his hands before dinner. But the Lord said to him, “So then, you Pharisees, you clean the
outside of the cup and the dish, but inside yourselves you are full of greed and evil. Fools!
He who made the outside, also made the inside. But according to you, by the mere giving
of alms everything is made clean.

Reflect

“Benevolent goodwill.” The benevolent goodwill of a person is never determined by external
factors. It simply flows from within the inherently good nature of the human person. Our
inherently good character impels us to give because giving is part and parcel of our true
nature. Externalities, such as the rituals we perform, may even hinder us from exercising our
benevolent goodwill. Empty rituals can even adulterate our hearts. At times, rituals are even
used as a coverup for our failure to exercise benevolent goodwill. In today’s Gospel, Jesus
denounced the Pharisees’ legalistic practices. They were too preoccupied with externalities.
Jesus challenged them to clean their inner selves rather than focusing on externalities. True
almsgiving is born out of an exercise of benevolent goodwill. The Greek word itself for alms is
eleēmosynē, which refers to an exercise of benevolent goodwill. In today’s Gospel, a Pharisee
invited Jesus to dine at his home. However, this same Pharisee looked at Jesus not in terms
of goodwill but in terms of ritual observance. He failed to recognize Jesus’ goodwill, as well
as his own goodwill, because he was blinded by his preoccupation with rituals such as the
washing of hands before meal.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2024