Tuesday of the Fifth week in Ordinary Time ‘b’

Mk 7:1-13

When you pray do you kneel, or do you maybe sit down, or maybe you might stand? Some people pray when they lie in bed. How do you receive Holy Communion -- standing, kneeling, on the palm of your hand, or on your tongue? What is correct way to do it? What is the best way of praying? Sometimes we would look at another person in church and kind of judge him or her in our mind thinking -- why is she kneeling if everyone is standing, or why does he receive Holy Communion that way not the other way? So, who is right and who is wrong? I may surprise you, but there is no wrong or right way of praying, receiving communion, and so on. Because I don’t think Jesus cares about those external things. He rather wants you to receive Him with love and joy and to pray to Him with your heart not only your lips. Jesus quotes today the prophet Isaiah who said: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” So, when we practice our religion, we don’t have to worry how to do it to be correct; rather we must make sure that our heart is with God.