SERMON/HOMILY FOR TUESDAY FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME CYCLE II 6TH FEBRUARY 2024
SERMON/HOMILY FOR TUESDAY, FIFTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME, CYCLE II 6TH FEBRUARY 2024 1Kings 8:22-23, 27-30; Ps.84; Mark 7:1-13 Christianity from the Heart In today’s gospel, there is an obvious tension; not really between the Pharisees and Jesus’ disciples but between the Pharisees and Jesus himself. In questioning why the disciples of Jesus were not following the traditions of the elders as regards washing, the Pharisees were actually questioning what principle or guide Jesus was giving to his disciples. A master is expected to teach the right thing to the disciples. In response, Jesus reprimanded the Pharisees and called them hypocrites not because they meticulously kept to the tradition of the elders, but that in doing so, they practiced a religiosity that does not stem from the heart; they practiced a religiosity of mere compliance. They would have been better-off if they had channeled the energy used in practicing sheered conformity into living authentic lives. When a Christian simp...