Cleanse the Inside
August 28,
2012
Memorial of St. Augustine, Bishop and
Doctor of the Church
By Beth DeCristofaro
"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you
hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of
cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of
the cup, so that the outside also may be clean." (Matthew 23:25-26)
Piety
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our
Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope
through his grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed
and word. (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17)
Study
As I
write this, I am at the beach, listening to the curling waves washing up onto
shore and squinting out at sparkling whitecaps.
Many of us find ourselves close to God at the ocean: the majesty of creation, the mystery of the
depths spread out before us, the power at hand remind us of the Lord of all
Life. I am also aware, today, of the
appearance of the ocean farther south and in the gulf as hurricane Isaac churns
toward the coast. There one might be
reminded of God’s overwhelming-ness which can be frightening: let go and let God is sometimes easier said
than done! Jesus alludes to this in his
address to the Pharisees: we are God’s,
we cannot circumvent God.
My
prayers today are most likely a bit different than people in Florida or
Gulfport. I walked this morning praying
my gratitude and asking for God’s presence with those I love or who are in need
of prayer. And I prayed my concern for
those in Isaac’s path including my daughter in New Orleans. Others more affected are probably praying in
fear or dread. What is amazing and
humbling is that God is with me, with Sarah, with those others in just the way
each of us needs. God offers what gifts
we need. Are our vessels clean,
attentive, receptive to those gifts?
Action
As I read
the words from Matthew I feel sad, much like I did as a child when my mother or
father was upset with me. It is hard to
imagine Jesus looking at me saying: “Your
self-indulgence does not allow me in, Beth.”
Or worse: “As you judge others, Beth,
you plunder their right to be recognized and loved as my beloved
sister/brother.” Keeping our souls,
minds and bodies unsullied and uncluttered enough to house the Lord takes
diligence. St. Augustine knew this and
struggled not to give in to God’s awesome presence which he probably thought of
as overwhelming. Today what do I need to
clean up inside myself in order to welcome God more fully and completely in?
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