Dress to God's Word / "Liturgical Dress": Oct. 11

'Dove' pin: "Through the Spirit we await the hope of righteousness." (1st reading)

'Hands' pin: "I will lift up my hands to your commands and meditate on your statutes." (psalm)

Listen

Read

Gal 5:1-6 Christ set us free; stand firm. Through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness. In Christ, only faith working through love counts.

Ps 119:41, 43-45, 47-48 "Let your mercy come to me, O Lord." I'll keep your law, walk at liberty; I love/hope in/delight in your commands, lift up my hands to and meditate on them.

Lk 11:37-41 Jesus to Pharisee who saw he didn't wash: “You cleanse the outside of the cup and dish but are filled with plunder and evil inside. Fools! Give alms, and everything will be clean for you.”

Reflect

Creighton: Ordinary Time readings towards Church year-end present the imperative of fully following Christ through difficulties till death. Today’s readings challenge us not to pretend to be disciples but to be transformed from within. Paul and Jesus challenge us to deal with the inner commitment our choices flow from; external show is meaningless. One who keeps dietary laws but isn't compassionate to the hungry, persecuted, or extorted isn't keeping the faith. The only “certitude” of our faith is the certitude that God is Love, and God requires disciples to show mercy and compassion. External behavior not flowing from an inner relationship grounded in love of God, oneself, and others is a sham. God calls us to mercy toward all and provides his Spirit to shape and encourage us. Actions that appear law abiding but are in fact hypocrisy get in the way of openness to God’s transforming Spirit. How do I spend my time, energy, and money?

One Bread, One Body: "The outs and ins": After Jesus told the Pharisees to cleanse inside and out, he encouraged them to give alms, an external activity; we can cleanse the inside through the outside. Which external activities that the Bible and Church call for disturb us the most: the Sacrament of Reconciliation, apologizing, sharing our faith, giving alms, serving the poor? The Lord can use them to cleanse us. What can I do now to express willingness to be cleansed inside?

Passionist: Removing our pharisaic mask, our outer personality, can be hard. Identifying with our mask, believing we're who we pretend to be, is destructive. Jesus calls us to shed the mask and be authentically ourselves. The Law doesn't require Jews to ritually wash their hands before eating, but some Pharisees adopted the practice. Jesus uses the image of washing only the outside of a cup or dish as a comparison for washing oneself externally while being interiorly filled with evil. Hearts can be cleaned by giving alms, giving ourselves to others. If we're clean inside, we don't need a mask.

DailyScripture.net: "Give alms from what you have within": At dinner, Jesus offended his host by not washing his hands, then chided him for uncleanness of heart. Jesus chided the Pharisees for harboring thoughts that make us unclean spiritually. When we give to the needy we express love and mercy, and if we're full of that, there's no room for envy, greed, or bitterness....

Pope St. John XXIII, pope from 1958-1963, convened Vatican II. "Invoke his intercession to imitate the gentleness of his paternal love; pray to him in moments of the cross and suffering, to face difficulties with the same meekness; and learn from him the art of educating children with tenderness and by example” (Pope Francis).

Kenneth (Cainnech, Canice, Kenny, Canicus), abbot, monastery founder, priest, missionary, taught the "12 Apostles of Ireland"

Bl. William Howard, "Popish Plot" martyr: "God forgive those who have falsely sworn against me."

Dress to God's Word / "Liturgical Dress"