As with the Pharisees and scholars of the Law 2,000 years ago, many honor God only with lip-service. Many have made religion the following of human regulations and traditions which enable them to void God’s key commandments of loving our neighbors.

In many cultures, there are various traditions which go against God’s commandments by giving importance to useless things. As Catholics, we should firmly speak out against such practices and traditions, and reject superstitious beliefs and cults, erroneous customs, discriminatory attitudes towards women and disadvantaged groups, adoration of idols and religious fanaticism.

While we easily and rightfully condemn the hypocritical ways of the Pharisees and Sadducees, we ignore many times the fact that our own culture of moral relativism and neutrality is equally evil. Both lead to human beings to live superficial lives, devoid of any genuine spiritual contents. It thrives in today’s world because of the world’s wrong sense of respect for individual differences and the wrong modern interpretation of human freedom.

Jesus is definitely not against rituals such as washing hands before meals, but He warns us against the evil of hypocrisy – living double lives – the danger of asking people to be one thing but not adhering to the same precepts themselves. We are reminded today that God’s ways authentic and are much simpler, as they are based on His commandment of love of God and neighbor. He emphasizes that what really matters is what is unseen – the purity of our thoughts and intentions, and goodness rooted in the human spirit.

Sono semipro grate,
Father Erick

(For the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time)