RBWords

     The lectionary offers an alternative gospel passage to avoid repetition, so I have chosen to reflect on the alternative.  The lectionary has also, for some reason I cannot fathom,  edited the passage to eliminate Jesus' complaint against the Pharisees for manipulating the Mosaic Law to their own purposes.  The particular dispute on this occasion has to do with the practice of washing one's hands before eating.  Apparently the disciples were not doing it in the prescribed manner or not doing it at all.  (Hmmmm....what would our Moms say about this?)  If their hands were not clean then the food would not be clean and then the consumer would not be clean.  Jesus rejects the notion that food could make a person unclean and tells the disciples - in the verses that follow this passage - that it is what comes out of the mouth, not what goes into it, that can make a person unclean because it would come from the heart.

     The dispute with the Pharisees shouldn't distract us from the question of what we say as a reflection of who we are!  I'm not sure most of us would want to be held too closely to that standard!  I once saw a sign that said, "Be sure that your brain is in gear before setting your mouth in motion!"  Language can become a matter of habit, but it can truly reflect what is going on inside of us at a given time.  The current expression, "Words matter!" reflects concern about the importance of language.  The current political situation in the USA has a way of throwing all caution to the winds in this regard so that words become suspect in their ability to convey truth.  But that broader issue should not blind us or distract us from a consideration of our own language patterns and how we personally use words.  How much does our own language reflect our hearts? AMEN