The Dormition of Saint Anna, Mother of the Most Holy God-bearer (Theotokos); Holy Women Olympiada and Eupraxia (5th c.)
Polyeleos Feast
Read
Galatians 4:22-31; Luke 8:16-21
In yesterday’s gospel, a conflict arose between Jesus and the Pharisees over the tradition of washing hands. The Pharisees always washed their hands before eating in case they had come into contact with anything or anyone who was ritually unclean. Now, the Torah didn’t require these hand-washings for all Jews, but only for priests, but the Pharisees had extended the purity regulations of the Torah for priests to all Jews – reading Exodus 19:6, they saw the Jewish nation as a priestly people.
Now, you might be thinking that there is nothing wrong with extending priesthood to all people, at least in a general sense. And if you think this, you’re right: read 1 Peter 2:9 and you’ll see that all Christians are “a royal priesthood, a holy nation.” This means that all humanity has the capacity, and the duty, to offer God thanks for both creation and salvation, especially in the Eucharist. But Jesus shows us in today’s gospel what that “royal priesthood” requires. Unlike the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus and his disciples did not practice hand-washing: instead, Jesus wants his disciples to be careful about what comes out of their mouths since this shows what is going on in their hearts. A priest, who offers pure worship to God, must above all else have a pure heart: we must avoid evil thoughts and all the actions that come from those thoughts. We must purify our hearts, so that we do not become blind guides, leading others into the pit.