The Cleansing of the Heart: Freedom and the True Worship of God

Gal 5:1-6, Psalm: 118, Lk 11:37-41

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In the Word of God today, Saint Paul proclaims the great truth of our freedom in Christ, and Jesus challenges the Pharisees—and us—to look beyond external observance to the interior disposition of the heart. Paul writes, “For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.” The yoke of slavery is the belief that we can earn our salvation through our own efforts, through the works of the law, through external observance. But Paul insists, “In Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is invited to dine with a Pharisee. The Pharisee is astonished that Jesus does not perform the ritual washing before the meal. Jesus responds, “You Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are filled with plunder and evil.” He calls them to give alms, and then “everything will be clean for you.” Jesus is not condemning external observance; He is condemning a religion that is all show and no substance. He is calling them to a faith that transforms the heart.

The connection between the readings is the call to interior transformation. Paul calls us to freedom from the yoke of the law. Jesus calls us to cleanse the inside of the cup. Both are calling us to a faith that is lived from the heart, a faith that is not just external observance, but a deep and abiding relationship with God.

Pope Francis has said, “The Lord invites us to clean the inside of the cup, to purify our hearts, and to live a faith that is not just external, but authentic.” Saint John Paul II, in his encyclical Redemptor Hominis, wrote, “The Church is the sign and the safeguard of the transcendence of the human person.” And Saint Augustine, contemplating the words of Jesus, wrote, “The Lord does not look at the outside, but at the heart.”

What does this mean for us? We are called to freedom—freedom from the yoke of sin, freedom from the burden of the law, freedom to live as children of God. We are called to cleanse the inside of the cup—to examine our hearts, to root out the evil that hides within, and to fill our hearts with love, mercy, and justice. We are called to a faith that works through love.

Today, let us examine our hearts. Are we living in the freedom of the children of God, or are we submitting again to the yoke of slavery? Are we cleansing the outside of the cup, or are we allowing the love of Christ to transform us from within? Let us ask the Lord to give us the grace to live in freedom, to purify our hearts, and to love as He loves. Amen.

May God bless you all!