Gospel: February 10, 2026
February 10, 2026 (Tuesday)
5th Week in Ordinary Time
Psalter: Week 1 (White)
St. Scholastica, virgin
Ps 84:3, 4, 5 & 10, 11
How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!
1st Reading: 1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30
Gospel: Mark 7:1-13
One day, the Pharisees gathered around Jesus, and with them were some teachers of the law who had just come from Jerusalem. They noticed that some of his disciples were eating their meal with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. Now the Pharisees, and in fact all the Jews, never eat without washing their hands, for they follow the tradition received from their ancestors. Nor do they eat anything, when they come from the market, without first washing themselves. And there are many other traditions they observe; for example, the ritual washing of cups, pots and plates. So the Pharisees and the teachers of the law asked him, “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders, but eat with unclean hands?”
Jesus answered, “Your shallow people! How well Isaiah prophesied of you when he wrote: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless, for what they teach are only human rules. You even put aside the commandment of God to hold fast to human tradition.”
And Jesus commented, “You have a fine way of disregarding the commandments of God in order to enforce your own traditions! For example, Moses said: Do your duty to your father and your mother, and: Whoever curses his father or his mother is to be put to death. But according to you, someone could say to his father or mother,‘I already declared Corban (which means “offered to God”) what you could have expected from me.’ In this case, you no longer require him to do anything for his father or mother; and so you nullify the word of God through the tradition you have handed on. And you do many other things like that.”
Reflection:
Purifying our hearts.
Jesus clashed head-on with the devout mindset of the Pharisees and Scribes. He criticized them for their legalistic approach to faith, equating purity with external appearances and believing that an outward gesture could erase all the impurities accumulated in one’s heart. However, washing our hands is more effortless than purifying our hearts. Jesus aimed to convey to the Pharisees and Scribes that observance, even when perfectly religious, holds no meaning unless it leads to an authentic experience of faith, characterized by an encounter with God.
Jesus called us to transition from mere compliance to genuine belief, for only in this way can we truly encounter God, who is not a set of rules but the one who became flesh in Christ.
Our gospel today prompts us to reflect on the reasons behind our rules and commandments. The Law was given to the Jews to strengthen their covenant with God and nurture maturity in that relationship. In our Christian faith, we need rules and laws; however, we must never forget that they are intended for our growth as individuals and in our relationship with God and one another.
