Tuesday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
(Galatians 5:1-6; Luke 11:37-41)
In the homes of pious Mexican families, an altar is often
present. It will have an image of Jesus
and his Virgin mother along with a picture of a deceased loved one and some
prayers. The altar is a way of extending
the life of prayer in church to the home.
In Jesus’ time Pharisees would wash before meals for a similar reason. Washing oneself before eating imitates the ablutions
of animal sacrifices in the Temple. It reminds
house members and guests of God’s presence wherever good people
congregate. For good reason, then, the
Pharisee in today’s gospel is surprised when Jesus does not wash as he goes to
eat.
Because the washing is not mandatory, Jesus is free to omit
it. However, he uses the look of
surprise on the Pharisee’s face to give a lesson on spiritual hygiene. He says that inner purification through
almsgiving forgives more sin than washing of one’s hands and feet. He wants his disciples to practice charity,
not to worry about popular ritualistic practices.
This doesn’t mean that we should go to church with dirty
hands unless, perhaps, it was in helping a homeless person that we dirtied them. In any case, we should try to keep in mind the
needs of others and much as our own needs.
