Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Virgin (Optional Memorial)

You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb.

When it comes to the practices of our faith, it can be easy to derive a sense of security from following “The Rules.” We might also use those rules as a quick way to assess whether someone is a “good” Catholic. We might even use these rules as a checklist to determine if we are right with God. But such an approach risks draining the lifeblood from our practices. It risks reducing our relationship with the Lord to a set of obligations. And when that happens, the rules become a burden, not a way to freedom.

This seems to be the trap that ensnared the Pharisees and scribes whom Jesus addressed in today’s Gospel. He describes them as being meticulous in following the rules about tithing but neglecting the underlying reason for those laws: “judgment” and “love for God” (Luke 11:42). By focusing on the details, they failed to recognize and proclaim God’s boundless mercy for his people. They also failed to extend patience and compassion to the people.

Are there times when you have emphasized rules over the call to love? Pope Benedict XVI spoke about this when he said that instead of a heavy burden, Jesus “offers us ‘his yoke,’ the way of the wisdom of the Gospel, which is neither a doctrine to be learned nor an ethical system but rather a Person to follow” (Audience, December 7, 2011). That “Person” is Jesus, the One who offers us his life and who calls us to deepen that life within us through the practices of our faith.

Of course, the habits and rhythms of faith are important. Without them, our relationship with the invisible God would descend to the level of theory and speculation. But if you ever find yourself just “ticking off a checklist” or judging someone who doesn’t, perhaps that’s a sign that you need to ask for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit. Perhaps that’s a sign urging you to go back to the heart of the gospel: justice and the love of God.

“Jesus, help me never to reduce my relationship with you to a matter of rules and practices!”

Galatians 5:18-25
Psalm 1:1-4, 6
Luke 11:42-46