Reflect today on the burning desire in our Lord's heart to draw you to worship

When the Pharisees with some scribes from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they noticed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed hands. Mark 7: 6–8

It seems clear enough that Jesus 'instant fame led these religious leaders to jealousy and envy, and they wanted to find fault with Him. As a result, they watched closely Jesus and His disciples and noticed that Jesus' disciples were not following the traditions of the Senior citizens. So the leaders began to question Jesus about this fact. Jesus' response was a harsh criticism of them. He quoted the prophet Isaiah who said: “This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they adore me, teaching human precepts as doctrines “.

Jesus harshly criticized them because their hearts lacked true worship. The various traditions of the elders were not necessarily bad, such as the careful ceremonial washing of hands before eating. But these traditions were empty were they not motivated by deep faith and love for God. The outward following of human traditions was not truly an act of divine worship, and that is what Jesus wanted for them. He wanted their hearts to be inflamed with God's love and true divine worship.

What our Lord wants from each of us is worship. Pure, sincere and sincere adoration. He wants us to love God with deep inner devotion. He wants us to pray, listen to him and serve his holy will with all the powers of our soul. And this is only possible when we engage in genuine worship.

As Catholics, our life of prayer and adoration is founded on the holy liturgy. The liturgy incorporates many traditions and practices that reflect our faith and become a vehicle of God's grace. And although the Liturgy itself is very different from the mere "tradition of the elders" that Jesus criticized, it is useful to remind ourselves that the many liturgies of our Church must pass from external actions to interior worship. Doing the movements alone is useless. We must allow God to act upon us and within us as we engage in the external celebration of the sacraments.

Reflect today on the burning desire in our Lord's heart to draw you to worship. Reflect on how you get involved in this worship every time you attend Holy Mass. Try to make your participation not only external but, first of all, internal. In this way you will ensure that our Lord's reproach on the scribes and Pharisees does not fall on you as well.

My divine Lord, You and You alone are worthy of all adoration, adoration and praise. You and you alone deserve the adoration I offer You from the bottom of my heart. Help me and your whole Church to always internalize our outward acts of worship to give You the glory that is due to Your holy name. Jesus I believe in you.