Only God can change our hearts and make them clean and whole through the power of the Holy Spirit. Like a physician who probes the wound before treating it, God through his Word and Spirit first brings to light our sinful condition that we may recognize sin for what it is and call upon God's mercy and pardon.

Tuesday in the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Jeremiah 30:1-2, 12-15, 18-22

Psalm 102:16-18, 19-21, 29+22-23

M atthew 15:1-2, 10-14   Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, (2) "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands before they eat." (10) Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, "Listen and understand: (11) it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles." (12) Then the disciples approached and said to him, "Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?" (13) He answered, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. (14) Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit."

Meditation by Don Schwager

W hich is more important to God – clean hands or a clean mind and heart? The Scribes and Pharisees accused Jesus' disciples of breaking their ritual traditions. They were concerned with avoiding ritual defilement, some no doubt out of fear of God, and others out of fear of pleasing other people. Jesus points his listeners to the source of true defilement – evil desires which come from inside a person's innermost being. Sin does not just happen or force itself upon us. It first springs from the innermost recesses of our thoughts and intentions, from the secret desires which only the individual soul can conceive.

God in his mercy sent his Son Jesus Christ to free us from our sinful cravings and burden of guilt, and to restore us to wholeness of life and goodness. But to receive his mercy and healing, we must admit our faults and ask for his forgiveness. "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8-9).

When Cain was jealous of his brother, Abel, God warned him to guard his heart: "Sin is couching at the door; it's desire is for you, but you must master it" (Genesis 4:7). Do you allow any sinful desires to couch at your door? We do not need to entertain or succumb to sinful desires or thoughts, but instead, through the grace of God, we can choose to put them to death rather than allow them mastery over us.

Only God can change our hearts and make them clean and whole through the power of the Holy Spirit. Like a physician who probes the wound before treating it, God through his Word and Spirit first brings to light our sinful condition that we may recognize sin for what it is and call upon God's mercy and pardon. The Lord is every ready to change and purify our hearts through his Holy Spirit who dwells within us. His power and grace enables us to choose what is good and to reject what is evil. Do you believe in the power of God's love to change and transform your heart?

"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and make my heart like yours. Strengthen my heart and my will that I may I choose to love what is good and to hate what is evil."

Supplementary Reading

Fleeing Distractions

. . . submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. -James 4:7-8

I 'm into distractions. I've practiced all my life. I'm really good at it.

During elementary school, junior and senior high school . . . rarely was my mind with my body inside the classroom. I was almost always somewhere else, distracted by my mindful imaginings.

Recently I was at a lunch meeting with my wife, Sheila, and my brother-in-law, Jim. Our guest at the meeting was a respected and learned man with an earned PhD, who had vast experience in church growth, organization, and mission outreach. We had arranged the luncheon meeting to "pick his brain" to discover any new ways to improve our own efforts at ministry. Somewhere in the middle of the conversation, I noticed that my mind had wrapped around an old song that was softly playing through the speaker above our table - the "background" music. I found my entire presence zapped back 42 years to another time in another place. I wasn't even listening to the words being spoken at my table. I was shocked. I quickly shut the oldie off in my head and refocused on the conversation. I asked a question to fill in the gap caused by my brief journey into la-la land.

God has called each of us to reach out to the persons in our world around us. Yes, we each have a sphere of influence - be it large or small. It's important to His kingdom and His call on our lives. I am convinced that there are active powers working very hard in their attempts to distract you and me from God's good and great purposes.

You're human and so am I. Perfection isn't possible. However, when distractions do grab at us, we can, over and over and over again, turn our backs on them and refocus on our God-calling. Distractions happen all the time. But, you don't have to simply accept them or surrender your will to them.

The next time you find yourself drawn away from God's call on your time, acknowledge your having become distracted and refocus your thoughts. The discipline to recognize that you've become distracted is the most important part of the refocusing process.

Lord, thank You for forgiving me when I take my eyes, my ears, and my heart off You. I pray that You will draw me near to You now, as I seek to draw near to You. Thank You, Lord. Amen.

Recall the last time your mind wandered as you were spending time with God - praying, worshipping, journaling, etc. What did you do to refocus back on Him? (Jim Coleman)

GOD BLESS US ALL!

O Theos Na Mas Evlogisi!
PRAY as if everything depended on HIM. ACT as if everything depended on YOU.

For past gospel meditations, you may visit the following:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=216458741502#!/home.php?sk=mynotes

http://his-ways-better-than-our-ways.blogspot.com