Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23
"You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition." Are these words for us today? Surely our traditions are more essential than "the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds", or are they? Our Parent's commandment is to love. Is that what our rituals, doctrines, and institutions are about? Or do they arise from our fear of "the things that come out from within"? We have become just as paranoid of our own pollution as the Pharisees were, if not worse, as the source of our contamination is not food or drink, but our own hearts and minds. So "hear me, all of you, and understand", the Spirit is the judge of all that arises "from within people, from their hearts", not tradition. And tradition must be obedient to the Spirit, not the other way around. Listen to the Spirit, especially you "elders" of the Church, for she will tell you that God's love is a living thing, constantly growing and developing, and so our own love must be the same, if we are to truly follow our Parent's commandment.