Inside...Who Are You?

~~~ Galatians 5:1-6 ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Luke 11:37-41 ~~~

....neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything...

...the prescribed washing before the meal.

Both Paul and Luke are speaking in the same
 tone about what is important.

Paul says it does not matter whether you are circumcised or not.

Luke writes Jesus saying whether or
not I washed before eating is not important here.

It is so easy to miss the point.

It is never about working our way through
all of the prescribed ritual laws...

it is about our relationship with God.

This is where you should be focusing your attention.

There may be good reasons for circumcision. 

There may be good reasons for washing of hands before eating, 

but this is not THE focus here.

We are invited to go deeper...to go one more step toward the Lord.

The real focus should be on your personal relationship with God.

Nothing about the external rituals is as worthwhile 

as to the condition of one's heart and soul.

 ...through the Spirit, by faith, 
we await the hope of righteousness.

What benefit is it to our eternal salvation if we follow to the letter
 the prescribed laws and rituals if we go about
trampling on our brothers and sisters.

Faith helps us to act justly out of love.
To treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated.

If we become too preoccupied with laws and rituals
it may be at the expense of own destruction.

When we become too occupied with the laws
 we can become calloused to the needs of real people.

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

Jesus is very blunt.
Meticulously following the laws and rituals are equivalent
 to polishing up the outside of the cup.
But the outside often holds the reflection
of what should be given closer consideration within our heart.

If you despise those who are less fortunate
by holding them only as a reflection on the outside of the cup
you have missed the entire message of Jesus.

External appearances can be deceiving...just so you know.
When you raise the cup, look inside. Who do you see?
Is that who you truly are...
The person who looks back at you in the mirror each morning;
is that a good replica of what is on the inside?

Follow all of the rules and rituals meticulously,
but do not stop there...
For what is inside is far more important in the end.

Blessed to look inside and face the real you.
~~~Peace~~~

What are You Blind To

The Memorial of St. Augustine

~~~ 2 Thes 2: 1-3a, 14-17 ~~~ Psalm 96 ~~~ Matthew 23: 23-26 ~~~

 

St. Augustine is called the Doctor of Grace.

Once again the scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites

get an in your face experience from Jesus....

 

"...You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin..."

 

I can just see it now if we were to start bringing herbs and

pungent spices as our offering to church each week.

Is this really what it means to tithe?

I think, not.

Jesus goes on to tell them what they have been ignoring instead...

"...have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity."

 

They have neglected judgment to the point that they have appointed

themselves as the judge and the jury.

They had the final say,

because after all they were the law scholars.

No offense to the lawyers out there.

It is so easy to fall into the trap of judging others.

We can come up with so many reasons as to why

we are justified in judging someone.

Next time you are tempted to judge someone, pause

for a minute and ask yourself,

'Why do I feel the need to judge this person?'

 

They have neglected mercy because when you are always right

what use is mercy to you.

Mercy is for those who want to make amends with their

fellow community and family members.

Mercy is for the weak those you pity.

They did not have time to be bothered with mercy.

Mercy requires that you actually hear what the other person has to say.

Mercy is not only about your side of the story.

Mercy is something freely given to each of us by God.

Mercy requires compassion and kindness extended toward others.

The scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites had no time for this either.

If you are the judge and jury mercy is not part of the equation.

 

Lastly Jesus chooses to include fidelity.

We are not talking about the well known insurance company here.

The dictionary defines fidelity as faithfulness to a cause, person, or belief

demonstrated by continuing loyalty and support.

Instead of being faithful to the teachings of the Lord;

 they become the nit pickers.

Scrutinizing the dot on every i and the cross on each t

became their greatest concern.

 

Jesus does not stop here he continues to pour more fuel on the fire...

"...Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!"

 

There are times when the little things would be better ignored

so that you can address the larger concepts.

You know how very tiny a gnat is compared to a camel.

Furthermore a camel can store up 'stuff' in those signature humps.

They just totally miss the point.

I know some educators exactly like this with their students.

Is the student getting the work done precisely as the teacher has instructed?

Are the margins set to the teacher's specifications?

You get the point.

 

But here comes the real clincher from Jesus.

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean."

He points out that they are lacking in self examination.

The have not been inclined to look at their own self.

They are so busy with judging and scrutinizing everyone else.

They do not see their own internal corruption.

 

This is true for ourselves too.

If we take care of our spiritual self, that is the tending of our soul

we will also have a beautiful outside.

Whatever is inside will show on the outside.

We only pretend to believe that people cannot see who we really are.

 

 

Create in me a clean heart, O Lord.

Why do you think that psalm was written?

 

I think because if we keep ourselves on the the right track

it will be reflected in how we deal with others.

 

We will recognize that all judgment comes through God.

We will practice extending mercy to others even when it is difficult.

We will be faithful to the gospel message even when we find it challenging.

 

May the outside of your cup truly reflect the fine wine

stored within your heart.

 

St. Augustine, lead us to truth and knowledge.