Daily Gospel Reflection for February 12, 2019

Reflection by Laurann Donahue Today's Gospel: Mark 7:1-13 In today’s Gospel passage, the Pharisees are once again criticizing Jesus and disciples for not doing things the way they, the Pharisees, believe they should be done. Jesus calls them hypocrites, using the prophecy of Isaiah. Jesus tells them that God said that the Jews were honoring Him with words and laws but were not giving their hearts to Him. The traditions they were teaching had cancelled out the teaching of the Law and were more important to them. It is true that we teach the Ten Commandments as a way to honor God and resist sin. Many people outside the Church see this as “legalistic.” It is—if you are not honoring God with your heart along with following His laws. Actions should speak to what is in your heart. Actions mean nothing if your heart is not in it. That is just following laws or traditions. Jesus taught that His disciples may not be following the traditions handed down by their ancestors, but they were following Him. He was teaching them to see the purified Law, not the one that had become burdensome. God gave us the Law out of love; He did not mean for it to be a burden. What He wants from us is love. He wants your heart. When your heart is close to God, you want to obey God and do as He asks. You should point to your heart and say "This is qorban (meaning, dedicated to God)."