💖 HOMILY - OCTOBER 15 💖

First Reading - Galatians 5:1-6

Gospel - Luke 11:37-41

One of the hygienic lessons taught in schools is the washing of our hands to avoid sickness. Certainly, cleansing is required for hygienic purposes. However, today’s readings invite us to cleanse our hearts as well because our hearts can become devious if not cared for, and this will be manifested in our actions.  

The Gospel passage presents the customary practice of washing hands. This practice is common everywhere, even today. We wash our hands before meals to ensure that we eat with clean hands. In today’s Gospel, Jesus is invited for a meal by a Pharisee. The host noticed that Jesus did not wash His hands according to the customary practice. Perceiving the rigid observance of custom, Jesus teaches a lesson about interior cleansing. It might appear that Jesus is trying to rule out the need for external cleansing, but this is not the case. The emphasis of the passage is to focus on the more fundamental needs of our lives rather than being tied to the petty observance of the law. Jesus teaches us to keep our hearts clean from all vices, just as we observe external cleansing for our bodies.

The first reading focuses on the themes of slavery and freedom. Paul emphasizes that the observance of the law of Sinai as the basis for salvation or justification is not possible because it demands faithful observance of every law without failure, which makes a person a slave to the law. However, faith in Jesus liberates and makes us free in Christ. Therefore, faith in Christ leads to righteous living and is the basis for salvation. It's important to note that Paul does not discard the Mosaic Law but affirms that it demands obedience to God without failure, which is certainly impossible for humans to achieve. However, our faith in Christ reminds us that, as humans, we are weak, but our hope is in Christ, who died for our sins and failures. This is why Paul calls it freedom in Christ. It poses a challenge to us: Are we still slaves or are we free? Freedom also requires spiritual cleansing of ourselves.

Dear friends, the Book of Proverbs 4:23 says: "...Guard your heart..." This is indeed necessary, as Matthew 15:19 says: "For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander." Jesus' teaching on the cleansing of the heart takes us beyond mere ritual or physical cleansing to the interior cleansing of the heart. Ritual cleansing or ablution can remove physical dirt, but it cannot cleanse us through and through, including the dirt that has settled in our hearts.  

Paul reminds us in the first reading: "Do not submit to the yoke of slavery." Let us, therefore, liberate ourselves from the slavery of sin by instilling in our hearts the teachings of Jesus. This will lead us to freedom in Christ. In addition to this, let us make every effort to cleanse our hearts by daily examination of conscience and frequent visits to the sacrament of reconciliation. These practices will help us keep watch over our hearts.