Underlying Motives

Gospel: Luke 7: 31-35

Today's Gospel portion reveals our hypocrisy and hidden motives behind judgments we make about matters of the spirit.  The judgments we make are largely superficial about externals, and they are often contradictory in nature.  We mock John the Baptist's fasting; we belittle the feasting of Jesus.  But our judgments have little to do with their culinary habits or even their exterior appearance.  Our unspoken motives run much deeper than we care to admit.

John the Baptist called us to repentance.  Jesus came to invite us to a life of extending mercy and love for others.  We want to do neither of these things.  We have made peace with our sins over the years and comfortable with who we are.  We have established biases and resentments toward others that we would rather not set aside to care for others and extend mercy to them.  We cannot say these things aloud.  So we invent other reasons for not following the messages of John and Jesus, contradictory though they may be.

We so desperately want the world to change while simultaneously not wanting to change anything about ourselves.  If we will not repent of our sins and end our animus toward others, we cannot expect others to do so.  So, neither we nor they change and make progress in the life of the spirit.  The world goes on as it has always done.  We will put John and Jesus to death again and again in many different ways and in the many we consign to death each day.   

Reimagining the Scene

Gospel: John 19: 25-27

John is the only Gospel that records Mary and the Beloved Disciple present at the crucifixion of Jesus; the other three Gospels are united in their accounting that Mary Magdalene and other women were at the cross.  John is not interested in historical accuracy in this scene.  The interest is in making a theological point about the event of Jesus' death and what it all means in the grand scope of salvation history to the very beginning.

John places Mary and the Beloved Disciple at the cross - a woman and a man before a tree.  Two streams flow around them leading to a garden.  Jesus entrusts the woman and the man to each other in a relationship of mutual care.  John has recreated the Garden of Eden.  This event of Jesus' death has restored humanity to its original innocence, restored the relationships of mutual trust and care among human beings.  

The Way of Jesus leads us to death to self, and in so doing leads us to the innocence of Eden before the Fall.  The death of the self leads to restored relationships among human beings.  The death of Jesus is not cosmic magic.  It is an event we must live within ourselves, putting our own selves upon the gibbet of the cross.  We might weep at the death of the self until we realize where it leads - a new way of life free of conflict with others, full of the innocence of our original creation.   

Salvation, Not Condemnation

Gospel: John 3: 13-17

Today's Gospel portion reminds us that the cross of Jesus is not an occasion for condemnation but rather is the means and vehicle for salvation.  Yet, how often is the cross used to condemn.  Many have used it to condemn the Jewish people, blaming them perpetually for the death of Jesus.  Others will use the cross to condemn unjust structures and systems of oppression in its conspiracy to put Jesus to death.  How often has the cross through history been used to coerce, threaten, and frighten others!

Yet we are reminded here that Jesus came not to condemn but to save. In fact, on this very cross Jesus will forgive all who put him to death, uttering not one word of condemnation.  Instead, he prays Psalm 22 as a means of comfort, a psalm that ends with these words: "All the ends of the earth will worship and turn to the Lord; all the families of nations will bow low before you."  It is not a prayer of condemnation Jesus utters, but one of hope and a promise of salvation.

When we wear the cross about our necks, we take upon ourselves this posture of the Lord himself.  It is for us an instrument of forgiveness, of hope and promise of salvation for all people.  If we brandish the cross as a threat or menace to others, we do so to our own condemnation and judgment.  We abuse the symbol of our faith and hope and love.  Let our prayer today be that of the ancient Christians: "O crux ave spes unica" - O hail Cross, our only hope.   

Debt Forgiveness

Gospel:  Matthew 18: 21-35

The ideas of forgiveness of sins and forgiveness of financial debts were intrinsically tied together in the religion of Israel.  The various laws and mechanisms for the remission of debts went hand in hand with the notion of forgiving others of offenses and sins.  Throughout the Gospels Jesus continues that linkage and makes it fundamental to the Way, making it the foundational principle of the prayer he taught us and in today's parable.

In modern Christianity we have separated this link.  We focus only on forgiveness of sin but not at all to financial debt forgiveness.  In fact the modern Christian would hear nothing of this idea of debt forgiveness, wanting nothing more than to trap poor nations in cycles of debt, along with student loan borrowers and those trapped by payday lenders.  The modern Christian creates immigrants, migrants and refugees with economic exploitation and wars, only to condemn these poor folk who seek help.  

To be sure we can and should spiritualize this principle.  We ought to forgive all sorts of people in our lives, from the unknown people to us who cut us off on the road to the aisle hog in the grocery store to the family member or friend from whom we are estranged.  We have been forgiven by God from a great debt, and we ought to forgive both the sins and offenses of others as well as the financial debts and burdens of the poor and marginalized whom we have helped to create.  

Walking, Not Talking

Gospel: Luke 6: 43-49

A religion that began as a religion of the Word has over time becomes the religion of the words.  From creedal statements to elaborate wrote prayers to an endless profusion of hymns that all evoke lovely thoughts and feelings.  Add to that the endless theological tomes and endless words of apologetic and we have a vast array of words that, in the end, are just fancy ways of saying "Lord, Lord" without ever actually doing the work of Jesus.

After all, it is much easier to conduct Bible studies and prayer services than to sit with a dying person and their family members.  It is much easier to write a sermon or plan a liturgical service than it is to visit the imprisoned.  It is much easier to write books than it is to walk with the person struggling with addiction or being with an immigrant family living with constant fear in a hostile country that claims to be Christian but is ruled by cruelty.  

Jesus never wrote a book, nor plan a liturgical service.  Jesus spent the bulk of his time being with those who were sick and dying, providing comfort and healing.  He went out to those gripped by demons of all kinds and helped people become free of those demons.  He sat at table with all sorts of outcasts and his enemies, providing nourishment of body and soul.  That is the religion of the Word.  It is far more authentic than the religion of words.   

The Country of the Blind

Gospel: Luke 6: 39-42

"In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king." So ends this famous short story about a nation of blind people all claiming knowledge and encouraging others to follow them.  Even the person with partial sight has no legitimate claim to knowledge and wisdom.  The story is an allegory on our human condition, for the entire world is composed of the blind seeking to control other blind people with illusions of knowledge they do not possess.  

In this illusion we claim to see the faults of others and the way to illumination when in reality we do not.  We become very adept at examination other people's consciences while ignoring our own.  Yet, the only path to illumination and sight is the admission of our own faults and healing of our own infirmities.  It is the recognition of our utter dependence on God who alone is the source of illumination.  It is, in the process, a turning away from all these other false lights who distract us from the Way.

In becoming aware of our collective blindness, perhaps our theological and political claims and allegiances might become more tempered and humble.  In the recognition of our collective dependence on a source outside ourselves for healing and insight, we might be less judgmental and more merciful toward others.  May our solidarity be rooted in this mutual need for help and for one another as we journey together to the kingdom of God.

The Pursuit Of the Good

Gospel: Luke 6: 27-38

Modern Christianity has had a false belief for a long time that religion is about the pursuit of our own happiness and self-interest.  We are told to pursue the acquisition of graces and merit so that we might save our souls and achieve eternal happiness.  It is an entirely egoistic enterprise where we engage in our own enterprises.  Such a religion is attractive to a populace convinced since the Enlightenment that our own self-interest is all there is to consider.  The problem is that it does not conform to the Gospel message.

In today's Gospel portion Jesus teaches us to love our enemies, to forgive others, and to give generously to those in need.  There is no mention of rewards or merits or the like.  We are to do so for their own sakes, because it is the nature of the good to do so.  To love one's enemies is a direct affront to our notions of self-interest and ego.  The religion of Jesus is not about the pursuit of happiness.  It is the pursuit of the good for its own sake and for the sake of others.  

We can invent a whole host of theologies and practices and call them Christian, even though they are not.  We have been doing so for a long time.  These self-inventions make us feel good and conform to our false beliefs about self-interest and egoism.  Or we can follow the teaching and practice of Jesus in cultivating a life lived for the good, a life lived for others and their good.  In all things the way of Jesus is our model to follow in authentic Christian living. 

Woe to the Rich

Gospel: Luke 6: 20-26

Modern Christianity cannot abide the words of woe Jesus addresses to the rich throughout the Gospels.  Modern Christianity depends for its existence on catering to the rich and powerful.  They are necessary for the ongoing maintenance of the vast array of buildings, even more so to maintain the clergy in the life of comfort to which they have become accustomed.  The collar and cowl, once worn to be in solidarity with the slave and the poor, are now symbols of power and privilege.  

So what is done with these words of Jesus warning the rich of the peril of their souls for the neglect and exploitation of the poor?  The first strategy is to ignore the words and pretend they do not exist.  Plan B is to denounce anyone who references them as communists and socialists in a never ending attempt to intimidate and drive off this threat to their power and wealth.  The poor are then condemned as lazy and most unworthy of help.  

Today is the feast of Peter Claver, a man who dedicated his life to care of the poor and exploited.  He provided material and spiritual care for African slaves brought to the new world.  He condemned slavery and pled with masters to care for and release those in bondage.  Peter Claver followed the example of Jesus in today's Gospel portion.  Let us imitate the example of this saint, who followed the Lord Jesus in his care for the poor and marginalized in our world, rejecting wealth and privilege. 

Family Trees

Gospel:  Matthew 1: 1-16, 18-23

In today's Gospel portion we are presented with the family tree of Jesus.  The creator of said ancestry chart goes to great lengths to show that Jesus is both a descendant of Abraham and a descendant of David.  In order to do so, the construction departs from the traditional method of tracing these origins through male ancestors by adding two women to the family tree in order to make it work.  Some generations are skipped entirely in order to maintain the neat 14 generations between significant figures and events.

It all seems like a lot of work to get to Joseph, who is not even Jesus' biological father.  So, why all the fuss?  Jesus is adopted by Joseph, and according to the ancient laws of ancestry the adopted child inherits the lineage of the father.  They now belong to that household and ancestry regardless of actual biological origins.  What is more, that heritage and inheritance can never be taken away.  An adopted child could not be disowned in ancient societies.  

We are all adopted children of God in the same way that Jesus was adopted by Joseph.  Regardless of our bloodlines and family trees, we have all been adopted into the family of God.  We cannot be disowned.  We are part of this great heritage and so heirs of God's kingdom.  We need not have any fear.  We need not spend time creating lineage charts and the like.  Our relationship with God is secure.  The family of God is a safe house for all who accept their adoption.  

Looking to Blame

Gospel: Luke 6: 6-11

In today's Gospel portion, Jesus enters a synagogue for the third time.  The first two encounters did not go well.  In the first instance in his hometown the audience wanted to kill him for saying that God cares for and heals all people.  Last time, he helped a man become free from the demon that possessed him, which made Jesus a suspicious figure.  Now today we find a group coming to find fault with Jesus, looking for something with which they can condemn him.

So, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand.  This action of doing good was apparently forbidden because it was an act of work on the Sabbath, a rule which apparently is more important than doing good to others.  But no matter what Jesus did nor did not do, this group of people would find fault with something he did or did not do or say.  We have seen this dynamic in our own life and in our world.  We cannot and do not find any good in anyone we have deemed unclean in our eyes.  

The suspicions and animus we have toward others prevent us from seeing Jesus in those people.  It prevents us from seeing the good in other people.  Perhaps in spending a Sabbath in the hive mind of our particular congregations, might we instead visit a nursing home, or a hospital ward, or people in prison, and seek to find Jesus present in other people.  The encounter might prove to be a source of healing for them, and for us as well.

A Corrective Lesson

Gospel: Matthew 18: 15-20

Today's Gospel portion provides us Christians today with a rebuke on our own behavior.  The first is how much we ignore this passage.  We go from offense to the airing of grievances openly and excommunication immediately.  Little attempt is made to make amends or mend fences in disputes.  The images of culture war and social justice warriors lends itself not to reconciliation and amendment, but to total warfare and victory at any cost.  

The second is related to the first.  In our readiness to treat opponents as Gentiles and tax collectors - in making them pariahs and the unclean - we utterly ignore how in fact the Lord Jesus himself treated Gentiles and tax collectors.  He ate at table with them.  He healed them, their family members, and their servants of illnesses of all kinds.  He freed them from the demons that oppressed them.  Jesus treated them with loving kindness and mercy.  

The culture war folk and social justice warriors are products of a Christianity that has focused on creating communities of like minded individuals that in turn create suspicion and animus toward anyone not in those institutions.  Jesus, however, went from place to place encountering people of all types, meeting them where they are at, and providing for their needs.  The Way of Jesus is to carry a towel and basin for washing feet, not a sword or gun to harm others.   

Feed the People

Gospel: Luke 6: 1-5

The Pharisees criticize the disciples of Jesus for performing work on the Sabbath in order to eat by shelling the wheat husks and eating them.  Acts of work, of course, are forbidden on the Sabbath in the Law.  The reply of Jesus is a telling one.  He gives the example of David and his cohorts who ate the showbread reserved only for the priests, a violation of ceremonial law, but not a violation of the Sabbath commandment regarding work.  This response is telling.

Jesus is making a broader point on how feeding people is the greater priority of the Law than Sabbath laws or even ceremonial laws of the Temple.  The Sabbath is important, to be sure, but more important is the care of human beings who lack food and other basic necessities.  Ceremonial ritual is also important, but when human beings are starving and thirsty, lacking clothing and shelter, then the rituals of the sanctuary take a backseat to the needs of others.  

We take great pride in our ornate religious structures and elaborate liturgies - places we exclude many from having access to the food of heaven because of our own laws designed not to bring people closer to God but to create a state of superiority over others.  The showbread is not for us alone, but for all people who hunger.  The body of the Lord was given for all, the Lord Jesus fed all at the field of multiplication.  It is for us to imitate the Lord and to feed all who hunger. 

Standard Deviations

Gospel: Luke 5: 33-39

In every religious tradition there is always a group that sets itself as the standard around which all others must conform and submit.  Their behaviors and attitudes are the ones by which all other people are judged.  Such is the case in today's Gospel portion where the Pharisees and followers of John the Baptist state that they fast and pray, making the behavior of Jesus' disciples unacceptable in their view because the disciples are not doing what these self-proclaimed guardians do.  

In our own time such groups are prominent.  They call themselves "Bible believing Christians" and "Faithful Catholics".  They have selected a few things from the scriptures and tradition that are acceptable to them - ignoring a great amount in the process -  and have made it the alleged "non-negotiables" of faith life.  Their own behaviors and attitudes are then used to judge all other people.  Hypocrisy does not bother them since they are the self-proclaimed guardians and criteria of belief and practice.  

The only standard and criterion of faith is the Lord Jesus himself.  The Christian life is a constant reading and reflection on the Gospels of Jesus in order to pattern our lives on his alone.  We deviate widely from The Way when we set ourselves or others up as the standard of faith.  Jesus alone is the Way of authentic faith and living.  Today is a day for us to commit to a daily meditation on the Gospel so that we might be illumined and divinized by the life of the Lord Jesus.

Going Fishing

Gospel: Luke 5: 1-11

Anyone who has ever gone fishing knows the enterprise is utterly unpredictable.  One day could be very successful with a large catch of fish, while another day will yield nary a bite.  Success cannot be predicted in advance, nor can any meaningful planning for such be undertaken.  Even the most seasoned anglers will be frustrated at a day of no catches, and great rejoicing ensues at a great catch of fish or at the catch of a very large one.  It is the nature of things in the world of fishing.

In today's Gospel portion the disciples spend all night fishing without success.  We can hear and appreciate the frustration and disappointment in Peter's voice when he explains this to Jesus.  In spite of this night of failure, Jesus tells him to try one more time.  Overcoming his fatigue and incredulity, Peter and the others try one more time, and they catch so much fish they are stunned.  They see in this event a sign that has them put their faith in Jesus.

A good fisherman has faith in good times and in bad.  The angler's faith is not dependent on the whims of the fish but on a complete acceptance of whatever takes place on the waters.  So it must be in our life of faith.  We are graced with blessed moments of success that are often rare, and God is present in those moments to be sure.  But God is also present in the moments of drought and lack of success.  Authentic faith is present in both moments.   

A Model Response

Gospel: Luke 4: 38-44

Following the events in the synagogues, Jesus then goes to Simon Peter's house where he heals his mother-in-law of an ailment.  Her response to the healing becomes the model against which all other responses to healing are examined.  Peter's mother-in-law simply rises from her sick bed and serves others.  She does not go about "witnessing" or "testifying", telling others about her healing.  She simply gets to the work of serving others.  

From there, Jesus goes out to towns and villages throughout Galilee healing people of their infirmities, liberating people from their demons, and feeding people at table.  In these journeys we will encounter many people who encounter Jesus, most are nameless like Peter's mother-in-law.  In every encounter Jesus tells people who are healed not to talk about it to anyone.  Jesus invites them to follow him in the way of service - all things found in this healing at Peter's house.  

These encounters throughout the Gospels invite us to reflect on our own encounters with Jesus and with others.  Have we followed the model of discipleship in this unnamed woman, or are we like so many in the Gospels who do not listen to Jesus, creating frenzied crowds rather than authentic responses of humble service to others?  Each passage of the Gospels, each encounter with another person, invites us to this reflection and response.   

Demons Among Us

Gospel: Luke 4: 31-37

Jesus goes from the synagogue of Nazareth to the synagogue in Capernaum where again he is invited to teach.  While there in the synagogue a man possessed by a demon is present, and no one in the congregation is surprised.  He is a fixture in the community.  At one point they may have been concerned for him, but over time with the apparent inability to heal him everyone simply took his condition for granted.  The man and his demons were a fixture in the community.

Their shock comes when Jesus delivers the man from his demons.  The man had been in this state for so long that everyone just thought he could not be helped, and here Jesus comes and does so.  It may be that many in the past tried to help this man but were unable to do so.  Whatever approach they took to do so simply did not work.  It may be that some refused to help the man - that he was "too far gone" in order to restore him to full health.  The approach of Jesus was immediate and effective.  

How often do we accept as given the conditions of people oppressed by various demons in their lives!  How often do we consign people to their fate, saying they are "too far gone" and incapable of being helped!  Jesus sees no person as beyond help or care.  This scene in the synagogue will be replayed time and again with people of many conditions in many places.  Many will tell him not to help certain people, others will be written off by the crowd or the disciples.  But Jesus will ignore them all and find a way to help those in need. 

Rejected by His Own

Gospel: Luke 4: 16-30

Each Gospel writer begins the story of Jesus' public ministry in a different setting.  In today's Gospel portion Luke situates Jesus' inaugural event of ministry in his home town synagogue where Jesus is invited to share a reading and preach, indicating Jesus' status as a rabbi.  The synagogue was full, people who knew Jesus and eager to see what he would read and on what topic he would preach.  This setting is full of anticipatory promise.

Jesus chooses to read not from the Torah but from the prophet Isaiah, and he chooses to preach not on Jewish life and the keeping of the law but on how God is for all people of all races, classes, genders, and religions.  The reaction to Jesus' reading and preaching is swift and violent.  The entire town drags him to the edge of a cliff, intent on killing him.  Imagine - all these people you know, with whom you grew up and worked - all of them now seeking to kill you because you state that God is not their exclusive property.

While each Gospel situates Jesus' entrance into public ministry in different places, they all note in different ways that opposition to Jesus came from the very beginning.  "He came unto his own, and his own received him not."  The message of God being for all people remains as unpopular today as it was in Jesus' day.  Even those who sing the hymn "All are Welcome" do not really believe or practice it.  But the words and deeds of Jesus continue to inspire some to live that ideal, a place at the table for all.   

The Wrong Answer

Gospel: Matthew 16: 21-27

In the passage prior to today's Gospel portion, Peter provided an insightful answer about Jesus, and for that Jesus praised him.  Since then, apologists have used that passage to create an entire ecclesiology, ignoring two important elements.  The first is today's portion, an event that takes place just after Peter's confession.  Here, Peter gets it very wrong about Jesus and his mission, for which Jesus calls him a Satan, rebuking him in the most severe terms.  

Peter had made true statements about Jesus, that he was Messiah and Son of God, but Peter did not understand at all what those statements meant.  For him, the idea of Jesus being arrested and put to death at the hands of the state and religious leaders made no sense.  The Messiah was supposed to drive out the occupying empire and purify the religion of Israel, returning her to some period of past glory, making Israel great again.  But Jesus is not that figure at all - not then, not now.  

The second error of the apologists is in thinking that the Gospels exist to justify our own notions of ecclesiology and theology.  The Gospels exist for us to know the Lord Jesus and to become like him in our lives.  They document our own moments of insight as well as our own misunderstandings about Jesus.  Our own lives are reflected in the figures of the disciples in our own walk with Jesus.  If we want a lot of wrong answers, follow the apologists.  If we want to know Jesus better, place yourself in the Gospel itself.

Whom do We Serve?

Gospel: Mark 6: 17-29

We ought not be surprised when those in power take vengeance on those who rebuke them for their misdeeds and injustices.  Nor should we be surprised when those same ruling powers make decisions on a whim, even those that result in the death of another person merely because of pleasure, convenience, and events wholly unrelated to the life of the person in question.  These events and decisions are endemic to the ruling class and elites of the world.

Unfortunately, we also are no longer surprised when clergy and religious leaders put their lot in with the ruling powers of the world - when the religiously clad bless such injustices or at the very least say nothing at all when people are trampled upon by the ruling elite.  We might be saddened, but we ought not be surprised, when religious leaders choose to become chaplains of the empire rather than pastors and guardians of the defenseless sheep.  

In life and in death John the Baptist was the forerunner to the Lord Jesus.  John and Jesus lived prophetic lives of love, mercy, and care for others.  Both suffered death at the hands of the powers of this world and with the blessing and silence of the religious institutions of the day.  For those who choose a life of religious dedication, a further choice lies before us: will we follow the path of the professional religious elites, or the way of John the Baptist and Jesus? 

A Test of Perseverance

Gospel:  Matthew 25: 1-13

The parable of the wise and foolish virgins begins a series of images Jesus provides on various qualities essential to the spiritual life.  The image of the lamp is representative of wisdom itself, but not for its own sake.  It is the wisdom that accompanies charity and care for others, of providing the light and warmth of mercy and loving kindness that is the essence of authentic religion.  This parable hearkens back to Jesus telling us to let our light shine that our good deeds may be seen and enlighten others.  

In the beginning of our spiritual journey we are eager and avid in providing this light for others.  But for some their light grows dim and tired.  They have run out of oil, run out of zeal for mercy.  The first instinct is to borrow from others, but this is an unwise move as it will drain others and not fully meet your needs either.  We must return to the source, but we find now that we have missed the opportunity to serve the Lord in others.  We lacked wisdom and lost the glow of our charity.  

Wisdom is the recognition that the spiritual life is a marathon, not a sprint.  It is the realization that we must always have what we need to adequately provide light and warmth, mercy and love for others throughout our entire journey of life.  Today is a day for us to check our lamps and our provisions of oil, to be adequately supplied with the wisdom we need in order to be the light of the world, to be the love and mercy of God on earth.

The Lord Has Come

Gospel: Matthew 24: 42-51

The topic of the coming of the Lord is a paradoxical one, for we are simultaneously indifferent to it and obsessed with it.  Our indifference stems from the fact that in the common understanding the timing of the event cannot be known.  Like waiting for Godot, we have no idea when he will come or what the arrival will even look like, and we have waited so long for this event deemed ever imminent that every mention of it leads to an even greater indifference.

On the other hand our obsession is equally acute.  In the common understanding this event of the Lord's coming has been charged with such dread and impending doom that every bad event in the world is said to portend this coming day of judgment.  Such forecasting is undertaken by people across the spectrum where each pet cause is attached to the lore of the final coming such that each sibyl has created their own barometer for awaiting this day of darkness.

But the Lord has come.  The Lord comes each day in the person of our neighbor, and each encounter does come with its own judgment on whether we have treated our neighbor with mercy, love, and compassion, or whether we have treated them with malice and judgment.  We can dispense with the oracles of doom.  We can awake from our indifference.  The Lord comes to you and me today in other people as images of God, temples of the Holy Spirit, and Christ himself.   

Sham Religions

Gospel:  Matthew 23: 27-32

These passages of woe spiral back to the Sermon on the Mount and teachings Jesus provided therein, and the woes will culminate in the final judgment passage of the sheep and the goats.  Today's woe is related to the teaching of Jesus on the wearing of religious finery and garb.  The people of religion are found clad in religious attire of one variety or another to show to the world their affiliations and positions of power and authority within the world of religion.  

The costumes also mask and hide what lies underneath.  While giving the appearance of piety and devotion and attention to the work of religion, the garb whitewashes over a life lived in avoidance of the real and authentic work of religion, the works of mercy and care for others that punctuated the life and teaching of Jesus.  It is, after all, much easier to wear the religious costume than it is to encounter the stranger, the hungry and thirsty, the homeless and naked, the sick and imprisoned.  

In the life of religion we have an ever present choice.  We can continue cultivating shallow soil with the thin veneers of religious garb that flowers and fades quickly.  Or we can do the hard thing and cultivate rich, deep soil of mercy and love that produces long lasting yields.  We can have a religion of whitened tombs that hold dead bones, or we can rise from the tomb with the Lord Jesus and continue his work anew day in and day out.

Avoiding What Matters

Gospel: Matthew 23: 23-26

Take note of the cleric and layfolk who take great pains to wash the communion vessels, noting how important care for the body and blood of the Lord is in the tradition.  Note also their utter horror when a communion host falls to the ground.  The care and attention to the host and in purifying the area where it fell are again predicated on care for the Eucharistic species and the body of the Lord.  To be sure there are rules in the Church about such matters.

Now consider the utter neglect for and open hostility to the poor and marginalized; the migrant, immigrant, and refugee;  the imprisoned, foreigner, and people of other religions or none at all.  The very folk who have such attention and care for "the body of the Lord" in the Eucharistic species will create endless reams of apologetic on why it is perfectly acceptable to harbor and exhibit animus and indifference toward untold numbers of people in our world.

The real body of the Lord is our neighbor, all human beings who are made in God's image and likeness, who are temples of the Holy Spirit, bearing the person of Christ himself in their very being.  We will be judged on how we care for this body of Christ on earth - the hungry and thirsty, the sick and imprisoned, the naked and homeless, the stranger.  These are the weightier matters of the Law.  Would that we had as much concern for these as we do on the washing of cups and bowls.

Mistaken Identity

Gospel: John 1: 45-51

Once again we have a Gospel passage where the identity of Jesus is a central element.  After Jesus makes a mere mention of seeing him under a tree, Nathaniel states that Jesus is the "Son of God and King of Israel."  Both titles are loaded with meaning for its time:  Son of God was a way of defying the Romans by using that title of the emperor to refer to Jesus, while the title king of Israel was an irritant to the Jewish authorities who rejected the idea of Jesus as Messiah.  

While the statements about Jesus may be true enough, they do not capture the identity of Jesus any more than any other title does.  Our choice of titles for Jesus say more about us than they do about Jesus, in fact.  Nathaniel, like his contemporaries and many Christians today, see Jesus and the Messiah in political and military terms, both of which will be made laughable when Jesus is arrested by the political and religious leaders of his day and brutally executed before the entire city.  

What titles do we give to Jesus in attempting to say something about his identity?  What does our choice of such titles say about us and our faith?  No matter the title we choose, it will be mistaken and it will fall short of who Jesus is.  It will also reveal the limitations and inadequacies of our own faith.  But we, like Nathaniel, have this promise of Jesus that one day we might see the angels of God ascending and descending between heaven and earth, that our faith will grow over time - never being perfect, but getting better each day on our walk with Jesus. 

Who Am I?

Gospel: Matthew 16: 13-20

In the Gospels there is a measuring stick that identifies the extent to which a person understands who Jesus is.  It is expressed in a variety of titles people give to Jesus:  sir, rabbi, prophet, Messiah, Son of God/Savior of the world.  In today's account, the disciples relate what people say about Jesus, all of which see him as a prophet.  When Jesus asks them who they say Jesus is, Peter steps up to use the titles of Messiah and Son of God, for which Jesus praises the answer.

Yet two verses later Peter will be rebuked for really not knowing what those titles meant, for he saw them in political/military terms and not in the Suffering Messiah.  But in many ways Peter's answer to the question of who Jesus is misses the point, for the answer is found in the question itself - who am I.  The answer is "I am."  Jesus is the presence of God on earth, God who is with us in our hopes and fears, our joys and sorrows.  And that presence is all we need in our lives.

When Jesus asks us who we say he is, he is not looking for a theologically precise definition from Chalcedon or 20th century Christology.  The question is not a catechism quiz.  It is a personal, spiritual, mystical one.  The answer is simply the one Jesus gives at his arrest - I am - for he is simply God's presence among us, the one who is with us in our celebrations and in our mourning.  God is not a warrior, king, or emperor.  God is simply the one who shows up and is present to us at all moments of our life.

Of Titles and Fineries

Gospel:  Matthew 23: 1-12

What Jesus has to say about titles, honors, and fineries of religious leaders is addressed to his disciples, not to those in religious authority.  The latter group would not listen to such criticism.  There is hope that Jesus' followers themselves might heed these words, but as anyone with functioning sensory systems knows that sadly these words of Jesus will go unheeded throughout history to our own times and places here and now.  

Everyday we see clergy seeking political power and influence in seats of privilege.  We hear clerics state how humbled they are to be invited to be guest preacher at a church whilst broadcasting such humility far and wide on social media.  The endless shopping for religious garb and fineries that keep up with the titles of privilege and power sought by priest and pastor carries on as if these words of Jesus were never spoken at all.  

Meanwhile, Jesus went about wearing simple garb healing people of their infirmities, freeing them from the demons that plague them, and feeding them at table.  No media train, no self-promotion, and in fact a running from crowds and attention highlight Jesus' work in the world.  That the words and example of Jesus have little actual impact on the Christian Church is all too obvious and scandalous.  But his life and words are still there for those who seek the authentic way of religion.     

Disingenuous Questions

Gospel:  Matthew 22: 34-40

Today's Gospel portion seems ordinary on the surface.  The Pharisees ask Jesus a question about the law, and Jesus answers it.  No controversy ensues, and it moves on to the next scene.  But there is more to this passage than meets the eye.  The Pharisees approach Jesus because they saw that he had rebuked the Sadducees, their bitter enemies.  They see in Jesus a potential ally, and so they approach him with a question about the law to see if he might in fact be one of them.  

Their question about the law is not a sincere one.  There is not a desire to know the truth about the matter.  The question serves only to see whether Jesus agrees with them or not.  As it happens, a great many Pharisees would in fact agree with Jesus' answer to the question.  To love God above all else and to love one's neighbor is an answer many rabbis and scholars of the law would agree as the foundations of the entire Jewish law.  But the answer is incidental in this case.

This passage serves as a caution for us.  Do we approach Jesus with questions because we sincerely want to know the answer, or do we approach Jesus with a desire for him to agree with us?  How much of religion is about creating images of God and theologies to support our preconceived positions!  Yet, authentic religion is about the quest for wisdom and truth that informs and shapes our lives to deeper commitments of mercy and love for others.   

Rethinking the Story

Gospel: Matthew 22: 1-14

We have been given a certain way of thinking about this parable where the Jewish people are maligned for their response to the king and they are replaced with other people who are brought to the wedding banquet.  But then we have this poor man without a wedding garment who finds himself unexpectedly in a wedding and perhaps unable financially to even have a wedding garment, but is now cast out of the hall for this lack of proper attire.  What are we to make of it all?

First, the story is odd in that it is highly unusual for a king's wedding to go unattended or ignored.  Those seeking favor from the king and those looking for social influence attended such functions for those reasons alone.  And no king would go about the byways seeking for any old slob to attend his wedding banquet.  And how could we fault this poor man without a wedding garment when he was forced to attend on such short notice?

This parable is addressed to the religious leaders of Jesus' day.  Perhaps what Jesus is saying here is that we may have been thinking wrongly about God for a very long time.  Maybe that's why people are not coming to the religious rites - i.e. the wedding banquet.  Instead of seeing God as a temperamental king, we might imagine God differently and arrive at different conclusions and outcomes than we have had in the world of religion.  Maybe that lesson is for religious leaders of all times and places... 

Limiting the Limitless

Gospel:  Matthew 20: 1-16

In today's parable Jesus describes for us in story form what theology has attempted to do over the centuries - the constant attempt to contain and limit what is by definition and experience limitless.  We have the story of a vineyard owner who is a representation of God.  This man hires others throughout the day to work in his fields, and at day's end he pays everyone the same daily wage.  He provides the daily bread, the daily needs, of all these people.

Now enter the theologians.  Some complain loudly that this arrangement is unfair.  They worked longer, so they should get more and others should get less.  They want to create categories of special status and chosen people over and against others.  They want to reject the idea of God's generosity to all and set limits on it.  They want to defend their economic theories of privilege and "merit" and reject ideas of the common good and care for all people.  

But God provides for all people.  God provides for the daily bread of all his children, and all people are children of God without exception or exclusion.  Even the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the betrayer, the denier, and those who abandoned him were fed at his table.  No one goes hungry.  The theologians will seek to say otherwise.  Let us instead seek to be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect, following the example of Jesus, and provide for all. 

One Lane Road

Gospel: Matthew 19: 23-30

A disciple lives in their own time, forming their judgments and theology based on this world around them.  The Master, on the other hand, lives on a different plane entirely.  Jesus tells his disciples that it is very difficult for the rich to enter the kingdom of God, a statement that shocks them.  They reply, if that is true then who can be saved? They believe, as many do, that riches are blessings from God, a sign that God has favored them and surely they would be the core of God's reign.

But this idea assumes that riches are acquired honestly and through hard work alone.  The reality is that riches are more often than not gained through dishonest means, frequently through the exploitation of and theft from others.  What is more, the hoarding of this wealth is itself its own sin, theft from the poor and needy who lack the basic necessities of life.  In the mind of the Master, riches are not a blessing but a great curse, a weight around one's neck that drags one down to a depth of misery.

We still think as those disciples.  We fawn over the rich in our "stewardship" campaigns, in the lust for political power and influence, in the love of our ornate temples and residences of our prelates.  We think all these are blessings of God, signs of God's singular favor.  It is all an illusion, a house of sand that leads to our ruin.  We remain shocked at Jesus' statements against the rich and seek to explain them away.  After all, it's not good copy for our direct mail appeals. 

What Must I Do?

Gospel:  Matthew 19: 16-22

A man asks Jesus, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?"  Jesus tells him to keep the commandments, specifically those that deal with our relations with others, with love of our neighbor.  Do not kill. Do not steal.  Do not bear false witness.  Do not covet.  And love your neighbor through concrete acts of care for them.  By avoiding actions that harm our neighbor and in performing actions of good for them, we come to inherit eternal life.

But the man is not satisfied.  I have done all that, what more can I do?  Jesus then says that if we wish to be perfect, we must then sell all that we have and give it away to the poor.  Then, we must follow the Lord Jesus and do the work that he has been doing:  healing people of their illnesses and infirmities; liberating people from their demons; and nourishing people at table.  This is the pathway to perfection - the care of the poor and marginalized of all backgrounds, excluding none.  

Notice what are absent from these lists  are the things that tend to dominate Christian concern: the quest for power, influence, and riches in our obsession with politics and media empires, or the building and upkeep of vast tracts of property.  Absent too are the perseverations over liturgical minutiae and theological erudition.  The way to eternal life and perfection is the way of love and care for others, for it was the way of Jesus in his life on earth.

Imagine If...

Gospel: Matthew 15: 21-28

Let us imagine this Gospel story from another angle.  Imagine if Jesus had listened to his disciples who tell him to ignore this foreign, pagan woman and the needs of her daughter who is caught in the grips of a demon.  Let us suppose that this version of the story is preserved, recorded, and passed on into the Gospel text, permeating the tradition.  Let us consider the various outcomes and consequences of this rendering of the story.  

Most immediate is the fact that the young girl would still remain in the grips of the demon; she would not have been helped.  Then, we would have a story and a tradition that now can create a theology of exclusion based on prejudice and bias against women, foreigners, and those of different faith backgrounds that can then be used to justify all sorts of animus against the same throughout history, leaving a trail of pain and death across the centuries.

Yes, even with the story as it is, we have still managed to create such ideologies and outcomes in the world.  At least with this story standing as it exists, those who do create such theologies and exact such pain on the world do so in opposition to the example and teaching of Jesus, not because of it.  The world can see that such theologies are utterly false and demonic, and that those who struggle to accept Christianity do so because alleged Christians follow the way of the disciples and not the way of Jesus.

Remembering the Promise

Gospel: Luke 1: 39-56

A Christian feast would not be so were there not some controversy surrounding it.  In a tradition that cannot celebrate the greatest feast of Easter on the same day, so today's feast comes with its own set of disputes, not the least of which is where it took place.  For some, Mary went with the apostle John to Ephesus where she was lifted up to heaven, and shrine exists there.  For others, Mary's dormition took place in Jerusalem, where the Dormition Church marks the locale of that tradition.  

Along the way rival ideas about whether Mary fell asleep and was brought up to heaven or whether she was just brought up to heaven added to the endless minutiae of disputes in Christianity that leave a person tired and exhausted, much like Mary to be sure at the end of her life.  This poor, simple village woman who exists as our model of bearing Christ and bringing him forth into the world by our life, surely did not sign on for such disputatious nonsense regarding the end of her days on this earth.  

In her Magnificat Mary rejoices that God has remembered the promises to his people, the promises of liberation and renewal.  Mary experienced that liberation and new life.  Her life and her final moments on earth invite us to experience that liberation and renewal as well.  Rather than adding to the discord and oppression in church and world, let us instead imitate Mary, bearing the Lord, bringing forth the Lord into the world in our lives, and being transformed by the liberation and new life that his life brings to all. 

Finding the Ideal

Gospel:  Matthew 19: 3-12

Today's Gospel portion is difficult to read if one is a woman.  The entire conversation around divorce is had entirely from the point of view of a man.  The woman is seen merely as property without any say, and the one exception allowing divorce is predicated on the lewdness of the woman, not the man.  The implied message of the teaching is that a man should keep his wife, though the motives for doing so are not stated in the ideal of love, but are left unclear.

Jesus' disciples hear this teaching and immediately say that if this is so, then it is better not to marry at all.  This response is truly horrid.  Their reason for celibacy is based not on any noble ideals or for the kingdom of God, but only on the fact that they do not have the option of divorcing their wives if they so chose.  And it overlooks the reality unmarried women faced in those days - no protection from law, vulnerability, poverty, and resorting to whatever means to survive as noncitizens unattached to a man.  

The decision to marry and remain committed to marriage is a deep and serious one, one that is borne by both men and women equally.  Marriage is not a decision of one day of proposal and another of the wedding day itself.  It is a decision of each moment of each day that both members make.  A marriage can be an inspiring thing to those who experience one longstanding and committed by each person.  This is the ideal to which married people are called to undertake in a partnership of equals in mutual love and respect.

The Great Difficulty

Gospel:  Matthew 18: 21 - 19: 1

Peter asks a disciple question: how many times do I have to forgive someone?  It is a question loaded with problems.  First, it seeks to find the minimum requirement in order to fulfill whatever standard we believe ought to exist in this category of mercy.  The second problem is even more serious: we claim to believe in a God of mercy and love who is also infinite, and yet we somehow believe that a limitless God has limits on love and mercy.  

That second problem becomes the subject of the parable that follows.  The Master forgives a debt that cannot possibly be repaid.  That mercy goes to the depth of God's mercy for each and every person.  Both the amount of times God forgives us human beings and the gravity of what God forgives each of us should give us great pause in our never ending attempts to limit and circumscribe mercy both in our own human lives and in our lame theological attempts to do so to God.  

Therein lies the point of this forgiven man who was not able to forgive a much lesser debt that another owed him.  How often do we see other people in this parable but not ourselves, even though each of us is guilty of this behavior.  We will find reasons to justify our refusal to forgive others.  We will create entire theologies and systems in order to defend our lack of mercy.  Yet, Jesus ate with sinners.  He ate with his betrayer, his denier, those who abandoned him.  He eats with us too.  We must do likewise.   

Misreading Jesus

Gospel:  Matthew 18: 15-20

Jesus gives us a set of steps to follow in dealing with people we deem are in need of correction in the church.  The first three steps are obvious enough to follow:  first, have a face to face with the person; second, bring another person along to help if the first step fails; and third, bring the person to the church community if these other steps fail.  If these fail, Jesus then says that we should treat this person as if they were a Gentile or a tax collector.  What does this mean?

In Jesus' day, the Gentile and tax collector were people utterly shunned and banished from good Jewish society.  These were the unclean with whom one could not associate.  Presumably, then, this is how we are to treat someone who will not hear correction in any of the previous three steps.  Except that Jesus did not treat Gentiles and tax collectors in this way.  He healed their sick, liberated them from the demons that afflicted them, and ate with them at table.

For those who love excommunication and shunning, we might well consider the example of Jesus in light of this passage.  Perhaps, instead of our love of shunning and expulsion, we are instead invited to encounter and deeper engagement as Jesus demonstrated in his life.  The common way of the world would make offenders pariahs and unclean.  The way of Jesus would bring us to deeper engagement and service to the offender.  Which way leads to healing, restoration, and peace? 

Who is Greatest?

Gospel: Matthew 18: 1-5, 10, 12-14

The disciples are obsessed with power, status, and hierarchy, continually asking who is most important, who is the greatest, who has the most power.  So it is to this very day.  In response to this never ending lust for power and status, Jesus sets before his disciples a child, someone with no power, no status, no influence at all in society.  A child, then as now, is the most vulnerable and weakest member of the population, someone with no rights or privileges.  A child is greatest in the kingdom of God.

To highlight the point even further, Jesus then gives us a confounding parable of the lost sheep.  Jesus asks us a question: what shepherd wouldn't leave ninety-nine sheep exposed and vulnerable in order to find the one lost sheep?  Well, no shepherd would do that - except Jesus.  Every other shepherd would apply utilitarian calculus and abandon the lost sheep for the sake of the greater number, a calculus that dominates church ministry to this day.  

But Jesus is not a utilitarian, nor is he one to care about power, status, and hierarchy.  To be great in the kingdom is to do what Jesus did - to become vulnerable, weak, and powerless in order to serve the needs of others, especially those most vulnerable and lost.  Again, we are faced with two paths: the path of the disciples with its utilitarian calculus and striving for status, or the path of Jesus where all are loved and important, especially the most powerless and vulnerable.   

To Follow and Serve

Gospel: John 12: 24-26

Each year on the feast of St. Lawrence we are inspired by his stand before the Roman Empire which demanded of him the treasures of the Church.  His response was to bring before the tribunal the poor of Rome, announcing that this is the treasure of the Church - to serve the poor.  For Lawrence, it was not a mere display or show.  He served the poor day in and day out as a deacon providing material and sacramental support to the poor throughout the city.

To serve the poor is to follow and serve Jesus.  Jesus went about caring for the poor his entire ministry: healing the sick and lame, liberating those in the grips of demons, feeding people at table.  The poor became Jesus' very identity, for he places as the only criterion of judgment before God whether we care for the poor or not.  We follow Jesus by doing what he did.  We serve Jesus in the very people whom Jesus served and with whom he identified.  

To follow and serve Jesus is not about supporting media empires or political factions.  It does not consist in the ongoing care of elaborate campuses and shrines.  It is not represented in the donning of religious garb and finery.  To follow and serve Jesus is about one thing only: the care of the poor.  The only authentic Christianity is one that has that as its primary mission and inspiration.  St. Lawrence, pray for us. 

Adrift at Sea

Gospel: Matthew 14: 22-33

The disciples find themselves at the whims of the sea between the crowd on one side of the shore and Jesus on the other.  The sea is unsettled, the wind is brisk, it is the dark of night, and they are adrift.  At a certain point, coming out of the darkness comes Jesus walking out to them on the sea.  They are frightened, thinking they see a ghost.  Jesus has to reassure them:  do not be frightened, it is I.  Jesus comes to bring peace and reassurance.  

Yet, Peter is not convinced.  If it really is you, bid me come out to you on the sea.  So Jesus invites him to come walk on the water.  Peter approaches and initially has success in walking out to Jesus.  But a gust of wind frightens him and he sinks into the sea, needing Jesus to help rescue him.  How often it is that the slightest distraction and inconvenience we sink into the water.  How often are we adrift at sea between the crowds and Jesus.  

The more we read the Gospels, the more we come to realize that they are not so much about the literal story as much as they are about the constant examination of our spiritual lives.  Whether this story took place or not is not as important as our own status the story seeks for us to discern.  Are we moved by the emotions of the sea as the disciples, unable to decide whether the crowd is more important or being with the Lord on the mountaintop? Is discipleship our priority, or imitating the Lord Jesus?

Inadequacy of Discipleship

Gospel:  Matthew 17: 14-20

A man has a son in the grips of a demon.  He first went to Jesus' disciples to help him, but the disciples were not able to do so.  The man then comes to Jesus, stating that his disciples were not able to cure his son, and he begs Jesus to cure his son.  Jesus, of course, does so, but not without a lament about the lack of faith he continually sees.  Our first reaction to this lament of Jesus is to have pity on this father - how could he be blamed in all this?

But Jesus is not blaming this man.  He is finding fault with the lack of faith in his disciples.  In fact, Jesus rebukes them for their lack of faith in failing to help this boy and his father.  As so many other Gospel stories make evident, discipleship is not the goal of the Christian life, for to be a disciple in the Gospels always leads to inadequacy and failure.  The Gospels time and again remind us that the goal of Christian living is to imitate Jesus, to be illuminated and divinized by him.

The father in this story is a model for us as well.  When we find inadequacy in churchmen - when we find they are unable to help us and in fact are obstacles to us - then we go to Jesus.  We let him know that his disciples were not able to help us, that their faith was inadequate.  We then seek to imitate Jesus, not the disciples, and in imitating Jesus we are freed from our demons, we are illuminated, and we are divinized into his likeness.     

Profits and Losses

Gospel:  Matthew 16: 24-28

What do we gain if we spend our entire lives seeking to amass riches and possessions?  Consider the house and storage sheds of those who hoard possessions.  At some point these items will mean nothing at all.  The possessor of these things will die, leaving to someone else the possessions.  Or consider the wealthy person who has amassed billions of dollars.  Upon death that money has no meaning, and the possessions, the money become a millstone, not a life line.  

Was it really worth it to spend one's life this way? Do the rich and powerful have any satisfaction at all upon their deathbed?  How many people could have benefited from their money and possessions in having just basic necessities that were deprived them by those who hoard treasure to the detriment of others.  The wealthy lose their life, for their life was their possessions and money, all of which are left behind when death comes for them.

But those who have given up such wealth and treasure have lived for the sake of others.  They have provided care and mercy for others.  They have lived a truly free life. not bound by the slavery to possessions and money.  If we find ourselves in the grip of the demons of wealth and possessions, today is a day to let them go that they may be used to help others in their need.  This is the way of Jesus, the way of the cross, the way to resurrection and life. 

Transfiguration Moments

 

Gospel: Matthew 17: 1-9

The work of the kingdom can be tiring.  The needs of the vast multitude are many and never seem to end.  Wherever we go there are people in need of healing, people struggling to overcome their demons, people hungry for food and for attention.  The mission of mercy is a constant one like the tending of a garden, and very often it can be overwhelming.  We need rest and we need perspective.  The crowd and the people fill us with all sorts of thoughts - from delusions of grandeur to feelings of inadequacy.  

From time to time we are invited up to the mountain by the Lord.  If he had not invited us we likely would not stop to take the rest.  At this invitation we go with him to the mountain, and we hear again the words of baptism.  We are reminded that we are beloved children of God, reminded of our identity, of our rich tradition, of the promise of a future resurrection one day.  These are moments of transfiguration, of renewal God provides us in the midst of the work.  

Today's feast comes in the midst of the heat of summer.  It is hot and the work seems all the harder in this time of year.  Yet, we are given this moment of renewal, this moment that reminds us of our identity as children of God, of our great tradition of faith stretching back millennia that inspires us once again to continue the work of the kingdom, the work of mercy to a world that needs healing, reconciliation, liberation from its demons, and nourishment at table.

Send Her Away!

Gospel: Matthew 15: 21-28

The disciples are annoyed by this foreign woman who asks Jesus for help. She is a Canaanite and woman - doubly unclean!  The male disciples don't like women too much.  They didn't like Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman either.  To be sure this conversation Jesus has with the woman is not particularly warm, but it is a conversation.  Jesus rejects the suggestion of the male disciples who suggest that Jesus send her away.  He does not do that.  He engages with the woman in conversation.

In the encounter Jesus discovers a great faith in the woman doubly unclean, a faith he has not seen among his fellow Israelites or in his disciples.  The woman goes away with healing for her daughter and transformation for her own spirit, and hopefully so do we.  How often have we engaged in this behavior of the male disciples.  How often have we sent people away or written off entire groups of people because of our biases and pre-conceived ideas of them.  How often did we reject the path of encounter in favor of our own versions of the path of the fortress.  

Imagine what would have happened had Jesus taken the advice of his male disciples.  The woman's daughter would still be in the grips of her demons.  The woman herself would not have been transformed, and neither would we.  We would remain in our biases and fortress mentalities.  We would use Jesus to defend these biases and fortresses.  Now, we cannot do so.  Jesus takes the path of encounter, the path of transformation every single time, regardless of the person's gender, race, socioeconomic background, or status in society.   

Empty Rituals

Gospel: Matthew 15: 1-2, 10-14

This Gospel passage seems strange to us as we are accustomed to washing hands before meals for hygiene purposes.  Yet, the ritual washings in Judaism have nothing to do with physical cleanliness.  The rituals had to do with interior purity of intention and judgment before God.  The practice, however, became a mere formalism and few knew and internalized the meaning of the ritual.  In fact, the objection of the Pharisees here is that the disciples don't follow the tradition, nothing more.  The meaning is utterly lost.

We ourselves have many such rubrics that most have forgotten and have become empty gestures devoid of meaning.  Take, for example, the practice of dipping one's hand in holy water and signing oneself upon entering a church or even one's home.  Few know that this practice is designed to be a reminder of one's baptism and a recommitment to our baptismal promises.  Yet, how many people just perform the action of of mindless habit, or have invented all sorts of nonsense about its meaning.  

The warning Jesus gives of rituals and their defenders of his day apply in our own.  If one is to partake of the ritual, know and enter into its meaning.  Jesus invites us not to abandon ritual as much as being conscious of its meaning and appropriating that meaning into the lives we live.  How often the hardest of hearts are those so fastidious and rigid about ritual and external practice but neglect the inner meaning that is designed to transform the heart of a person, to illuminate and divinize our negligible love into an ever expansive heart open to all.