22ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Saint Teresa of Avila was a gifted teacher. Her 1577 book The Interior Castle provides a roadmap toward spiritual perfection. Teresa envisioned the soul as a castle made of a single diamond. In her book, she describes the interior journey through the rooms of this castle, culminating in the innermost chamber. There one will find the place of complete transfiguation and communion with God.
While some were busy worrying about washing their hands and exterior cleanliness, Jesus warned of a personal evil that comes from within. The holy water in the sacrament of baptism washes away our sins, but it only prepares us for the real job of living a life of interior cleanliness.
Deacon Dick Folger