Clinging To Human Rules

" The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and saw some of his disciples eating food with unclean hands. (The Pharisees and their followers do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding onto the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers, and kettles.) So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, ' Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders?' Jesus replied, 'Isaiah was right whe he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ' These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.' You have let go of the commands of God and are clinging to human precepts." [Mark 7 : 1-8].


She was preternaturally beautiful, with her porcelain complexion, her dark wavy hair and her scintillatingly brilliant eyes.  She always retained her slim and willowy figure. But she was cool and remote; and no one ever quite knew what was in her heart.

When she sought a mate, it was as if she was studying resumes. Her future husband had to be slim, fit, intelligent, successful, and from a well-to-do family. What did love have to do with it?

When she married, the wedding was more like a coronation than a sacrament. The high and mighty were among the wedding guests. Her gown was fashioned of silk, embroidered with hundreds of pearls. The church was glowing with candles, more for creating ambience than for inviting the Holy Spirit.

When she had children, she had one boy, the older one; and one girl, in that order. It was fitting that the boy was the older one, and he had to be smart, strong, successful.

When she and her husband bought a house, they painted the rooms, planted climbing roses outdoors and even installed a white picket fence.

She kept a perfect house by adhering to a perfect schedule: Monday, she washed the clothes, Tuesday, she ironed the clothes, Wednesday, she cleaned the bedrooms, Thursday, she cleaned the kitchen and went to the market, Friday, she cleaned the living room, Saturday, she gardened and Sunday, she baked. There was absolutely no clutter allowed. When her child entered Middle School, she threw away all the stuffed animals in the house. There was no mercy in her heart.

She kept to a perfect weekly menu as well: Monday, beef, Tuesday, chicken, Wednesday, leftovers, Thursday, pork, Friday, fish, Saturday beef. Each meal was perfectly designed to give her family all the nutrition they needed. When her child refused to eat a detested food, she gave this child nothing else to eat. 'Go to bed hungry,' she told the child. There was no generosity in her heart.

She took the children to church, to be with the Right People. But she never taught her children to pray and she never prayed for anyone. She thought talking to God was a waste of time. There was no prayer in her heart.

She had her children baptized, and made sure that the children received their First Communion. After the childrens' Confirmation, she stopped taking the children to church. She said, 'Been there, done that.' There was no faith in her heart.

She criticized Christians for being losers, who could not make it in life on their own, without turning as a last resort to God. She criticized Christians for being hypocrites, who despite constantly attending church,  made more mistakes than anyone else. There was no tolerance in her heart.

When her children reached high school, she taught them that 'Money makes the world go around.' She firmly admonished them that, as long as they had plenty of money, life would be secure. She warned them against giving to others, saying, "You think of yourself first." There was no charity in her heart.

She found life lonely and empty after her children grew up and left home. To fill her long days, she volunteered severl days a week. She received a certificate from each, for her long years of service, but her volunteering was more to fill time and to keep busy. There was no empathy in her heart.

When her long life began to ebb away, she instructed her children, 'When I die, I do not want a funeral. Just have them bury me and forget it.' There was no longing for Eternity in her heart.

When the woman finally passed from this earth, her daughter mourned her loss. It was a multiple loss. She mourned that her mother was no longer on this earth. She mourned that the mother she had always desired: loving, Spirit-filled, merciful, generous, prayerful, tolerant, charitable, empathetic, and desiring to know God: was not here and would never have a chance now to exist.

Most of all, she mourned over the moment when her mother would meet her Creator, God; and His Son, Jesus. Despite all the Human Rules to which her mother had clung, were these Rules enough to save her? Or, as in Matthew 7: 23, would Jesus say, "I will tell you plainly, ' I never knew you. Away from me!' ".

If there is no love in your heart, if there is no Spirit, no mercy, or generosity, prayer, tolerance, charity, or empathy, then you do not know God. And if you do not know God, when it really counts, He may not know you!

(c) The Spiritual Devotional 2012. All Rights Reserved.