In the first reading today from Genesis 1 and 2, we read the rest of the creation account, days five through seven, including the first account of God creating man. “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.”
In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 7, the Pharisees and scribes question Jesus about why His disciples do not “follow the tradition of the elders” and wash their hands before eating. Jesus answers with this – “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me…”
Do you ever find that your lips and your heart are out of synch? I think we all do now and again. We’ll say things, but they’re not from the heart. Sometimes it’s to put on airs, sometimes to deceive, sometimes because it’s what we think people want to hear. And we’ll sometimes get over on them, because they don’t know our heart. But God does. Always. Let’s pray that our heart can synch up with our lips, and vice-versa.
Father, forgive us for those times when our lips say one thing, but our hearts are in a completely different place. Soften our hearts so that when we pray, our lips and our hearts might both be in synch with the mind of Christ. Amen.
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