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."
As I prayed over today's readings, I came across a line that I have never heard before and it gave me much positive energy. Of course, the reading about the inside of the cup is well known to many, and I'm more familiar with Matthew's version (ch. 23) but this line of Luke grabbed me:
But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.
Jesus gives us a solution. Our generosity, our concern for others, takes care of the muckiness that is within us. We make our insides clean by being generous. It leaves it up to Jesus to clean, but the more help we give others, the cleaner we become. I like the immediacy of this action.
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