22 April 2027 · Syro-Malabar Rite
Open in the Daily Word appAlso: Syro-Malankara Rite · Latin Rite · മലയാളം
“This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me;” Matthew 15:8
The Second Letter of Peter was written for Christians who had received the faith from the apostles and were now hearing other voices. Peter does not pretend the Church will be spared trouble from within: “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.” Two things mark these false teachers. They work secretly, slipping their opinions in beside the true faith so that the change is hardly noticed. And they deny the Master who bought them. The word is the language of the slave market: Christ has paid the price for us, with his own Blood, and we belong to him. A teaching that empties the Cross, or reduces the Resurrection to a pleasant idea, or makes Jesus one teacher among many, denies the very Lord who bought us. Peter adds a sad note: “many will follow their licentious ways, and because of these teachers the way of truth will be maligned.” False doctrine and loose living travel together, and when Christians live badly, the world speaks ill of the faith itself. Finally, “in their greed they will exploit you with deceptive words.” Then as now, some made religion a business.
How do we recognise a false teacher? The Church has never answered by asking each Christian to judge alone. The same letter reminds its readers to remember “the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles” (2 Peter 3:2). The test is the faith of the apostles, handed down in the Scriptures, kept in the living Tradition and taught by the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter. Our own Church carries this memory deeply. For centuries the Thomas Christians of Kerala lived the faith received from the apostle with very few books; when strangers came with new teachings, the people asked one question: is this what our fathers received? The Easter season is a good time to hold fast to the apostolic faith, because it rests on the apostles' witness to the Risen Lord. They did not hand on an opinion. They handed on what they had seen and heard and touched. A sound test for any new voice, on a screen or in a meeting, is this: does it lead me to Christ crucified and risen, to the sacraments and to love of the Church, or away from them?
In the Gospel some Pharisees and scribes come from Jerusalem and ask why the disciples do not wash their hands before eating, as the tradition of the elders required. The washing was a religious rite, not a matter of hygiene, and many devout people kept it with love. Jesus does not attack washing; he exposes a misuse. Some had found a way to declare their savings dedicated to God, Korban, so that they need not support their aged parents: “So, for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God.” And he quotes Isaiah: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.” This is a word for religious people of every age, and first for us. Jesus is not speaking against the Jewish people, nor against tradition as such; he himself kept the feasts and prayed in the synagogue, and the Church lives by the apostolic Tradition. He is speaking against any custom, ours included, that becomes a way to avoid love. A Syro-Malabar Christian may keep every fast, every feast and every family custom, and still neglect an old father or speak bitterly of a neighbour. Then our worship is lip-service. Easter asks for a new heart: the Risen Lord does not want only our lips at the Qurbana, but hearts that go home and honour father and mother.
Theme: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
False teachers who deny the Master who bought them, the apostolic faith as our test, and worship that reaches the heart.
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you; they are deluding you. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:16
“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive opinions. They will even deny the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.” 2 Peter 2:1
Apply: Before you share a religious message, ask whether it leads to Christ and his Church.
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1
“So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by our letter.” 2 Thessalonians 2:15
Apply: Teach or review one article of the Creed at home this week.
“Because these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote;” Isaiah 29:13
“For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.” Romans 10:10
Apply: Do one concrete act of care for your parents or an elderly relative today.
The Lord who bought us with his Blood wants our faith whole and our hearts near.
Let us hold to what the apostles handed down and let our love begin at home.
Take-home resolution: This week, test the voices you follow, remember the price of your redemption before a crucifix, and honour your parents with a deed of love.
Dear friends, today Peter warns us about false teachers, and Jesus warns us about worship that stays on the lips.
Peter says false teachers will come, bringing in destructive opinions secretly, and “They will even deny the Master who bought them.” Christ bought us with his own Blood. A teaching that empties the Cross or the Resurrection denies the very Lord who bought us.
How do we know true teaching? The Church answers: by the faith of the apostles, handed down in Scripture and Tradition and taught by the bishops in communion with Peter's successor. Our forefathers in Kerala kept the faith of St Thomas for centuries by asking: is this what our fathers received?
In the Gospel Jesus sees some who used a religious vow to avoid supporting their parents. He says: “for the sake of your tradition, you make void the word of God.” And he quotes Isaiah: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
This word is for us first. We can keep every fast and feast and still neglect our parents or speak bitterly of a neighbour. Jesus wants our hearts, not only our lips.
So today, let us test the voices we listen to, look at the crucifix and remember the price, and do one real act of love for our parents. Alleluia! Amen.
Children, Jesus said some people said nice prayers with their mouths, but their hearts were far from God. God wants our hearts too!
Today, show love at home with your hands and your heart: help Amma or Appa without being asked!
Lord Jesus Christ, you bought us with your precious Blood, and you want our hearts, not only our lips. Keep us faithful to the faith of the apostles, handed down in your Church, and guard us from voices that would lead us away from you. Deliver us from customs that excuse us from love. Give us new hearts that honour our parents, care for the elderly and worship you in spirit and truth. Glory to you, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever. Amen. Alleluia!