to the Pharisees, which were intended to address the pharisaic attitude in the early Christian community, emphasising that practising external rituals does not make anyone holier than others.
Our acts of love and compassion toward those in need are more significant to God than religious rituals and traditions. Popular piety and spiritual practices like Sunday Mass, Bible studies, and retreats are meaningful only when they contribute to becoming better individuals who spread God's love and mercy to others in their families, churches, and society. Let us always remember Jesus' words: “What I want is mercy and not sacrifice.”
