Do you wash your hands and face with coins before a generous dinner? Are you leaving one seat free at the Christmas dinner table – for a random wanderer? Knock three times on wood? Do you eat green foods on Thursday of Holy Week – Maundy Thursday? Do you go whipping and watering? 

Slovak traditions prioritize collective customs over individual preference, as I once discovered when expressing relief at not having to participate in a particular Easter Monday ritual, only to be scolded for not upholding tradition.

The Pharisees presented Jesus with a challenge, citing Moses’ law on divorce. They emphasized its long-standing tradition, universally accepted by their ancestors. However, Jesus countered by suggesting that simply because something is allowed does not mean it is right. He encouraged them to evaluate whether the practice built up or harmed others. In this case, divorce was permissible under Mosaic law, but far from ideal.

The Pharisees believed that following the law made them righteous, but Jesus revealed to them the true meaning of justice. In their time, a woman who received a letter of divorce could return to her parents’ house, retaining some dignity. However, Jesus taught the Pharisees that true justice and love meant not turning one’s back on others. His prohibition on divorce was a matter of upholding the true justice of one person towards another.

Hardness, uncircumcision of the heart, Greek “σκληροκαρδίαν” (sclerocardia), the word used by Jesus to startle the Pharisees and break their hardness of heart, is an accusation that, despite professed faith, they continue to be heathens at heart. That they contradict God and are distant from God. That was a serious charge.

Jesus presented the Pharisees with a stark reflection of their hypocrisy. Either they claim to be knowledgeable but remain ignorant of Genesis 2:24, which states “They shall be one flesh,” or they are aware of this verse but deliberately disregard or distort it. Is it worse to be ignorant and arrogant, or to willfully misinterpret? Ultimately, the greatest issue is the hardness of the heart which can lead to both.

A whole heart celebrates the joy and shares the pain of others. In the Old Testament era, women held a lowly position. However, Jesus’ new concept of justice brought a radical shift, defending the rights of the most vulnerable and those often overlooked or unable to defend themselves. 

Because that is what is truly righteous before God and the law and what is above all customs and traditions. Jesus shows not hardness, but wholeness of heart. And if the heart is full, the life is also entire. And the wholeness of life includes a heart that is kind and full of goodness. A loving, caring, and merciful heart. A heart that gives, a heart that goes looking for a lost soul. A heart that, if it reproves, sees correction and even greater love behind the reproof. 

A compassionate heart beats with empathy, mourns the suffering of others, and remains hopeful for the return of the lost. It selflessly shares what little it has, like the miracle of two fish and five loaves feeding thousands, without fear of loss. 

This is the heart of Christ and the heart of the Father, who is revealed by the Son. And it is precisely such a heart that can recognize and then act justly. A hard heart is a heart determined not to love. A whole heart is a heart that rejoices at the joy of another and cries at the pain of another.

For me, integrity is somehow deeply connected to justice. What’s your take on this? In Slovakia, this past week could be described as a period of consolidation. What does this term mean?

Consolidation implies stability and security, but ironically, it threatens to have the opposite effect. Instead of ensuring long-term justice, particularly for those most vulnerable and their devoted champions, it may abandon them to their fate. This would only exacerbate injustice, making it a tradition to be abandoned.