In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus challenges the Pharisees to make certain that the motivations in their hearts truly live up to what they profess with their words and ritual gestures. For Jesus, holiness is not just a matter of observing a collection of precepts. Holiness is a way of life, striving to love the Lord with all of one’s heart, mind, soul, and strength.

We pray together: St. Jude, I ask for your guidance to make me pure in thought, word, and deed in imitation of your own holy purity.