“This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.”

Mark 7:6

Mark 7:1-13

Reflection

Some Pharisees and scribes observe that Jesus and his disciples do not follow the ritual washing before eating. They ask why this is so, and Jesus replies that Isaiah prophesied about the Pharisees, for they honor God with their lips but not with their hearts. Jesus rebukes them, saying they nullify the word of God in favor of their tradition.

Are we like the Pharisees, honoring God with our lips, but not with our hearts? This can be surprisingly easy to do; for example, blessing our food at a meal but not really meaning it, reciting a Rosary but being distracted the entire time, going to Mass but not truly praying. Of course there is merit in doing these things, but when they are done for show rather than true worship and faith, we diminish the potential graces available.

Jesus wants us to worship him with our hearts, at a deep and personal level. If we only put on a facade of our faith, our relationship with Christ won’t grow. Understanding the ‘why’ behind what we do as Catholics can certainly help us become more devout and intentional with any faith practices we follow. Let us always remember to pray with the heart, worship with the heart, and follow Christ with our heart.

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Saint of the Day

St. Scholastica: ca. AD 480 – 542

“I asked you, and you would not listen; so I asked my God, and He did listen.” St. Scholastica