Mk 7,1-13

Stand in God’s presence. God is present here and now, looking upon you with love. 

Ask for the Grace: I will beg God our Lord that all my intentions and actions may be directed purely to the praise and service of His Divine Majesty

Fixing a place, a picture for meditation: see hand washing

Ask for the fruit of meditation: for the purity of my intentions in my everyday life

1. Pure intension

The ritual of washing hands before a meal was more for sanctity and less for hygiene. The external attitude should guide us to testify to the depth of faith. Jesus, however, shows that gestures and religious attitudes are very far away from what is inside a person and from what is happening in human heart. But external signs should be the fruit of what is inside. It should flow from the desire to be in a relationship of love with Jesus, with others. Take a look again for your inner intentions: why do you do something or not, why do you say something or do not say, why do you write something or do not write, why do you pray or do not pray…

2. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed

The Pharisees took over and they follow the customs and patterns learned from their ancestors. They can probably do it thoughtlessly, automatically, believing they are doing the right thing. Each of us has some patterns, beliefs, patterns of behavior that were developed in childhood or at an earlier age. We probably needed them once and could help us in our lives, but do we still need them today? What role do they play today?

3. Corban

Corban means the vow of the destiny of a given thing for God, and as a result this thing could no longer be the subject of normal use (see the New Testament for moderators, OW Vocatio Warsaw, 2010, page 103). If the son wanted to sacrifice his property as a corban for the temple, so that he no longer had the resources to support his older parents, he became relieved of this commitment. It is a perverse action to avoid responsibility to escape difficulties of everyday life, in other words, it is a choice of a smaller good, a choice of something more comfortable for us. What is your corban? 

4. The grace of everyday life.

God comes in the ordinariness of our lives. He gives you the grace of everyday life. Notice it: what is the grace? Thank God for it during your prayer (The Ignatian Examen).

Meditation: St Ignatius encourages in The Spiritual Exercises No. 2 … Because not so much knowledge, but internal feeling and the taste of things please and saturate the soul, that is, we stay where we feel interior movement … and nervously do not try to go on.

The final conversation: Spend a little time at the end, being with God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit….as you would with a good friend: sometimes talking, sometimes listening, sometimes being together in silence. Speak to God about your feelings. Remember that times when ‘nothing is happening’ can also be significant. When you’re ready, end your prayer by saying thank you or using words that are familiar, such as the Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)–whichever feels right and comfortable. (The Spiritual Exercises No.54)