Tuesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time- Mark 7:1-13
Today the Pharisees once again were
watching Jesus. They noticed that Jesus’ disciples did not observe required
“ritual cleansing.” Some of Jesus’ disciples actually had the audacity not to
wash their hands before eating. This gave the Pharisees the perfect opportunity
to criticize Jesus and His disciples since they were not honoring the Jewish
ritual customs.
In response to their reprimand,
Jesus quotes a passage from Isaiah. Jesus confronts them by saying that
although they honor God with their lips and words, their hearts are not in
union with God. Jesus is disgusted with the Pharisees because the law had
become their god. For most of them, the letter of the law seemed to supersede
the law of God’s love. For the Pharisees, the law was everything. Compared to
the law, the people were insignificant.
At times in our lives, it may be
difficult to decide what is best: to do as the law requires or to do what seems
to be truly loving. For Jesus, love far outweighs the law. Jesus is not saying
that the law is not important. It is. However, the law of love should reign in
our lives! Will this law of love reign in our hearts today?
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