We are all familiar with the axiom, “You are what you eat.” It is a declaration that assumes the choices we make about what we put into our mouths reveals something about the rest of the choices we make in our lives. The story told in today’s gospel text suggests that Jesus used a different indicator to examine the internal motivators guiding a life.
Jesus’ example finds that prayer what people pray for, how they pray, where they pray reveals more about the state of our soul, the focus of our life, than any dietary choices. This is a radical notion for our culture, a culture that fixates on and films, that deifies and demonizes, every food choice out there. In this week’s parable Jesus urges us to take our eyes off our plates, and listen instead to the words of our prayers.
Although the…