| Lord Jesus, make me understand that the heart of religion is not ritual and law, but love of God and neighbour. Amen. |
My Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Is our holiness skin deep or heart deep? This is the question that the readings of the day place before us.
The first reading from Deuteronomy (4:1-2,6-8) reminds readers that the rules by which they are to live are God-given. Careful observance of these laws leads to life and the joy of knowing the nearness of God. To bring the Deuteronomist’s exhortation to fulfilment, Jesus insists that mere external observance of the law or lip-service is insufficient. Authentic commitment and moral code will then be translated into positive practical action.
In today’s second reading James (1:17-18,21-22,27) describes good Christian moral living as an outgrowth of the word of God rooted within the believer. Act on this word, urges the ancient writer; don’t just listen to it, live it. Had the Pharisees and others of Jesus’ contemporaries been of similar mind (Gospel: Mk 7:1-8,14-15,21-23), they would have understood that the moral demands of the law and the authentic purity the law was intended to bring about could not be achieved by mere external actions. Washing one’s hands as the Pharisees did, is a sanitary act, at best. However, the cleansing of the heart by faith, prayer and interior conversion of mind and will can effect a spiritual purification.
To achieve this purification and to maintain it is a lifelong process. To aid our understanding of this process, social psychologist Kohlberg has identified 6 stages that lead to moral maturity. Good is done or evil is avoided: (i) in order to seek reward or avoid punishment, (ii) as a result of self centred use or abuse of other people, (iii) as a result of peer pressure, (iv) as a result of adhering to law, (v) due to a humane sense of equity, (vi) as a result of personal convictions. The process of moving from step one, where behaviours are dictated by reward mentality, to stage six where a healthy conviction and a holy conscience guide one’s words and works, is not always a smooth one. Along the way many can be deterred by peer pressure or by settling for mere external conformity. Therefore it is providential that our path toward authentic holiness and moral maturity is repeatedly illumined by God’s word.
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