Luke 11: 37-41
While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to dine with him; so he went in and took his place at the table. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not first wash before dinner. Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You fools! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you."
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Transformed By Routines
Rules and routines give structure and comfort to our lives, helping us stay on the right path. Praying before a meal, going to church on Sundays, and following the Ten Commandments are all applications of rules that really help us to be better people and grow closer to God. But it’s easy to shift the focus towards complying with the rule and away from the One that rule is supposed to help us connect with.
Take praying before a meal. I can’t count how many times I’ve mumbled those same words (“Bless us, oh Lord…”) without allowing them to change me. Do I actually remember God in that moment? Am I filled with more gratitude? Do I feel moved to share my food with the hungry?
Jesus today invites us to shift away from empty gestures and towards that internal transformation that the rules intend for us, that our spirits may correspond to the external moves we make.
What is one spiritual rule or routine you often follow? How can you allow it to transform your spirit today?
—Brian Martindale, SJ, is a Jesuit scholastic of the Midwest Province serving as a campus minister and math teacher at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School – Twin Cities.
Prayer
Lord, help me to focus on you in all that I say and do, rather than simply going through the motions. Transform my heart so that I am more closely aligned with you. Amen.
—Jesuit Prayer team