“There is one word of Jesus in today’s Gospel that I would like us to bring home: “Cleanse first the inside of the cup.”

Notice that word: first.

Jesus does not say that the outside is unimportant. The outside matters too. Good behavior matters. Our religious practices matter. Going to Mass, praying the Rosary, fasting, giving to charity, following the teachings of the Church—all these are good.

But Jesus says: First, clean the inside. Because Christianity is not simply about looking good. It is about becoming good from within.

And perhaps this is where hypocrisy begins: when we become more concerned about our image than our heart.

We ask, “What will people think of me?”

Jesus invites us to ask instead, “What does God see in me?”

We can polish the outside very well. We can smile while carrying anger inside. We can speak kindly in public while being harsh with our family at home. We can kneel for a long time in church while refusing to forgive somebody. We can post beautiful Bible verses on social media while using the same cellphone to gossip about someone.

The outside can look very clean while the inside needs a lot of washing.

And Jesus says: Start there.

Before correcting another person, ask: “Lord, what needs correcting in me?”

Before pointing to somebody else’s weakness: “Lord, what weakness in myself have I refused to face?”

Before trying to appear holy: “Lord, please make my heart holy.”

This is why Psalm 51 gives us such a beautiful prayer: “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me.”

Maybe that is enough prayer for us today: “Lord, clean the inside of my cup.”

Clean my intentions. Sometimes I do good things—but perhaps I want recognition.

Clean my resentments. Sometimes I say, “I have forgiven”—but I still enjoy telling people what that person did to me.

Clean my pride. Sometimes I easily see what is wrong with everybody else but find excuses for myself.

Clean my jealousy. Sometimes I cannot enjoy my blessings because I am too busy looking at the blessings of others.

And Lord, clean the parts of my heart that nobody sees except You.

My dear friends, Jesus is not asking us to pretend that we are saints. He is asking us to become honest sinners who allow God to make us saints. There is a big difference.

The hypocrite says: “I must make people believe that I am good.”

The disciple says: “Lord, You already know who I am. Please make me better.”

The cup that looked clean

I remember a simple story about a little boy helping his mother wash the dishes.

His mother handed him a cup and said, “Please wash this.”

The boy washed the outside very carefully. He rubbed it until it was shining. Then he proudly showed it to his mother.

His mother looked inside. There was still some dirt at the bottom. She smiled and said, “It looks clean, but I still cannot use it.”

The boy asked, “Why? The outside is already clean.”

And his mother answered: “Because what I am going to put into it goes inside, not outside.”

Final Words

Perhaps God is saying something similar to us today. “My child, I want to put something beautiful inside you. I want to fill you with My love, My mercy, My peace, My joy. But let Me clean your heart first.”

So perhaps our prayer today should not be: “Lord, make me look better.”

But: “Lord, make me better.”

Not simply: “Lord, protect my reputation.”

But: “Lord, purify my heart.”

Because in the end, God is not impressed by a shining cup. He wants a clean heart that He can fill.”