Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time

Today’s gospel passage comes just after Jesus, exasperated by the Pharisees, scolds them: “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition!” They have gotten so caught up in the externals of their religion that they forget about the people they could be serving. 

Jewish laws about food were complex and revered.  Jesus says that rather than worry about what goes into our mouths, what really counts is what comes out of our hearts: evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.

I’m pretty good at skipping the murder and adultery categories, but I’m not so sure about envy, arrogance and folly.  Maybe this is the year to look at Lent in a new way.  There have been years when I “gave something up” for Lent – like chocolate.  But maybe this year, we could think of new ways to love our families even better.  What if I gave up gossip for these weeks?  If I take the time to examine my heart and see that I don’t always treat others with loving care, changing my behavior might be a much better focus for Lent than avoiding chocolate. 

The God who loves us so endlessly with a great gift for each of us.  All we need to do is ask for it every day, and that will help us get ready for Lent.