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. (Matthew 23:25-26 NABRE)
In today's passage, Jesus uses the ritual of washing utensils for dining as a metaphor illustrating a concern for appearances while inner purity is ignored. The scribes and Pharisees are compared to cups carefully washed on the outside but filthy within. Self-indulgence: the Greek word here translated means lack of self-control, whether in drinking or in sexual conduct.*
Today, I will examine my heart to see my own tendency to put on appearances, my own inclination to seek gain for myself at the expense of others, as well as my own self-indulgence, and I will pray an Act of Contrition for those times I did not live up to Jesus' expectations.
Saint Rose of Lima, known as the patron of florists, the Americas, Latin America, Peru, Philippines, and South America, pray for us.
There are just 22 days remaining in this shared prayer journey of ours. Please continue to join your prayers with mine here, for a daily minute of reflection. As Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:20) Though we gather together online, may our joining here reflect our deep desire to have Jesus in our midst.
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