SEPTEMBER 02, 2012 : TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 125

Reading 1 Dt 4:1-2, 6-8

Moses said to the people:
"Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees
which I am teaching you to observe,
that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land
which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin upon you,
you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it.
Observe them carefully,
for thus will you give evidence
of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,
who will hear of all these statutes and say,
'This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.'
For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us
whenever we call upon him?
Or what great nation has statutes and decrees
that are as just as this whole law
which I am setting before you today?"

Moses

Responsorial Psalm Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5

R. (1a) One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Whoever walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
by whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

Reading 2 Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27

Dearest brothers and sisters:
All good giving and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.
He willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.

Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this:
to care for orphans and widows in their affliction
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

Gospel Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
--For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. --
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
"Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?"
He responded,
"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."

He summoned the crowd again and said to them,
"Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.

"From within people, from their hearts,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile."

www.usccb.org

Scripture Study

September 2, 2012 Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

This week we celebrate the Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time. In the first reading, Moses exhorts the people, who are about to enter into the promised land, to cherish the Law. He speaks of the Law, not as a burden, but as a precious guide to the wisdom of God. How do I regard the call to holiness in my life? Do I see a burden or a call to joy and wisdom. The second reading touches on a central part of the message of the Letter of James. James holds that action must accompany conviction. For James, faith is very much a verb that we "do" not just a noun that we "have" Where do I hold my faith? Is it deep inside where it can not be seen or do I let it out into my actions where it can bring others to see the love of God? In the Gospel reading, Jesus calls on us to be sure that our way of doing things doesn't get in the way of the mission He has given us. The bureaucracy, rules of behavior and even personal traditions that we use to serve the gospel can take on a life of their own and get in the way of living the gospel. Is it time for me to perform a reality-check to see if my own rules or personal traditions match the Gospel of Jesus?

NOTES on First Reading:

* The portion of the text in square brackets is left out of the reading. 

* 4:1 Hear ( sema) O Israel is a is a standard Deuteronomic beginning for a liturgical address. Laws or statutes referred to positive legal decrees. Ordinances or customs referred to judicial decisions based on case law. Deuteronomy portrays Moses primarily as a teacher.

* Observance of the law became a primary condition for maintaining possession of the land. Deuteronomy is the place in the Old Testament where thought first moves from "laws" to "the Law".

* 4:2 The idea of not adding or subtracting anything is an indication of canonical status of a public document.

* 4:3-4 This refers to an incident related in Num 25:1-9. Verse 4 implies that the hearers are survivors of the incident at Peor.

* 4:6 Observance of the Law is to be the "wisdom and discernment" of Israel. It is to be the equivalent of the wisdom traditions of the other nations. In Sir 24 Torah is identified with wisdom.

* 4:7 The idea of the nearness of God is important to the theology of the book. This is a law book but it has the premise that God is known and approached through the Law.

NOTES on Second Reading:

* The portion of the text in square brackets is left out of the reading.

* 1:17 This is based on a well known poetic proverb of the time.("Every gift is good, and every present is perfect.") It means something similar to our version, "It's not the gift but the thought that counts." A deeper meaning is added by James saying that the source of all created goodness is from above; The father of lights.But unlike the lights of heaven which are great gifts his goodness never changes with the seasons.

* 1:18 The freedom of the Divine initiative with which God gives birth to his children contrasts with the blind force of desire that gives birth to sin James 1:14-15.

* He gave birth is understood in the Old Testament context of Deut 32:18. It is understood in a Christian sense as in John 1:12-13 as is indicated by a comparison of verse 18 with 1 Peter 1:23 in which the sense is obviously Christian. However an allusion to creation may also be intended. Just as the first creation was accomplished through God's word so the new creation is "by the word of truth". This probably refers to the acceptance of the Gospel message.

* 1:19 These three admonitions are of a type that often occurs in the Old Testament (Sir 5:11-13). They will be developed in 1:22-25; 3:13-18; 1:20; 4:1-2. The reason for the last of the three is "the righteousness of God" as in Mat 5:20; Mat 6:33.

* 1:21 "Implanted word" is an inborn word which probably means the acceptance of the Christian faith at Baptism including the ethical demands involved.

* Use of "word" or "logos" reflects typical New Testament usage. It is God's saving revelation, foreshadowed in the word given to the prophets and in the word that is a synonym for law (tora) but fully expressed only in Christ and His Gospel.

* 1:22 This verse summarizes the whole letter of James. It is similar to Rom 2:13. The general theme of a "religion of deed" is characteristic of James but also prominent in other New Testament writings such as Mat 7:24-27; Luke 8:21; Luke 11:28 . Old Testament background for this is in Deut 4:5-6; Deut 28:13-15; Ezek 33:31-32.

* 1:23 The mirror presents ideal conduct and so lets us see our shortcomings just as a mirror reveals blemishes and untidiness. But if the viewer of the mirror immediately forgets what he sees in the mirror he can't fix the situation. So it is with a hearer who doesn't do.

* 1:25 James will return to the theme of law again in James 2:8-12; 4:11. Use of "Perfect law of liberty" would seem to imply that James does not have in mind the ritual law of Moses. He seems to identify it with the "word" of previous verse. James lacks Paul's distinction between the law and the gospel, showing a similarity to Mat 5:17-19. In fact the lack of any emphasis on fulfillment of ritual prescriptions and of rigid legalism would seem to indicate an author other than James the Just if indeed James the Just was as later tradition made him out to be.

* 1:26 In practical application, restraint in speech is mentioned in 1:19, and will be developed in 3:1-12 and 4:11

* Deceives himself is literally " his heart" which is a common Hebraism.

* 1:27 Pure and undefiled are qualities that the Old Testament used in a ritual and cultic sense and are now applied to external works of charity and inner integrity. This is not meant as a complete treatment of religion but as an emphasis on certain aspects without which the practice of religion has no meaning. See Isa 58 ; Mat 23.

* God the Father had the title as Father of widows and orphans, the natural objects of charity in the community Psalm 67:6; Deut 27:19; Acts 6:1, Sir 4:10.

* World is used here to mean opposition to God as it is in Paul, 2 Peter,John and 1 John.

NOTES on Gospel:

* The portion of the text in square brackets is left out of the reading.

* 7:1-5 Lev 11:1-47 defined what the clean foods and unclean foods were. During and after the Exile the rules about food and ritual cleanness became very important as a way for the people to develop and maintain a strong sense of identity and remain separate from other peoples in the area. These laws made eating with Gentiles very difficult but not initially impossible. New traditions developed over time that did make it impossible. Even many Jews did not follow some of these later rules. Jesus and the disciples ate with lax Jews.

* 7:6 Hypocrites originally meant answerer and then came to mean actor, one who partook of the question and answer of the stage. Eventually it came to mean one whose "answer" was a show.

* Verses 6-13 are still part of Jesus answer about hand washing.

* 7:8 See Isa 29:13 Jesus repeats the charges of the prophets against the people.

* 7:11-12 Scholars are hard pressed to find such a case in the Rabbinic Tradition. It is probably an extreme and isolated circumstance of Jesus day that may have been notorious as a scandal of the time. Jesus uses this currently notorious case as an example.

* 7:14 Verses 14-23 Disciples probably missed the point. See Acts 10:1-11:8. These are all basically rules of separation that ensured the survival of Israel as a separate people so the Messiah could be born from them. Now that the Messiah had come, they are to be abandoned in favor of the unity of Jesus.

* 7:15 See Lev 11:1-47; Deut 14:3-21 for a list of clean and unclean animals.

* 7:16 "Anyone who has ears to hear ought to hear," is omitted in the NAB and several other modern translations because it is lacking in some of the best Greek manuscripts and was probably transferred here by scribes from Mark 4:9,23.

* 7:19 Verse 19 is believed by many scholars to be a parenthetical remark or gloss.

* 7:20-23 See Mark 7:15.

www.st-raymond-dublin.org

Meditation: "Out of the heart come evil thoughts"

What makes a person unclean or unfit to offer God acceptable worship? The Jews went to great pains to ensure that their worship would conform to the instructions which God gave to Moses on Mount Sinai. God's call to his people was a call to holiness: "be holy, for I am holy" (Leviticus 11:44; 19:2). In their zeal for holiness many elders developed elaborate traditions which became a burden for the people to carry out in their everyday lives. The Scribes and Pharisees were upset with Jesus because he allowed his disciples to break with their ritual traditions by eating with unclean hands. They sent a delegation all the way from Jerusalem to Galilee to bring their accusation in a face-to-face confrontation with Jesus. Jesus dealt with their accusation by going to the heart of the matter – by looking at God's intention and purpose for the commandments.
Jesus explains that they void God's command because they allow their hearts and minds to be clouded by their own notions of what is true religion. Jesus accuses them specifically of two things. First of hypocrisy. Like actors, who put on a show, they appear to obey God's word in their external practices while they inwardly harbor evil desires and intentions. Secondly, he accuses them of abandoning God's word by substituting their own arguments and ingenious interpretations for what God requires. They devised clever arguments based on their own thoughts rather than on God's word. Jesus refers them to the prophecy of Isaiah (29:31) where the prophet accuses the people of his day for honoring God with their lips while their hearts were far away from choosing and doing what God asked of them. God's word has power to set us free from ignorance, pride, and selfish desires. His word both enlightens our mind and purifies our heart so that we can truly understand his ways and intentions and walk in his love. The Lord invites us to draw near to him and to feast at his banquet table. Do you draw near with a clean heart and mind?  Ask the Lord to cleanse you fully with the purifying fire of his Holy Spirit.
Where does evil spring from and what's the solution for eliminating it from our lives? Jesus deals with this issue in response to the religious leaders' concern with ritual defilement – making oneself unfit to offer acceptable sacrifice and worship to God. The religious leaders were concerned with avoiding ritual defilement, some no doubt out of fear of God, and others out of fear of pleasing other people. Jesus points his listeners to the source of true defilement – evil desires which come from inside a person's innermost being. Sin does not happen. It first springs from the innermost recesses of our thoughts and intentions, from the secret desires which only the individual soul can conceive. God in his mercy sent his only Son Jesus to save us from our sins.  But to receive his mercy, we must admit our faults.  "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8-9). Only God can change our hearts and make them clean and whole through the power of the Holy Spirit. Like a physician who probes the wound before treating it, God through his Word and Spirit first brings it to light that we may recognize it for what it is and call upon his mercy and grace for pardon and healing. The Spirit of truth is the Consoler.  The Spirit gives us a true conscience and the assurance that Christ our redeemer forgives all of our sins  when we turn to the Lord Jesus and ask for his help and mercy.
How can we live in holiness free from slavery to sin and hurtful desires? When Cain was jealous of his brother, Abel, God warned him to guard his heart: "Sin is couching at the door; it's desire is for you, but you must master it" (Genesis 4:7). Do you allow any sinful desires to couch at the door of your heart? We do not need to entertain or give into sinful desires and hurtful thoughts, but instead, through the grace of God, we can choose to put them to death rather than allow them mastery over us. The Lord is every ready to change and purify our hearts through his Holy Spirit who dwells within us. His power and grace enables us to choose what is good and to reject what is evil. Do you believe in the power of God's love to change and transform your heart?
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and make my heart like yours – on fire with love and holiness. Strengthen my will that I may always choose to love what is good and to reject what is evil."
www.dailyscripture.net

What Can Separate Us from the Love of Christ?

Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Listen to podcast version here. Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23 When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, "Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?" He responded, "Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God´s commandment but cling to human tradition." He summoned the crowd again and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile. From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile." Introductory Prayer: Lord God, I come from dust and to dust I shall return. You, however, existed before all time, and every creature takes its being from you. You formed me in my mother’s womb with infinite care, and you watch over me tenderly. I hope you will embrace my soul at my death to carry me home to heaven to be with you forever. Thank you for looking upon me and blessing me with your love. Take my love in return. I humbly offer you all that I am. Petition: Lord, give me confidence in the power of your grace. 1. Look at the Real Dangers: Christ feared nothing. He wasn’t afraid of Satan. He wasn’t afraid of public opinion. He wasn’t afraid of the narrow road and hard path. Even though it would cause him to sweat blood, he wasn’t even afraid to fulfill his Father’s plan for him as the Suffering Servant. Through his words and way of life, he was constantly encouraging his followers to watch out for dangers and to pray not to be put to the test. He knows that there are real dangers out there: “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away” (Matthew 5:29). “Woe to him who scandalizes one of these little ones” (cf. Matthew 18:6). “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees” (Matthew 16:6). “Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat” (Luke 22:31). Christ will always point out for me the real dangers that exist in my life. 2. I Will Not Take Them from You: Christ clearly warns us, and our own experience confirms, that God normally will not remove these dangers from our lives. These dangers will usually remain whether they be exterior — “Father, I ask not that you remove them from this world” — or interior. When St. Paul would ask Christ to remove the thorn from his side, Christ simply replies, “My grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9). In the thick of these sufferings, it is hard for us to understand why God would permit them. But maybe we can find some reason in Christ’s words today. May it never be said of a Christian: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” Suffering and hardship often keep our heart close to Christ. 3. I Will Give You the Grace to Overcome Them: Very much aware of both the internal and external dangers that would await them, Christ was not afraid to send his apostles out into the world. He sends us out as “sheep among wolves” (cf. Matthew 10:16) into a world that will “hate you as it hated me” (cf. Matthew 24:9). He distributes his divine word and precious grace to the world through us, fragile earthen vessels. Through his Vicar on Earth, he tells us, “Be not afraid.” Moreover, he expects us to produce one-hundred fold and give fruits that will last. What is the key to his confidence? The key is the humble person who is ever ready to look inwardly and purify his heart from the smallest attachment, the slightest impurity, making it an acceptable dwelling place for Christ. What…who…can separate us from the love of Christ? What is there to fear but those “evils that come from within and defile?” Conversation with Christ: Thank you, Lord, for reminding me about the beauty of being your friend, and at the same time about the awesome responsibility that goes along with it. Please give me the generosity to live my role as your ambassador and help me to continually spread your message of love with all that I do. Resolution: I will set aside some time today and ask Christ to help me identify any attachments to sin in my heart. I will write them down and look for concrete ways to purify my heart from them.

www.regnumchristi,com

 The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

‘Be doers of the word and not just hearers only.’
After hearing a discussion on various translations of the Bible, one man said: ‘I prefer my mother’s translation, because she translated it into everyday life.’ Are we doing that? Our life in Christ brings great joy and peace but also brings certain responsibilities. We need to learn the way of the Gospel by embracing Jesus’ teaching in our hearts and in our actions. 

If we want the spiritual empowerment we have received in baptism to have any effect on us at all then we must become ‘doers of the word, and not hearers only’. That means we step out and do what God says! This is the only way the word will move from being buried seed to becoming a majestic tree that bears fruit in our own lives and in the world around us.
www.churchresources.info

THOUGHT FOR TODAY
GOD'S TODAY
Don't let yourself be torn
between yesterday
and tomorrow.
Live always and only
God's today.
Accept surprises
that upset your plans,
shatter your dreams,
give a completely
different turn
to your day
and - who knows?
to your life.
It is not chance,
Leave the Father free
Himself to weave
The pattern of your days.

- Dam Helder Camara, A Thousand Reasons fOr Living, DLT, London, 1984
 
From A Canopy of Stars: Some Reflections for the Journey by Fr Christopher Gleeson SJ [David Lovell Publishing 2003]
www.churchresources.info

MINUTE MEDITATIONS 

Friend of God
At this very moment I may, if I desire, become the friend of God. —St. Augustine
— from Firmly On the Rock

September 2
Blessed John Francis Burté and Companions
(d. 1792; d. 1794)

Bl.Apollinaris Morel

These priests were victims of the French Revolution. Though their martyrdom spans a period of several years, they stand together in the Church’s memory because they all gave their lives for the same principle. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1791) required all priests to take an oath which amounted to a denial of the faith. Each of these men refused and was executed.

John Francis Burté became a Franciscan at 16 and after ordination taught theology to the young friars. Later he was guardian of the large Conventual friary in Paris until he was arrested and held in the convent of the Carmelites.
Appolinaris of Posat was born in 1739 in Switzerland. He joined the Capuchins and acquired a reputation as an excellent preacher, confessor and instructor of clerics. Sent to the East as a missionary, he was in Paris studying Oriental languages when the French Revolution began. Refusing the oath, he was swiftly arrested and detained in the Carmelite convent.
Severin Girault, a member of the Third Order Regular, was a chaplain for a group of sisters in Paris. Imprisoned with the others, he was the first to die in the slaughter at the convent.
These three plus 182 others—including several bishops and many religious and diocesan priests—were massacred at the Carmelite house in Paris on September 2, 1792. They were beatified in 1926.
John Baptist Triquerie, born in 1737, entered the Conventual Franciscans. He was chaplain and confessor of Poor Clare monasteries in three cities before he was arrested for refusing to take the oath. He and 13 diocesan priests were guillotined in Laval on January 21, 1794. He was beatified in 1955.

Comment:

"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" was the motto of the French Revolution. If individuals have "inalienable rights," as the Declaration of Independence states, these must come not from the agreement of society (which can be very fragile) but directly from God. Do we believe that? Do we act on it?

Quote:

“The upheaval which occurred in France toward the close of the 18th century wrought havoc in all things sacred and profane and vented its fury against the Church and her ministers. Unscrupulous men came to power who concealed their hatred for the Church under the deceptive guise of philosophy.... It seemed that the times of the early persecutions had returned. The Church, spotless bride of Christ, became resplendent with bright new crowns of martyrdom” (Acts of Martyrdom).

www.americancatholic.org

St. Ingrid of Sweden

Feastday: September 2

AllComments

Feastday: September 2

Born in Skänninge, Sweden, in the 13th century, St. Ingrid lived under the spiritual direction of Peter of Dacia, a Dominican priest. She was the first Dominican nun in Sweden and in 1281 she founded the first Dominican cloister there, called St. Martin's in Skänninge. She died in 1282 surrounded by an aura of sanctity.

Miracles obtained through her intercession followed and led to a popular cult of this saint. In 1405, a canonization process was begun and the Swedish Bishops introduced her cause at the Council of Constance. An inquest was held in Sweden in 1416-1417 and the results were inconclusive. In 1497, the cause was reactivated and in 1507 her relics were solemnly translated, and a Mass and Office were composed - but formal canonization seems never to have occurred. During the Reformation, her cult came to an end and her convent and relics were destroyed.

www.catholic.org

MARTYRS OF SEPTEMBER

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 02, 2012

The September Martyrs

The September Martyrs are a group of 191 faithful Christians who were martyred at the hands of the French Revolution on September 2 and 3, 1792. 

After refusing to take an oath in support of the civil consititution of the clergy, an act condemned by the Vatican which placed Catholic priests under the authority and control of the state, these priests and religious brothers and sisters were imprisoned in a Carmelite convent and then massacred in thespace of two days by bloodthirsty revolutionary mobs.

They were beatified on October 17, 1926 by Pope Pius XI.

Among the martyrs were Louis and Francis de la Rochefoucauld, the bishops ofSaintes and Beauvais respectively, Apollinaris of Posat, John Francis Burte, Charles de la Calmette, Augustine Ambrose Chevreux, Andre Grasset de Saint Sauveur, John Mary de Lau, Severin Girault, Julian Massey, and Louis Barreau de la Touche.

www.catholicnewsagency.com

LECTIO: 22ND SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME (B)

Lectio: 

 Sunday, September 2, 2012  

What is pure and what is impure
Jesus fulfils peoples’ desires: to live in peace with God
Marco 7,1-8.14-15.21-23

1. Opening prayer

Lord Jesus, send your Spirit to help us to read the Scriptures with the same mind that you read them to the disciples on the way to Emmaus. In the light of the Word, written in the Bible, you helped them to discover the presence of God in the disturbing events of your sentence and death. Thus, the cross that seemed to be the end of all hope became for them the source of life and of resurrection. 
Create in us silence so that we may listen to your voice in Creation and in the Scriptures, in events and in people, above all in the poor and suffering. May your word guide us so that we too, like the two disciples from Emmaus, may experience the force of your resurrection and witness to others that you are alive in our midst as source of fraternity, justice and peace. We ask this of you, Jesus, son of Mary, who revealed to us the Father and sent us your Spirit. Amen.

2. Reading

a) A key to the reading:

● The Gospel of the 22^nd Sunday of Ordinary Time describes the religious customs of Jesus’ time, speaks of the Pharisees who taught the people these practices and customs and of Jesus’ teaching concerning this matter. Many of these practices and customs had lost their meaning and made peoples’ lives difficult. The Pharisees saw sin in everything and threatened with punishment in hell! For instance, to eat without washing one’s hands was considered a sin. But these practices and customs continued to be passed down and taught from fear or from superstition. Do you know of any present religious practice that has lost its meaning but which is still being taught? In our reading of the text we shall try to look at Jesus’ attitude concerning what he says about the Pharisees and what he teaches concerning the religious practices taught by the Pharisees.

● The text of this Sunday’s liturgy presents some verses and leaves out other verses to shorten the text and make it more understandable. For the sake of completeness, we use the whole text and offer comments also on the verses omitted from the liturgy. The parts omitted in the liturgy are in italics.

b) A division of the text to help with the reading:

Mark 7:1-2: The attack of the Pharisees and the freedom of the disciples
Mark 7:3-4: Mark’s explanation of the Tradition of the Elders 
Mark 7:5: The Scribes and Pharisees criticise the behaviour of the disciples of Jesus 
Mark 7:6-8: Jesus’ strong reply concerning the incoherence of the Pharisees
Mark 7:9-13: A concrete example of how the Pharisees empty God’s commandment of any meaning
Mark 7:14-16: Jesus’ explanation to the people: a new way to God
Mark 7:17-23: Jesus’ explanation to his disciples

3. Text:

1 The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round him, 2 and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. 3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, keep the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; 4 and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them to keep, concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. 5 So the Pharisees and scribes asked him, 'Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?' 6 He answered, 'How rightly Isaiah prophesied about you hypocrites in the passage of scripture: This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me. 7 Their reverence of me is worthless; the lessons they teach are nothing but human commandments. 8 You put aside the commandment of God to observe human traditions.'

9 And he said to them, 'How ingeniously you get round the commandment of God in order to preserve your own tradition! 10 For Moses said: Honour your father and your mother, and, Anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death. 11 But you say, "If a man says to his father or mother: Anything I have that I might have used to help you is Korban (that is, dedicated to God)," 12 then he is forbidden from that moment to do anything for his father or mother. 13 In this way you make God's word ineffective for the sake of your tradition which you have handed down. And you do many other things like this.'

14 He called the people to him again and said, 'Listen to me, all of you, and understand. 15 Nothing that goes into someone from outside can make that person unclean; it is the things that come out of someone that make that person unclean.

16 Anyone who has ears for listening should listen!' 17 When he had gone into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable. 18 He said to them, 'Even you -- don't you understand? Can't you see that nothing that goes into someone from outside can make that person unclean, 19 because it goes not into the heart but into the stomach and passes into the sewer?' (Thus he pronounced all foods clean.) 20 And he went on, 'It is what comes out of someone that makes that person unclean.

21 For it is from within, from the heart, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, 22 adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. 23 All these evil things come from within and make a person unclean.'

3. A moment of prayerful silence

so that the Word of God may penetrate and enlighten our life.

4. Some questions

to help us in our personal reflection.

a) What pleased or touched you most in this text? Why? 
b) According to the text, what were the practices that the Pharisees taught the people? In what does Jesus criticise the Pharisees? 
c) In this text, what is the new way that Jesus shows the people to reach God? 
d) In the name of the “tradition of the elders” they do not observe the Commandment of God. Does this happen today? Where? When? 
e) The Pharisees were practising Jews, but their faith was divorced from the lives of the people. Jesus criticises them for this. Would Jesus criticise us today? Why?

5. For those who wish to go deeper into the theme

a) The context of then and of today:

i) In this lectio let us take a close look at Jesus’ attitude concerning the question of purity. Mark had already mentioned this matter. In Mk 1:23-28, Jesus drives an impure devil away. In Mk 1:40-45, he heals a leper. In Mk 5:25-34, he heals a woman considered impure. On many other occasions, Jesus touches those physically sick without fear of becoming impure. Here, in chapter 7, Jesus helps people and his disciples to deepen the idea of purity and the laws on purity.

ii) For centuries, for the Jews not to contract impurity, contact with pagans and eating with them was forbidden. In the 70’s, when Mark was writing his Gospel, some converted Jews said: “Now that we are Christians we must leave behind old practices that keep us apart from converted pagans!” But other converted Jews thought they had to continue to observe the laws concerning purity. Jesus’ attitude, as described in today’s Gospel, helps to overcome this problem.

b) A commentary on the text:

Mark 7:1-2: The control of the Pharisees and the freedom of the disciples 
The Pharisees and some Scribes who were in Jerusalem, watch Jesus’ disciples eating bread with impure hands. There are three points worth noting: (i) The Scribes are from Jerusalem, the capital! This means that they had come to observe and control Jesus’ steps. (ii) The disciples do not wash their hands before eating! This means that their living with Jesus gives them the courage to transgress the norms imposed by tradition and that they had a feeling for life. (iii) The practice of washing hands, which to this day is an important hygienic matter, had acquired a religious meaning that served to control and discriminate against persons.

Mark 7:3-4: Mark’s explanation concerning the tradition of the elders 
“The tradition of the elders” passed on the norms to be observed by people so as to achieve the purity required by law. The observance of purity was considered a very serious matter. They thought that an impure person could not receive the blessing promised by God to Abraham. The norms concerning purity were taught in such a way that when people observed them, they could follow the road to God, source of peace. However, rather than being a source of peace, these norms were chains, a form of slavery. It was practically impossible for the poor to observe these norms and laws. Thus, the poor were despised and considered ignorant and cursed people who did not know the law (Jn 7:49).

Mark 7:5: The Scribes and Pharisees criticise the behaviour of Jesus’ disciples 
The Scribes and Pharisees ask Jesus: Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands? They pretend to be interested in knowing the reason for the behaviour of the disciples. In fact, they are criticising Jesus for allowing his disciples to transgress the norms concerning purity. The scribes and doctors of the law were the guardians of doctrine. They dedicated their lives to the study of the Law of God and taught people how to observe completely the Law of God, especially the norms concerning purity. The Pharisees were a kind of fraternity, whose main preoccupation was to observe all the laws concerning purity. The word Phariseemeans set apart. They endeavoured so that, by the perfect observance of the laws concerning purity, people would become pure, set apart and holy as the Laws of the Tradition required! Because of the exemplary witness of their lives in following the laws of the times, they wielded great authority in the villages of Galilee.

Mark 7:6-8: Jesus’ strong reply concerning the Pharisees’ lack of coherence
Jesus replies quoting Isaiah: This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me. Their reverence of me is worthless; the lessons they teach are nothing but human commandments. You put aside the commandment of God to observe human traditions (Is 29:13). Because, by insisting on the norms concerning purity, the Pharisees had emptied the commandments of the law of God of all coherence. Jesus immediately gives a concrete example of how they render the commandment of God insignificant.

Mark 7:9-13: A concrete example of how the Pharisees render the commandment of God incoherent
The “tradition of the elders” taught: a son who dedicates his possessions to the Temple, may not use these possessions to help his parents in need. Thus, in the name of tradition, they rendered incoherent the fourth commandment to love father and mother. There still are such people today. They seem to be observant, but only externally. Internally, their heart is far from God! As one of our hymns says: “His name is Jesus Christ and he is hungry, he lives by the side of the road. And when people see him, they move on to get to church quickly!” In Jesus’ days, people, in their wisdom, did not agree with all that they were taught. They hoped that one day the Messiah would come to show them some other way to be pure. This hope comes to pass in Jesus.

Mark 7:14-16: Jesus explains to the people: a new way to reach God
Jesus says to the crowd: “Nothing that goes into someone from outside can make that person unclean!” (Mk 7:15). Jesus reverses things: that which is impure does not come from the outside to the inside, as the doctors of the law taught, but from the inside to the outside. Thus, no one need ask any more whether this food or this drink is pure or not. Jesus places the question of purity and impurity on a higher level, on the level of ethical behaviour. He shows a way to God and, thus, fulfils the deepest desire of the crowd. Jesus ends his explanation with an expression that he likes to use: Anyone who has ears for listening should listen! Or: “That’s it! You have heard me! Now try to understand!” In other words, use your heads and common sense and look at things through your experience of life.

Mark 7:17-23: Jesus’ explanation to his disciples
The disciples did not understand what Jesus meant. When they went home they asked him for an explanation. Jesus was astounded. He thought that they had understood. In his explanation he goes deep into the question concerning purity. He declares all food pure! No food that goes into a human being from the outside can make him impure, because it does not enter the heart but only the stomach and then goes into the sewer. That which makes a person impure, says Jesus, is what comes from the inside, from the heart, and that poisons human relationships. Then he mentions: “fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly”. Thus, in many ways, by means of word, action or living together, Jesus helped people to be pure. By means of the word, he healed lepers (Mk 1:40-44), drove out impure spirits (Mk 1:26.39; 3:15.22 etc) and overcame death, source of all impurity. By means of action, the woman excluded and considered impure is healed (Mk 5:25-34). By means of living with Jesus, the disciples have the courage to imitate Jesus who, without any fear of contamination, ate with people who were considered impure (Mk 2:15-17).

c) Further information:

The laws concerning purity and impurity in Jesus’ days

The people then were greatly concerned with purity. The norms concerning puritypointed to the necessary conditions for coming into the presence of God and for feeling right before him. One could not go before God in any old way. Because God is Holy! The Law said: “Be holy, for I, Yahweh your God, am holy!” (Lv 19:2). Anyone who was not pure could not appear before God to receive the blessing promised to Abraham. 
For us to understand the seriousness of these laws concerning purity, we may remember what used to happen in our Church fifty years ago. Before the Second Vatican Council, to go to communion in the morning, people had to fast from midnight. Anyone who went to communion without fasting committed a mortal sin called sacrilege. We thought that a little food or drink made us impure to receive the consecrated host. 
In Jesus’ times too there were many matters and activities that made a person impure and therefore not possible to come before God: touching a leper, eating with a publican, eating without washing one’s hands, touching blood or a dead body and many other things. All these things made a person impure, and any contact with that person contaminated others. That is why “impure” people had to be avoided. People lived apart, always threatened by so many impure things that threatened their lives. All were afraid of everyone and everything. 
Now, with the coming of Jesus, suddenly everything changes! By believing in Jesus, it was possible to achieve purity and feel good before God without having to observe all the laws and norms of the “tradition of the elders”. It was a real and personal liberation! The Good News proclaimed by Jesus released people from a defensive attitude and restored to them the taste for life, the joy of being children of God, without fear of being happy!

6. Praying Psalm 24 (23)

Who can climb the mountain of God!

To Yahweh belong the earth and all it contains, 
the world and all who live there;
it is he who laid its foundations on the seas, 
on the flowing waters fixed it firm.

Who shall go up to the mountain of Yahweh? 
Who shall take a stand in his holy place?
The clean of hands and pure of heart, 
whose heart is not set on vanities, 
who does not swear an oath in order to deceive.
Such a one will receive blessing from Yahweh, 
saving justice from the God of his salvation.
Such is the people that seeks him, 
that seeks your presence, God of Jacob.

Gates, lift high your heads, 
raise high the ancient gateways, 
and the king of glory shall enter!
Who is he, this king of glory? 
It is Yahweh, strong and valiant, 
Yahweh valiant in battle.
Gates, lift high your heads, 
raise high the ancient gateways, 
and the king of glory shall enter!
Who is he, this king of glory? 
Yahweh Sabaoth, he is the king of glory.

7. Final Prayer

Lord Jesus, we thank for the word that has enabled us to understand better the will of the Father. May your Spirit enlighten our actions and grant us the strength to practice that which your Word has revealed to us. May we, like Mary, your mother, not only listen to but also practice the Word. You who live and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

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