(Read St. Luke 11:37-41)
In this reading we find ourselves at a Pharisee’s table, where Christ accepts an invitation to dine. Jesus is not there to flatter His host, but instead to reveal the truth that purifies the soul. The Pharisee marvels that the Lord has not observed the customary ritual washing before the meal. Yet the concern for outward purity masks a deeper blindness. Our Lord exposes the heart of the matter with radiant truth. It is not the washing of hands that sanctifies, but the cleansing of the heart. The cup may glitter on the outside, yet if its contents are foul, it remains unclean. In these words, the Lord confronts the perennial temptation of religion — the tendency to mistake outward observance for inner holiness. The Pharisees, zealous for tradition, had allowed the form to eclipse the spirit. Their obedience was meticulous, yet their compassion cold. They measured sanctity by visible acts, while their inner life remained untouched by mercy. Christ reminds them that the God who fashioned the body also made the soul, and He requires purity in both. True holiness cannot be achieved by the polishing of appearances, but by the transformation of the heart through repentance and love.
When the Lord says, “Give for alms those things which are within,” He calls His hearers to an interior mercy—generosity of spirit. Almsgiving is not confined to coins or possessions; it is the outpouring of mercy from within the soul — the giving of patience, forgiveness, understanding, and compassion. The heart that learns to give thus becomes clean, for charity uproots selfishness and heals the divisions that defile the inner life. In such giving, the image of God is restored in us, for we become merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful.
This passage serves as a continual reminder that the life of faith cannot be sustained by outward propriety alone. Fasting, prayer, and ritual observance are holy when they flow from love, but empty when they serve pride. The Lord who dined with sinners and Pharisees alike seeks not spotless vessels but contrite hearts. The true cleansing He desires is not of water on the hands, but of grace upon the soul. When we give from within — when love governs thought, speech, and deed — then indeed all things become clean.
May God bless you +
Fr. Charles
14 October 2025
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