Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
What Is Inside You
Liturgical Cycle: A | Lectionary Cycle: II
Introduction
Year II. Paul insists that our freedom comes from our faith in Christ and we should never again give away that freedom. The only thing that matters is faith working through love.
Gospel. In today’s gospel, Jesus reacts against pious Jews who stress the observance of the externals – laws, rules, customs – without inspiration and motivation from inside. Most probably the Pharisees were sincere in practising these outward regulations, but they easily gave those practising them the conviction of saving themselves through them. In fact, in today’s world too, 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.
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.
First Reading
Christ freed us to make us really free. So remain firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
Christian Freedom
I, Paul, say this to you: if you undergo circumcision, Christ will no longer be able to help you.
Once again, I remind everyone who is circumcised: you are required to keep the entire law.
All of you who attempt to become righteous by following the law have separated yourselves from Christ and fallen from grace.
As for us, through the Spirit, by faith, we eagerly await the hope of righteousness.
In Christ Jesus, it doesn’t matter whether you are circumcised or not; what matters is faith expressing itself through love.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48
R. (41a) Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Let your mercy come to me, O LORD,
your salvation according to your promise.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Take not the word of truth from my mouth,
for in your ordinances is my hope.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will keep your law continually,
forever and ever.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will walk at liberty,
because I seek your precepts.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will delight in your commands,
which I love.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
And I will lift up my hands to your commands
and meditate on your statutes.
R. Let your mercy come to me, O Lord.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The word of God is living and effective,
able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
As Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to join him for a meal. So he went and sat at the table.
The Pharisee then wondered why Jesus did not first wash his hands before dinner.
But the Lord said to him:
“So then, you Pharisees, you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside yourselves you are full of greed and evil.
Fools! He who made the outside also made the inside.
But according to you, by the mere giving of alms, everything is made clean.
Prayers of the Faithful
- 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.
REFLECTIONS
Luke 11:37-41
Mercy, not Sacrifice
When St. Luke wrote the Gospel, his concern was to introduce Jesus, the Son of God, who became a human being. Luke’s audience was Gentiles who did not know Jewish customs and traditions. Therefore, the ritual washings and other purification rites of the Jews would mean nothing to them. However, Luke used the story in today’s Gospel 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 dinner? The setting helps us understand that Luke used this dinner scene for catechesis of his community. Jesus’s instructions to the Pharisees were intended for the Pharisaic attitude of those in the early Christian community - that practising external rituals does not make anyone holier than the rest.
St. Luke draws his readers' attention to false religion. Through the narration of 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 severe divisions in the Church because of the liturgical rubrics and rituals. Bishops, priests and faithful are divided over how to celebrate the Mass. Ironically, we are fighting over the Eucharist - the ultimate expression of Jesus’ love for humanity!
The last verse of today’s Gospel suggests what should be our priority. Jesus suggests 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 a better person who brings God’s love and mercy to the people around us in our families, churches and society.
It is 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 also 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 Words of Jesus: “What I want is mercy and not sacrifice.”