THE TRADITION OF THE ELDERS (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15,21-23)

The Tradition of the Elders

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Today, we gather in this sacred space, united in our faith and our desire to grow closer to God. As we come together, I invite you to open your hearts and minds to the Word of God, for today we will delve into a passage that challenges us to examine the very foundations of our faith and our relationship with our Creator.

The Gospel reading that we will explore comes from Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, and 21-23. This powerful text presents us with an encounter between Jesus and the Pharisees, a group renowned for their strict adherence to religious laws and traditions. Through this encounter, we are invited to reflect on our own practices, beliefs, and the state of our hearts before God.

As we begin this journey of reflection, I want you to consider your own faith journey. Think about the practices and traditions that have shaped your spiritual life. Consider the rituals that you perform, the prayers that you say, and the customs that you follow. These elements of our faith can be beautiful and meaningful, connecting us to generations of believers who have gone before us. However, as we will see in today’s Gospel, they can also become stumbling blocks if we’re not careful.

In this passage, we see the Pharisees questioning Jesus about His disciples’ apparent disregard for the “tradition of the elders,” specifically focusing on the ritual washing of hands before eating. Now, you might be thinking, “Well, isn’t washing hands before eating just good hygiene?” And you’d be right! But in this context, the Pharisees weren’t concerned about cleanliness in the way we think of it today. They were referring to a specific ritual cleansing that was part of their religious tradition.

This might seem like a minor issue to us, but for the Pharisees, it was a serious matter. They had developed an intricate system of rules and regulations, built upon the foundation of God’s law given to Moses. These additional rules, known as the “tradition of the elders,” were meant to help people avoid breaking God’s law. In their minds, by following these extra rules, they were showing their devotion to God and maintaining their ritual purity.

But Jesus’s response to their question is both challenging and enlightening. He quotes the prophet Isaiah, saying, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.” These words cut to the very heart of the matter, forcing us to confront a crucial question: Are we truly honoring God with our hearts, or are we merely going through the motions?

This question is as relevant today as it was when Jesus first posed it. In our modern world, with all its distractions and competing demands for our attention, it’s easy to fall into a routine of religious observance without truly engaging our hearts. We might attend Mass every Sunday, say our prayers before meals, and participate in various church activities, but are we really present in these moments? Are we truly connecting with God, or are we simply checking items off a spiritual to-do list?

As we explore this passage together, I invite you to reflect deeply on your faith journey. How often do you find yourself caught up in the external trappings of religion, forgetting the deeper, more meaningful aspects of your relationship with God? How can you ensure that your worship is not in vain, but rather a genuine expression of your love for the Lord?

These are challenging questions, to be sure. But they are questions that we must ask ourselves if we want to grow in our faith and deepen our relationship with God. As we continue our reflection on this Gospel passage, let us pray for the courage to examine our hearts honestly and the wisdom to discern God’s will for our lives.

The Danger of Empty Traditions

Now, let’s delve deeper into the concept of tradition itself. Tradition, when understood and practiced correctly, can be a beautiful and meaningful aspect of our faith. It connects us to our rich spiritual heritage, linking us to generations of believers who have gone before us. Tradition can provide a sense of continuity and identity, helping us to understand who we are as Catholics and as children of God.

In the context of our faith, tradition serves several important purposes. It helps us to interpret and understand Scripture, providing a framework for our beliefs and practices. It preserves and passes on the teachings of Christ and the Apostles, ensuring that the core truths of our faith are not lost or distorted over time. Tradition also provides us with proven methods of prayer and worship, ways of connecting with God that have been found effective by countless believers throughout history.

However, as we see in this Gospel passage, tradition can also become a stumbling block if we’re not careful. The Pharisees had elevated their traditions to such a degree that they had lost sight of their original purpose. They were so focused on the letter of the law that they had forgotten its spirit. This is a trap that we, too, can fall into if we’re not vigilant.

Consider for a moment the traditions in your own life, both religious and secular. How many of these do you follow simply because “that’s the way it’s always been done”? How many have lost their meaning over time, becoming mere habits rather than meaningful practices? It’s important to periodically examine our traditions and ask ourselves: Are these helping me grow closer to God and to my fellow human beings, or have they become empty rituals?

For example, think about the practice of making the Sign of the Cross. This is a beautiful tradition that reminds us of our baptism and our faith in the Trinity. But how often do we make this sign thoughtlessly, rushing through it without really considering its meaning? Or consider the practice of abstaining from meat on Fridays during Lent. This can be a powerful reminder of Christ’s sacrifice and an opportunity for spiritual growth through self-discipline. But if we grumble about it or simply substitute an equally indulgent seafood meal, are we really engaging with the spirit of the practice?

Jesus’s words remind us that God is not impressed by outward shows of piety that lack inner substance. He’s not interested in lip service or rote repetition of prayers if our hearts are far from Him. This is a challenging message, but it’s also an invitation to a deeper, more authentic faith.

It’s important to note that Jesus is not dismissing all traditions. After all, He observed many Jewish traditions throughout His life. What He’s criticizing is the elevation of human traditions to the level of divine commandments, especially when those traditions are used to avoid the true demands of God’s law.

So how can we ensure that our traditions remain meaningful and life-giving rather than becoming empty rituals? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Educate yourself: Learn about the history and meaning behind the traditions you practice. Understanding why we do what we do can help us engage more fully with our traditions.
2. Reflect regularly: Take time to think about your religious practices. Are they helping you grow closer to God and others, or have they become routine and meaningless?
3. Be intentional: When you participate in a traditional practice, do so mindfully. Focus on the meaning behind the action.
4. Be open to change: If a particular tradition no longer serves its purpose in your spiritual life, be willing to let it go or replace it with something more meaningful.
5. Keep the focus on love: Remember that the greatest commandments are to love God and to love our neighbor. Any tradition that doesn’t help us fulfill these commandments may need to be reconsidered.

As we reflect on the role of tradition in our lives, let’s remember that the goal is not to discard all tradition, but to ensure that our traditions are serving their true purpose: bringing us closer to God and helping us to live out His love in the world.

The Heart of the Matter

As we continue to reflect on this passage, we come to a crucial point in Jesus’s teaching. He calls the crowd to Him and says, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”

This statement would have been shocking to Jesus’s audience. The concept of ritual purity was deeply ingrained in Jewish culture at the time. The idea that external factors could make a person “unclean” was widely accepted. There were numerous laws and traditions surrounding what one could eat, touch, or do without becoming ritually impure. But Jesus turns this notion on its head, shifting the focus from external observances to the state of one’s heart.

To fully appreciate the radical nature of Jesus’s teaching, we need to understand the context of ritual purity in Jewish law. The concept of ritual purity was not about hygiene or physical cleanliness as we understand it today. Rather, it was about being in a state that allowed one to approach God in worship. Certain actions or conditions could make a person ritually “unclean,” requiring specific purification rituals before they could participate in religious ceremonies or enter sacred spaces.

This system of ritual purity served several purposes. It reminded the people of their covenant relationship with God, set them apart from surrounding cultures, and provided a tangible way to express their devotion to God through obedience to His laws. However, over time, this system had become increasingly complex, with additional rules and traditions added to the original laws given by God.

By stating that nothing outside a person can defile them, Jesus was challenging this entire system. He was saying, in effect, that true purity – true holiness – is not about following a set of external rules, but about the condition of one’s heart.

What does this mean for us today? It means that our primary concern should not be with outward appearances or following a set of rules for their own sake. Instead, we should be focusing on cultivating a pure heart, one that is aligned with God’s will and filled with love for Him and for our neighbors.

Think about your own life for a moment. How often do you find yourself judging others based on external factors? How often do you worry about how others perceive your faith, rather than focusing on your inner relationship with God? Jesus’s words challenge us to look beyond the surface and examine what’s truly in our hearts.

This shift in focus from external observances to the state of the heart has profound implications for how we live out our faith:

1. It emphasizes personal responsibility: We can’t blame external factors for our sin or lack of holiness. We are responsible for the state of our hearts.
2. It promotes authenticity: Jesus’s teaching encourages us to ensure that our outward actions align with our inner convictions, rather than merely putting on a show of piety.
3. It encourages introspection: Rather than simply following rules, we’re called to regularly examine our hearts, motivations, and attitudes.
4. It prioritizes love: By focusing on the heart, Jesus reminds us that love for God and neighbor should be the driving force behind all our actions.
5. It promotes humility: Recognizing that true holiness is about the state of our hearts rather than our outward actions should make us less judgmental of others and more aware of our own need for God’s grace.

This isn’t to say that external practices are unimportant. Rituals, traditions, and outward expressions of faith can be valuable tools in our spiritual journey. But they should be just that – tools, not ends in themselves. They should serve to deepen our relationship with God and with each other, not replace it.

For example, the practice of fasting can be a powerful spiritual discipline. But if we fast only to impress others or to check a box on our spiritual to-do list, we’ve missed the point. However, if we approach fasting as a way to discipline our bodies, focus our minds on God, and remind ourselves of our dependence on Him, it becomes a meaningful practice that can truly transform our hearts.

Similarly, attending Mass is a crucial part of our Catholic faith. But if we attend only out of obligation, going through the motions without engaging our hearts and minds, we’re not fully benefiting from this beautiful celebration of our faith. On the other hand, if we approach the Mass with reverence, actively participating and opening our hearts to God’s presence, it becomes a transformative encounter with the living God.

As we reflect on Jesus’s teaching, let’s challenge ourselves to look beyond the surface in our own lives and in how we view others. Let’s strive to cultivate hearts that are truly aligned with God’s will, trusting that if we focus on inner purity, our outward actions will naturally follow. 

The Source of True Defilement

Jesus goes on to list the things that truly defile a person: “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, those evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”

This list is sobering, isn’t it? It reminds us that the real battleground of our faith is not in the external world but within our hearts and minds. It’s easy to point fingers at others or to focus on outward behaviors, but Jesus calls us to a more challenging task – the task of examining and purifying our hearts.

Let’s take a moment to reflect on each of these “defilements” that Jesus mentions:

1. Evil thoughts: How often do we allow negative, harmful thoughts to take root in our minds? These thoughts, if left unchecked, can lead to words and actions that harm ourselves and others. It’s crucial to recognize that our thoughts shape our reality. The apostle Paul advises us in Philippians 4:8 to focus our thoughts on whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. By consciously directing our thoughts towards positive, godly things, we can begin to transform our hearts and minds.
2. Sexual immorality: In a world that often glorifies casual sexual encounters and objectifies human beings, Jesus reminds us of the sanctity of our bodies and our relationships. As Catholics, we believe that human sexuality is a beautiful gift from God, meant to be expressed within the context of marriage. This teaching challenges us to cultivate purity in our thoughts, words, and actions, respecting the dignity of every person as made in the image of God.
3. Theft: This goes beyond just taking physical objects. Do we ever “steal” credit for others’ work? Do we take more than our fair share of resources? Do we steal time from our employers by not giving our best effort at work? Theft, in all its forms, violates the commandment to love our neighbor and erodes trust in our communities. Instead, we’re called to be generous, honest, and respectful of others’ rights and property.
4. Murder: While most of us haven’t committed physical murder, how often do we “murder” others’ reputations with our words? How often do we harbor hatred in our hearts? Jesus equates anger with murder in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-22), reminding us that the seed of violence begins in the heart. We’re called to cultivate a spirit of peace and reconciliation, treating every person with the dignity they deserve as a child of God.
5. Adultery: Again, this isn’t just about physical acts. Jesus elsewhere equates looking at someone with lust to committing adultery in one’s heart (Matthew 5:27-28). This teaching reminds us of the importance of fidelity, not just in our actions, but in our thoughts and intentions as well. It challenges us to cultivate loyalty, commitment, and respect in all our relationships.
6. Greed: In our consumer-driven society, it’s easy to fall into the trap of always wanting more. How can we cultivate contentment and generosity instead? Greed not only harms our relationship with God by making material things our idols, but it also harms our relationships with others and can lead to injustice and exploitation. The antidote to greed is gratitude for what we have and generosity towards others.
7. Malice: This refers to the desire to harm others. Even if we don’t act on it, harboring ill will towards others damages our souls. It’s a poison that eats away at our capacity for love and compassion. Instead, we’re called to forgive as we have been forgiven, to love our enemies, and to overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).
8. Deceit: How honest are we? Not just in our words, but in our actions and the image we present to the world. Deceit undermines trust, which is essential for healthy relationships and communities. As followers of Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, we’re called to be people of integrity, whose words and actions align with the truth.
9. Lewdness: This relates to a lack of moral restraint. In what areas of our lives do we need to exercise more self-control? Our culture often promotes instant gratification and moral relativism, but as Christians, we’re called to a higher standard. Self-control is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) that we should cultivate in all areas of our lives.
10. Envy: Comparing ourselves to others and resenting their success can poison our relationships and our happiness. Envy stems from a lack of trust in God’s goodness and his unique plan for each of us. Instead of envying others, we’re called to rejoice with those who rejoice and to be content with what God has given us.

1. Slander: How often do we engage in gossip or speak ill of others behind their backs? Our words have the power to build up or tear down. As James reminds us, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts and can set a great forest on fire (James 3:5). Slander not only harms the person being spoken about, but it also damages our character and the trust within our communities. Instead, we’re called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), to use our words to encourage and edify others, and to be quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19).
2. Arrogance: Pride is often considered the root of all sin. How can we cultivate humility in our lives? Arrogance blinds us to our faults, prevents us from learning and growing, and damages our relationships with both God and others. It’s a particularly insidious sin because it can masquerade as a virtue – we can even be proud of our humility! The antidote to arrogance is true humility, which comes from recognizing our dependence on God and our interconnectedness with others. As St. Augustine said, “It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men angels.”
3. Folly: This refers to a lack of good sense or judgment. How can we grow in wisdom and discernment? In a world that often values cleverness over wisdom, and quick fixes over thoughtful solutions, the call to avoid folly is more relevant than ever. The book of Proverbs tells us that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). By seeking God’s wisdom through prayer, the study of Scripture, and the guidance of the Church, we can develop the discernment needed to navigate the complexities of life.

As we reflect on this list, it’s important to remember that Jesus isn’t giving us these examples to condemn us. Rather, He’s helping us understand where we need to focus our efforts in our spiritual growth. He’s showing us that true holiness isn’t about following a set of external rules, but about transforming our hearts.

This teaching of Jesus invites us to a deep and honest self-examination. It’s not comfortable – in fact, it can be quite challenging. But it’s necessary for our growth in holiness. Here are some questions we might ask ourselves:

• What patterns of thought or behavior in my life align with the list Jesus provides?
• In what areas am I most vulnerable to these internal defilements?
• How do these inner struggles manifest in my relationships with others and with God?
• What steps can I take to address these issues at their root, in my heart?

It’s crucial to approach this self-examination with honesty, but also with hope. We’re not meant to be discouraged by our shortcomings, but rather to bring them to God for healing and transformation. Remember, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

The Path to True Purity

So, if true defilement comes from within, how can we achieve true purity? The answer lies in surrendering our hearts to God and allowing His grace to transform us from the inside out.

This transformation is not something we can achieve on our own. It requires us to open ourselves to God’s love and allow the Holy Spirit to work within us. As St. Paul reminds us, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). This includes the challenging work of purifying our hearts.

It’s a process that takes time, patience, and perseverance. We won’t become perfect overnight – in fact, we won’t achieve perfection in this life at all. But we can continually grow closer to God and allow Him to shape us more and more into the image of Christ. The good news is that God is always ready to help us on this journey. He is the potter, and we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8). Our job is to remain pliable in His hands, open to His molding and shaping.

Here are some practical steps we can take to cultivate purity of heart:

1. Regular self-examination: Take time each day to reflect on your thoughts, words, and actions. Are they aligned with God’s will? Where do you need to make changes? The Examen prayer, a technique developed by St. Ignatius of Loyola, can be a helpful tool for this. It involves prayerfully reviewing your day, noticing God’s presence, giving thanks, and seeking guidance for the future.
2. Frequent reception of the Sacraments: The Sacraments, especially Reconciliation and the Eucharist, are powerful sources of grace that can help us in our journey towards holiness. In Reconciliation, we not only receive forgiveness for our sins but also the grace to resist temptation in the future. The Eucharist nourishes us spiritually, uniting us more closely with Christ and strengthening us for the challenges of daily life.
3. Prayer and meditation: Develop a consistent prayer life. This doesn’t just mean reciting prayers, but also spending time in quiet contemplation, listening for God’s voice in your heart. Try to set aside time each day for prayer, even if it’s just a few minutes. As you develop this habit, you may find yourself naturally wanting to spend more time in prayer. Remember, prayer is a conversation with God – it involves both speaking and listening.
4. Study of Scripture: Regular reading and reflection on God’s Word can help us understand His will for our lives and provide guidance in our daily decisions. The Bible is not just a book of rules or historical accounts – it’s a living word through which God speaks to us today. Consider following a Bible reading plan or joining a Bible study group to help you engage more deeply with Scripture.
5. Service to others: When we focus on serving others, we naturally become less self-centered and more aligned with God’s love. Look for opportunities to serve in your parish or community. This could be through formal volunteer work, or simply by being more attentive to the needs of those around you in your daily life. Remember Jesus’s words: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).
6. Cultivation of virtues: Consciously work on developing virtues like humility, patience, kindness, and self-control. These are the antidotes to the vices Jesus mentions. Each day, choose a particular virtue to focus on. For example, if you’re working on patience, you might make a conscious effort to respond calmly in situations that usually frustrate you.
7. Community: Surround yourself with fellow believers who can support and encourage you in your faith journey. This could be through active participation in your parish, joining a small faith-sharing group, or simply cultivating friendships with other people of faith. As Proverbs 27:17 tells us, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
8. Fasting and self-discipline: Fasting is not just about giving up food. It’s a spiritual discipline that helps us gain mastery over our physical appetites and refocus our attention on God. Consider incorporating regular fasting into your spiritual routine, whether it’s from food, social media, or any other activity that tends to distract you from God.
9. Spiritual reading: In addition to Scripture, reading the works of spiritual masters can provide inspiration and practical guidance for our spiritual journey. The lives of the saints, writings of the Church Fathers, and works of respected spiritual authors can all be valuable resources.
10. Mindfulness of God’s presence: Try to cultivate an awareness of God’s presence throughout your day. This doesn’t mean you need to be constantly thinking about God, but rather developing a background awareness that God is with you in all you do. This can help align your thoughts and actions with His will.

Remember, this journey towards purity of heart is not about perfection. We will stumble and fall along the way. The important thing is that we keep getting back up, with the help of God’s grace, and continue moving forward. As St. Francis de Sales said, “Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.”

Balancing Tradition and Inner Transformation

As we near the end of our reflection on this Gospel passage, it’s important to address a question that might be on some of your minds: Does this mean that all traditions are bad? Should we discard all our rituals and external practices?

The answer is a resounding no. Jesus wasn’t calling for an abandonment of all tradition. Rather, He was calling for a proper understanding of the role of tradition in our faith lives.

Traditions, when properly understood and practiced, can be valuable aids in our spiritual journey. They can help us remember important truths, connect us with our faith community, and provide structure to our worship. The problem arises when we begin to view these traditions as ends in themselves, rather than means to a deeper relationship with God.

Consider, for example, the tradition of fasting during Lent. If we approach this practice merely as a rule to be followed, it can become an empty ritual. We might give up chocolate or social media for 40 days, but if our hearts aren’t engaged, we’re missing the point. However, if we use fasting as an opportunity to reflect on our dependence on God, to empathize with those who are hungry, and to discipline our bodies and spirits, it becomes a powerful tool for spiritual growth.

Similarly, think about the tradition of praying the Rosary. If we rush through the prayers without engaging our minds and hearts, it becomes a mere recitation of words. But when we approach the Rosary as a meditation on the life of Christ and Mary’s role in salvation history, it can deepen our faith and draw us closer to God.

The key is to approach our traditions with intentionality and understanding. We should always be able to explain why we do what we do, and how it helps us grow closer to God and to one another. If we can’t do that, it might be time to re-evaluate that particular practice.

Here are some ways we can ensure that our traditions remain meaningful:

1. Education: Take time to learn about the history and meaning behind our Catholic traditions. Understanding why we do what we do can help us engage more fully with these practices.
2. Reflection: Regularly reflect on how your participation in various traditions is affecting your spiritual life. Are they drawing you closer to God? Are they helping you live out your faith more fully?
3. Intentionality: When participating in traditional practices, do so mindfully. Focus on the meaning behind the actions, rather than just going through the motions.
4. Flexibility: While traditions are important, we should also be open to new ways of expressing our faith that might be more meaningful in our current context.
5. Balance: Strive for a balance between external practices and inner transformation. Our outward actions should be expressions of our inner faith, not substitutes for it.
6. Community: Remember that many of our traditions are meant to be practiced in the community. Engage with your faith community to deepen your understanding and experience of these traditions.
7. Personal application: Consider how you can personalize traditional practices to make them more meaningful for you. For example, you might journal your reflections after praying the Stations of the Cross.

By approaching our traditions in this way, we can ensure that they remain vibrant and life-giving aspects of our faith, rather than empty rituals. We honor the wisdom of those who have gone before us while also remaining open to the ongoing guidance of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Living Out the Message

As we conclude our reflection on this powerful Gospel passage, I invite you to take some time this week to examine your own faith life. Are there areas where you’ve been focusing too much on external observances at the expense of inner transformation? Are there traditions in your life that have lost their meaning and become mere habits?

Here are some practical steps you can take to apply the lessons from today’s Gospel:

1. Examine your heart: Set aside some time for honest self-reflection. Ask God to show you any areas where you might be honoring Him with your lips while your heart is far from Him.
2. Revisit your traditions: Make a list of the religious practices and traditions you regularly observe. For each one, ask yourself: Why do I do this? How does it help me grow closer to God? If you can’t answer these questions for a particular practice, consider how you might approach it differently to make it more meaningful.
3. Focus on inner transformation: Choose one area from Jesus’s list of things that defile a person and work on it this week. For example, if you struggle with anger, practice responding with patience and kindness in situations that usually frustrate you.
4. Cultivate awareness of God’s presence: Try to be more mindful of God’s presence throughout your day. Before you speak or act, take a moment to check in with your heart. Is what you’re about to say or do coming from a place of love, or from somewhere else?
5. Engage with Scripture: Spend time meditating on this Gospel passage. You might want to use the Lectio Divina method, reading the passage slowly and prayerfully, listening for what God might be saying to you through it.
6. Seek accountability: Share what you’ve learned from this reflection with a trusted friend or family member. Ask them to check in with you about how you’re applying these lessons in your daily life.
7. Practice gratitude: Each day this week, take time to thank God for the ways He’s working in your life, even in challenging situations. Gratitude can help shift our focus from external circumstances to God’s ongoing presence and love.

Remember, this isn’t about achieving perfection overnight. It’s about embarking on a lifelong journey of growth and transformation. It’s about allowing God’s love to penetrate every aspect of our being, so that what comes out of us – our words, actions, and attitudes – reflects His goodness and love.

As you go about your week, try to be more mindful of your inner state. Before you speak or act, take a moment to check in with your heart. Is what you’re about to say or do coming from a place of love, or from somewhere else? This simple practice can help us become more aligned with God’s will and more effective witnesses of His love in the world.

Finally, let’s remember that we’re all on this journey together. Let’s support and encourage one another, always striving to look beyond external appearances and see the heart of each person we encounter. As St. Teresa of Avila said, “Christ has nobody now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world.”

May God bless you and keep you. May He give you the grace to cultivate purity of heart and to live out your faith in a way that truly honors Him? May your traditions and practices always serve to deepen your relationship with God and with one another.

Let us pray:

Loving Father, we thank you for your Word that challenges and inspires us. Help us to examine our hearts honestly and to seek true purity from within. Guide us in our traditions, that they may be meaningful expressions of our love for You rather than empty rituals. Transform us by Your grace, so that our thoughts, words, and actions may reflect Your love to the world. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Go forth, my brothers and sisters, to love and serve the Lord with pure hearts and sincere faith. May the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, come down on you and remain with you forever. Amen.