Caught in the Trap?

~~~ 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30 ~~~ Psalm 84 ~~~ Mark 7:1-13 ~~~

How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!

The Pharisees and some scribes became
increasingly caught up in the letter of the law.
The rules and rituals became more important than God.

We must keep up our guard so that
we do not get caught in the very same trap.
If we get caught in being too vigilant in following the rules
we may lose sight of the truly loveliness of God.

Our worship space is a reminder to me of the loveliness of God.
This is why we design our churches in such a manner
 to lift up our hearts to God.

The dwelling place of God is one of love and acceptance.
The dwelling place of God is not about where you stand,
how you walk, or is the book in exactly the 'right' position.....

Many times I feel for our sacristans because their
role in every liturgy is to make sure that all is in
place and ready for the service.

I often wonder if they have the chance to just be...
to be fully present to the Lord.

You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.

Jesus reprimanded the Pharisees and the scribes.
We do want everything to be perfect.
It is imperative that we also preserve the spirit
of our Christian calling.

As we count down the hours until Ash Wednesday
I invite you to consider worrying less about the rules,
laws, or rituals and more about deepening your relationship with Jesus.

Let this Lent be a time of complete
abandonment to the loveliness of the Lord.

Allow him to bring out the best in your heart.

Let God plump up your soul with his unconditional love.
Ask God to show you how to love like him.
If we can love more like Jesus the
laws and the rituals will pale in comparison.
We will not get caught in the trap of the letter of the law.

Blessings through the loveliness of God.

~~~Peace~~~