Galatians 5:1-6 / Luke 11:37-41
In the depths of our hearts, there is always this stirring of love that would be expressed in acts of charity.
That is because our hearts are created with God's love and hence every person is indeed a loving person.
As much as our hearts can love tenderly, yet the pains and hurts of life have coarsened our hearts and the love remains suppressed within.
We may just end up trying to handle to problems on the surface. Or like what Jesus said in the gospel, we might just end up cleaning the outside of cup and plate while inside ourselves we are letting love remain idle and even eroding away.
Or like in the 1st reading, we may look to the externals in order fulfil the longings of our hearts.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul warned that if the Christians allow themselves to be circumcised in order to be justified, then believing in Christ would have no benefit at all to them.
Similarly, to look for material acquisition and possession would only add more layers to the heart that longs to be free in order to love.
That is why we have to heed the teaching of Jesus in today's gospel when He tells us to give alms from what we have and then indeed everything will be cleaned for us.
Love and charity is an expression of righteousness and justice; the poor are entitled to our charity as a matter of right rather than just because of our benevolence.
When we practise charity and give alms, we let go of our possessiveness and we allow our hearts to be free - free to love and free to be loved.