| Religious practice -- cults, rituals, symbols, etc. -- reinforce a relationship between God and God's people, support right action, and provide communal identity. Each faith has its own set of rites and cults, some passed on by popular usage, others codified in sacred manuals. The Book of Deuteronomy is one such collection held sacred by the original People of God, the Hebrews.
Jesus and his followers sidestep religious practice in today's Gospel, not washing their hands before eating, and were caught by the Pharisees and some scribes. The Gospel outlines other purification practices, perhaps to demonstrate how cumbersome they could be if followed to the “t”. It appears that, at that point, Jesus had had enough! Overwhelmed by the hypocrisy of those preoccupied with external practice and ignoring internal purity, he called together the people and explained the expectations of the Kingdom of God – quite contrary to the evil practices accompanying the strict adherence to ritual which Jesus must have recognized in the private lives of the religious “professionals” of the time.
Our religious practices have supported, inspired and identified adherents to the faith throughout the ages. Some are still important, some are pious observances that are meaningful to some but not too relevant to others, others have lost their meaning over the centuries. In our own self examination, which practices reinforce my relationship with God and my service to my brothers and sisters? If I find myself engaging in those actions contrary to the kingdom Christ points out at the end of the reading, better that I take care of cleaning the “inside of the vessel” that worry about how often I say my prayers.
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