Daily Gospel Reflection
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September 1, 2024
When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
—For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. —
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
“Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?”
He responded,
“Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”
He summoned the crowd again and said to them,
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.
“From within people, from their hearts,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”
The final years of my nursing career were as a Triage RN in a busy practice. It was a wonderful
job and our team worked well together. One fall, on returning from vacation, I noted a new
employee in our area. Rosie was not a nurse, but had been hired to import data into the new
EMR system. As I breezed in, enjoying the welcomes of my co-workers, I noted a reticence in
Rosie as she appraised me. She gave no hint of a smile, but in fact what I perceived as a look
of suspicion.
As the days passed, it seemed she was frequently impatient and annoyed with me. It was
baffling as our duties did not cross over, and only the chatter in the area had us interacting. I
had observed that she seemed rigid at her work, with very little casual interaction with anyone.
She seemed a difficult fit for the shared culture I treasured. I found myself defensive with her,
and falling back on “the way we do things here” mentality. We were at an uncomfortable
Crossroads.
One afternoon, I saw her in the break room obviously distressed. Expecting to be rebuffed, I
stopped to ask if I could help. In tears she revealed significant financial issues. She needed this
job, was desperate to do well, and anxious of a misstep. I suddenly saw that from my place of privilege, I had been both uncharitable and arrogant. I had said to her, “You are not one of us.” Those things that defile had taken root in my heart, and my heart was far from Jesus.
We all encounter the appearance of rejection in our lives. Jesus asks us to look beyond the
surface of relationships, and root out unkind feelings which can quickly fester. In doing so, we
receive the grace of a glimpse of another beloved child of God in our midst.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you teach us the way of the pure of heart, that we might see God more clearly, and so love God more fully. Help us to overcome the weakness and sin in our lives that prevent us from loving you and others with all our heart. Give us patience, perseverance, and confidence in your loving mercy for those sinful habits and behaviors that we find particularly difficult to overcome. Help us to know that your love for us is greater than our capacity to sin. Amen.
Saint of the Day
St. Anna the Prophetess appears very briefly in the Gospel of Luke—she received the young child, Jesus, when Mary and Joseph brought him to the Temple to be dedicated to the Lord.
According to Jewish law, parents were to present each male child to the Lord by offering sacrifice in the Temple in Jerusalem. Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple, and were greeted there by Simeon, who had been told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the messiah (Lk 2:25-26).
After Mary and Joseph and Jesus met Simeon, they encountered Anna:
“There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived seven years with her husband after her marriage, and then as a widow until she was 84. She never left the temple, but worshiped night and day with fasting and prayer. And coming forward at that very time, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem” (Lk 2:36-38)
This exhausts our knowledge of Anna, but even this brief description tells us what is most important about her. Unlike Simeon, who knew he would find the messiah, Anna simply recognized the Lord. After decades and decades in the Temple, seeing people coming and going with their sacrifices every day, she had the vision to recognize that one young couple and their child were unlike any of the others.
What gave her that ability to see—to recognize the divine in the midst of the ordinary? All we know is that she fasted and prayed—she cultivated a close relationship with God. She knew God—she was familiar with God because she spoke with God every day. And that familiarity opened her eyes to recognizing God’s presence in situations outside of prayer. The same is true for us—a habit of prayer opens our eyes to recognize God’s presence in the rest of our life experience.
Relics of St. Anna the Prophetess rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. She is depicted in the fresco above standing to the far right in a brown cloak, observing Joseph and Mary presenting the child, Jesus, to Simeon.
St. Anna the Prophetess, of the thousands of people you saw in the Temple, you instantly recognized Jesus—pray for us!