"I did a study recently of how Jesus understood the ideas of purity or
cleanliness. He never applies it to the body or the physical world, but
only to motivations (Matthew 23:26) and to the heart (Matthew 5:8). In
fact, he declares “all foods clean” (Matthew 7:19) in strong
disagreement with his own Jewish tradition. Purity seems to be
singleness of heart for Jesus, when I am not split, when I am “all
here”. Impurity is mixed motivation, denial of parts of the picture,
and self delusion. How different from most religion which has been
preoccupied with purity codes, based in physical touching, eating wrong
foods, seeing bad things, sexuality, and avoiding of “UnChristian”
people and places. Again, Christian tradition has not followed its own
teacher, and he was indeed a master teacher here." -
Richard Rohr - Unpacking Paradoxes - Purity
To give thanks is to recognize what has come to
you.... How does the seed give thanks? It flowers. You take what you
have, who you are, and you respond to the gift of that beingness with a
course of action that aligns with it. You do what is in your nature.
