HOMILY OF TUESDAY 28TH WEEK IN THE ORDINARY TIME, YEAR B. TUESDAY 15TH, 2024.
MEMORIAL OF ST THERESA OF AVILA
TEXTS: Galatians 5:1-6, Luke 11:37-41
Dear friends in Christ, in the gospel reading of today, Christ visits one of the Pharisees. When he is served a meal, he ‘deliberately’ began eating without washing His hands. This was abominable to the pharisaic Jews. Now, it doesn’t mean that Christ didn’t know what hygiene was, but Christ again as the great teacher had something in mind. He wanted to teach the Pharisee about what is important in terms of Christian cleanliness, focusing on what it means to be truly clean before God.
Dear friends, when the Pharisee reacts, Jesus taught the Pharisee something he and his colleagues who are hellbent on teaching the laws have been missing. They emphasize the cleanliness of the body while their hearts are evil. If their hearts are not evil, they will be able to see the poor, widows and orphans around them and will be moved with compassion to care for them. They would fight injustice in the community and promote love. But this was not what was happening.
In the first reading too, St Paul is emphasizing what truly matters in Christian cleanliness. It is not in the ritual of circumcision. It is in the purity of heart brought about by being in Christ Jesus.
My dear friends in Christ, our relationship with God and one another will be beautiful when our consciences are clean. We would continue to experience inner joy and peace when our consciences are clean. Having a clean conscience helps us to live in the freedom that Christ brings, the freedom to love, show compassion to people irrespective of their states in life and we are not considered unclean.
May God help us to be truly clean by taking care of our souls.
The Lord be with you.
