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Gospel: 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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Some of you have heard me speak a lot recently about transactional versus transformative relationships.
A transactional relationship is like a business deal.
When you pull into a gas station, for example, an attendant comes to your car, pumps your gas, then you pay them. There’s not a change in either person’s heart; only an exchange of gas for money.
There’s nothing wrong with this type of relationship within certain areas of our lives. But transactional relationships can also apply to religion.
It’s possible to go to Mass, for example, simply out of obligation. We show up. We check a box. While we’re physically present, if there’s no inner transformation or a change in a person’s heart, then it becomes a transactional experience.
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While it’s always a good thing to come to church, God wants more for us. He wants everyone to have transformational faith – faith that changes our lives for the better.
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This is why Jesus is challenging the Pharisee in today’s Gospel.
This Pharisee is a law-abiding Jew. He knows the rules of his religion and he follows them well. But he’s not inwardly transformed by his practice. His relationship with God is transactional.
He washes his hands before a meal. He’s done what he’s obligated to do. Now on to the next thing.
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How much of my own relationship with God is transactional? And how much of it is transformative?
Can I remember coming to Mass and feeling inwardly changed?
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This is God’s desire for us: that we always leave his house changed for the better.
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Image credits: (1) International Association of Fire Chiefs (2) Ocean’s Bridge, Emmaus: Christ Breaking Bread (3) Crosswalk.com