Therefore, brothers and sisters, stand firm
and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught,
either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours.
In today's Gospel the Lord urges us to "cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.” Anyone who does dishes would amen that teaching. I'm sure auto mechanics would add to that chorus; they've seen young men tow shiny, clean car into their garages in desperate need of oil.
Pastors know the story as they watch families fall apart. Many people haven't a clue about their spiritual obligations to God and one another. They owe the Lord glory and praise; and one another appreciation, gratitude, and attention; but they are too busy taking care of other, louder, more visible obligations to notice the deeper, spiritual dimensions of life. Raised in a severely dysfunctional society, many suppose there is nothing behind this world's images and illusions; they exist and desperately seek companionship in a world of make-believe.
God calls us into the deeper dimensions of life, into the reality behind appearances. The Church recognizes the substantial relationships of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; they are consubstantial. We celebrate a transubstantial relationship with God in the Eucharist.
Substantial human relationships are not, of course, entirely spiritual. Human beings are God's image in mud. We can discern the invisible behind the visible, timelessness in temporal thing, and the Creator who creates creatures. Though created of matter and in time, we are destined for eternal life. Because we are born once and live forever, we have a sure and certain knowledge of eternity.
And, despite the foolish claims of some spiritual people who say everything is illusion, matter is as real as appearances, and appearances are as real as matter. The Son of Mary is truly the Son of God. The Blessed Sacrament is truly the Flesh and Blood of Jesus.
If we know that matter and spirit are "other" to one another; we also see their substantial relationship. A husband and wife are substantially one; and their children are also "flesh of my flesh, and bone of my bone." Sibling, niblings, cousins, and grand-relations are undeniably real. There is no divorce in God; and families which have been united by God cannot be set apart.
These substantial relations are visible, but they also have an invisible characterics. We might not recognize how real they are by their appearances.
Scribes, Pharisees, and hypocrites eagerly pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin; and think these apparent sacrifices satisfy the Law. But they neglect the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. They live entirely for appearances, and hope that no one notices. They do not stand firm and hold fast to the traditions they were taught.
The Catholic Church of today is charged with administering these mysteries, even as we are challenged by them. Conservative and liberals, more loyal to their opinions than the Church, appeal to tradition while hiding selfish motives. They fear that their opponents may triumph, and fear drives them into foolishness.
God sees the heart. He sorts these things out when we get out of His way.
