Duet 4:1-2, 6-8 / James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27 / Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
One of the things that we had not quite expected to come into prominence is hand sanitizers.
We have been using it for about a year-and-a-half already, and it is actually in Church that we use quite a bit of it.
As we come in, we sanitize our hands. Before coming up for Holy Communion we sanitize our hands. And on the way out of the Church we again sanitize our hands.
Where once upon a time we see it only in the hospitals, now we see it in the lifts, in the restaurants, in the restrooms and in about almost every place where there is human traffic.
There are some who even carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer long with them.
That is just a reflection of the situation that we are in, and since viruses and bacteria are not that easily visible, then hand sanitizers can be a safety measure against it.
But generally speaking, personal hygiene and cleanliness are good practices that can help to prevent unnecessary infections.
The gospel began with the Pharisees and scribes noticing that some of the disciples of Jesus were eating with unclean hands and they raised the issue with Jesus.
There was this practice in the tradition of the elders that before every meal there would be a ritual cleansing of the hands up to the elbows.
So, it was in view of this “tradition of the elders” that the Pharisees and scribes raised the issue to indicate that Jesus was not following the “tradition of the elders”, and hence putting Himself above the Law.
Jesus responded by quoting from the prophet Isaiah: “This people honours me only with lip service, while their hearts are far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless, the doctrines they teach are only human regulations. You put aside the Commandment of God to cling to human traditions”.
Jesus then moved the issue of the state of the hands to the state of the heart.
In effect, Jesus is asking this fundamental question: Where is the heart?
That is the question that Jesus was asking then and also asking now:
When we say all the prayers, where is the heart?
When we come to Church, where is the heart?
When we perform ministry work, where is the heart?
Besides asking us where is the heart in the religious aspect of our lives, Jesus goes deeper as He asks: How clean is the heart?
Jesus says this: Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean. It is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean.
Yes, from what is in the heart, flow our thoughts, our words and our actions.
So, our thoughts, our words and our actions are reflections of the state of our heart.
So, more than just sanitizing the hands before Holy Communion, we must also cleanse our hearts as we earnestly pray: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, grant us peace.
St. Augustine gave us this profound saying: our hearts will not rest, until they are rested in you, O Lord.
In our prayer and in our worship, let us place our hearts in the Heart of Jesus.
Let us ask Jesus to cleanse our hearts of sin and grant us His peace.
A heart that is at peace is a heart that is clean and ready to be filled with love.
May our hearts be like the Heart of Jesus, so that through our thoughts, our words and our actions, others may see the loving Heart of Jesus.