Reflection for October 14 Tuesday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time: Luke 11:37-41

Luke 11:37-41

After Jesus had spoken, a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home. He entered and reclined at table to eat. The Pharisee was amazed to see that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.

The Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.”

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Reflection:

Jenny is very particular about external appearance. She would always dress well. The exterior of her house is always refreshing to the eyes. Her neighbor wondered how she was able to afford such luxuries, considering that she had no job to speak of.

One morning, a rich woman was shouting in front of her house, telling her to leave her husband alone. Otherwise, she would be forced to bring her to court for having a relationship with a married man.

Many of us are very particular about what others will see in us. As much as possible, we try to paint a good picture of ourselves. This is who many of us are—very much driven by the exterior, the fleeting, and the things that do not last a lifetime. We sometimes give more value to what others perceive on the outside than to who we truly are on the inside.

But Jesus is not taken with a show of misleading exterior appearance. What counts for Him is our inner life—our hearts, our intentions, and the good that we do especially when no one is watching. For example, how do we react when we see the poor begging for alms? Do we respond with compassion? Or do we simply not care, thinking, “Anyway, no one is looking at us, so we might as well not mind the poor.”

Jesus knows everything about us. We cannot hide anything from Him. He knows our hidden secrets, our double talk, and the façade that we try so hard to display in order to create an impression of righteousness, power, wealth, and extravagance. But what matters most to Him is the sincerity of our hearts and the authenticity of our faith.

As followers of Jesus, we are invited to go beyond the superficial. Our worth is not defined by what we show outwardly but by who we are in the eyes of God.

Are we more concerned with how people see us than with how Jesus sees us? Will we continue to live behind a façade, or will we allow His light to transform us from within so that what radiates outward is His love and truth? — Marino J. Dasmarinas