Gospel (Lk 11,37-41) - At that time, while Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee invited him to lunch. He went and sat down at the table. The Pharisee saw and was amazed that he had not performed his ablutions before lunch. Then the Lord said to him: «You Pharisees clean the outside of the glass and the plate, but your inside is full of greed and wickedness. Fools! Didn't he who made the outside also make the inside? Rather, give as alms what is within, and behold, everything will be pure for you."

The commentary on the Gospel by Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia

Jesus, invited to the home of a Pharisee, does not fulfill the ritual prescriptions required before the meal. This behavior earns him severe judgment. In a society of appearances, such as ours, this short evangelical passage brings to the center of attention what is truly valuable in life. In fact, it is in the heart, it is in the interiority that man's life, his happiness and his salvation are played out. If the heart is full of malice even the action will be consequent. For this reason, Jesus, without condemning the observance of rituals, brings the root of behavior back to the heart. What matters is what is in your heart, not what it appears. There is no point in observing rites if you then transgress justice and are far from love. In this sense, it is not worth multiplying gestures and actions if the heart is full of "greed and malice". Rather, Jesus urges us to give "as alms what is within", that is, to give to the world the love that has been poured into our hearts. And true wealth is the free love that every believer receives from God in his heart. Jesus, sending his disciples on mission, clearly states: "You have received freely, give freely" (Mt 10:8). And the gratuitousness of the love received is evidently manifested when we turn first and foremost to the poor. With Jesus the time of mercy begins. A time of grace and abundance. In fact, if we are merciful to others, if we are generous in loving others, love not only does not diminish but enriches the hearts of those who give and those who receive.