Gospel  LK 11:37-41
After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.”
Reflection:
In today’s gospel Jesus urges us to look “within.”
“The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.”
Jesus took the Pharisee to task for his attention to obeying specific religious rules rather than focusing on being pure of heart.
“Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you.”
Rather than judging the Pharisee, I would be better served to take Jesus’ advice and look within myself.
Do I put on a show of piety for the wealthy benefactor who visits My Brother’s Keeper, and then with impatience and frustration attend to the beggar who comes to the door looking for help?
Our structures will eventually fade and decay, but the seeds of love and compassion that are sown from our heart will bloom for eternity.
“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.”                                                             – – Luke 14:13