Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin
Lectionary: 330
Lectionary: 330
God said,
“Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures,
and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky.”
And so it happened:
God created the great sea monsters
and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems,
and all kinds of winged birds.
God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying,
“Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas;
and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
Evening came, and morning followed–the fifth day.
Then God said,
“Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures:
cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds.”
And so it happened:
God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle,
and all kinds of creeping things of the earth.
God saw how good it was.
Then God said:
“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, and the cattle,
and over all the wild animals
and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.”
God created man in his image;
in the divine image he created him;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, saying:
“Be fertile and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
and all the living things that move on the earth.”
God also said:
“See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,
and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,
I give all the green plants for food.”
And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
Evening came, and morning followed–the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing,
he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.
Such is the story of the heavens and the earth at their creation.
“Let the water teem with an abundance of living creatures,
and on the earth let birds fly beneath the dome of the sky.”
And so it happened:
God created the great sea monsters
and all kinds of swimming creatures with which the water teems,
and all kinds of winged birds.
God saw how good it was, and God blessed them, saying,
“Be fertile, multiply, and fill the water of the seas;
and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
Evening came, and morning followed–the fifth day.
Then God said,
“Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures:
cattle, creeping things, and wild animals of all kinds.”
And so it happened:
God made all kinds of wild animals, all kinds of cattle,
and all kinds of creeping things of the earth.
God saw how good it was.
Then God said:
“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.
Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea,
the birds of the air, and the cattle,
and over all the wild animals
and all the creatures that crawl on the ground.”
God created man in his image;
in the divine image he created him;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, saying:
“Be fertile and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it.
Have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air,
and all the living things that move on the earth.”
God also said:
“See, I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth
and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food;
and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air,
and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground,
I give all the green plants for food.”
And so it happened.
God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good.
Evening came, and morning followed–the sixth day.
Thus the heavens and the earth and all their array were completed.
Since on the seventh day God was finished with the work he had been doing,
he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had undertaken.
So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,
because on it he rested from all the work he had done in creation.
Such is the story of the heavens and the earth at their creation.
Responsorial PsalmPS 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
R. (2ab) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in
all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place—
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place—
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.
R. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!
AlleluiaPS 119:36, 29B
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Incline my heart, O God, to your decrees;
and favored me with your law.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Incline my heart, O God, to your decrees;
and favored me with your law.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 7:1-13
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 went on to say,
“How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said,
Honor your father and your mother,
and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.
Yet you say,
‘If someone says to father or mother,
“Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’
(meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God
in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.
And you do many such things.”
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 went on to say,
“How well you have set aside the commandment of God
in order to uphold your tradition!
For Moses said,
Honor your father and your mother,
and Whoever curses father or mother shall die.
Yet you say,
‘If someone says to father or mother,
“Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’
(meaning, dedicated to God),
you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God
in favor of your tradition that you have handed on.
And you do many such things.”
Meditation: "Rejecting
the commandments of God"
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 gave an example of how their use of ritual tradition excused them from
fulfilling the commandment to honor one's father and mother. If someone wanted
to avoid the duty of financially providing for their parents in old age or
sickness they could say that their money or goods were an offering "given
over to God" and thus exempt from any claim of charity or duty to help
others. They broke God's law to fulfill a law of their own making. Jesus
explained that they void God's command because they allowed their hearts and
minds to be clouded by their own notions of religion.
Jesus accused 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 accused them of abandoning God's word by substituting
their own arguments and ingenious interpretations for what God requires. They listened
to clever arguments rather than to 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 went astray because of
disobedience to God's laws.
If we listen to God's word with faith and reverence, it will
both enlighten our mind and purify our heart - thus enabling us to better
understand how he wants us to love and obey him. The Lord invites us to draw
near to him and to feast at his banquet table. Do you approach with a clean
heart and mind? Ask the Lord to cleanse and renew you with the purifying fire
of his Holy Spirit.
"Lord Jesus, let the fire of your Holy Spirit cleanse
my mind and my heart that I may love you purely and serve you worthily."
 True Worship |
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February 10, 2015.
Memorial of Saint Scholastica, Virgin
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Mark 7:1-13
Now when the Pharisees with some scribes who
had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, 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 went on to say, "How well you
have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! For
Moses said, ´Honor your father and your mother,´ and ´Whoever curses father
or mother shall die.´ Yet you say, ´If a person says to father or mother,
"Any support you might have had from me is qorban"´ (meaning,
dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother.
You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed
on. And you do many such things."
Introductory Prayer: Lord, thank you for your Gospel and for all
the truth it teaches me. Thank you for warning me of attitudes and
dispositions that could become temptations for me. I love you for your
goodness and mercy, and I entrust myself into your loving hands.
Petition: Lord, help me to serve you sincerely, in
truth and in love.
1. “This people honors me only with lip
service, while their hearts are far from me.” Jesus calls his disciples to authenticity.
Too often so-called disciples give the impression of following him, while at
the same time accepting sensual loves and lusts in their heart. Although the
Pharisees display the outward trappings of holiness, the way they treat Jesus
and others betrays their true character. Jesus would call them “whitewashed
tombs” (Matthew 15:27): clean and bright on the outside, but full of dead
men’s bones within. Self-righteousness would be their downfall. Such
dispositions may lend the proud man certain short-term security, but it will
always be illusory since it is not rooted in the truth. Is there any way in
which I also pay tribute to God with my lips but say something else in my
heart, or behave contrariwise in my actions?
2. “The worship they offer me is
worthless.” True worship begins
with humility, when the soul recognizes that it possesses no good in and of
itself, but that all of its goodness comes from God. The Pharisees offered no
real worship to God since, in effect, they worshipped only themselves by
relying more on their talents and goodness than on the goodness that comes
from God. It is not insignificant that when Jesus describes a Pharisee’s
prayer in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, he says “The
Pharisee prayed this prayer to himself” (Luke 18:11). How
can I make sure that my prayer is truly devoted, meaning that I am addressing
Our Lord with the words of my heart?
3. "You make God’s word null and
void.” The Pharisees used
the talents and gifts God had given them not for God’s glory, but for their
own personal gain, whether that gain consisted of praise and admiration or
personal comfort and ease. True worship of God, truly placing God above all
else, involves using the things God created as means to reaching him. As
number 226 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “It means making
good use of created things: faith in God, the only One, leads us to use
everything that is not God only insofar as it brings us closer to him, and to
detach ourselves from it insofar as it turns us away from him:
My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from you. My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to you. My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to give my all to you.”
Conversation with Christ: Lord, thank you for my life and all the good
things you have given me. Help me to realize that you have created everything
and that all I have is from you. May I use all I have to serve others and as
a means to come closer to you, the source of all good.
Resolution: I will examine my conscience to see if I am
using any of my gifts and talents to glorify or serve only myself. If so,
I’ll strive to put these same gifts at the service of God.
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, MARK 7:1-13
(Genesis 1:20 -- 2:4a; Psalm 8)
(Genesis 1:20 -- 2:4a; Psalm 8)
KEY VERSE: "How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition!" (v 9).
TO KNOW: The religious leaders developed elaborate rituals to set themselves apart from "unclean" Gentiles. When Jesus and his disciples were criticized for failing to perform the customary purification practices, he berated the leaders for their hypocrisy. In their slavish obedience to these doctrines, they neglected the heart and purpose of God's Law which was charity and justice (Is 29:13). Practices of external cleansing were useless if one's heart was impure. Dedicating one's property to God (Hebrew,qorban) so as to avoid supporting needy parents violated God's command. Jesus said that the people nullified God's Law in favor of their interpretations, which suited their own selfish intentions.
TO LOVE: Lord Jesus, help me to examine my motives for all my religious practices.
TO SERVE: Do I give scandal by my hypocritical behavior?
Memorial of Scholastica, virgin
Scholastica, the sister of St. Benedict, had been consecrated to God from her earliest years. She was accustomed to visiting her brother once a year, outside the monastery gate. One day they spent the whole day praising God and talking of sacred things. As the hour grew late, Scholastica said, "Please do not leave me tonight; let us go on until morning talking about the delights of the spiritual life." When her brother refused her request, Scholastica began to pray. There was such a heavy downpour of rain that Benedict could not leave. She said to him, "Well, I asked you and you would not listen; so I asked my God and he did listen." So they stayed awake the whole night, engrossed in their conversation. Three days later, while Benedict was in his cell, he looked up to the sky and saw his sister's soul leave her body in the form of a dove and fly up to heaven. He sent his brethren to bring her body to the monastery and laid it in the tomb that he had prepared for himself.
Tuesday 10 February 2015
St Scholastica.
Genesis 1:20 – 2:4. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!—Ps 8:4-9. Mark 7:1-13.
Genesis 1:20 – 2:4. O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!—Ps 8:4-9. Mark 7:1-13.
This people honours me only
with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me.
Being a law-abiding citizen
can be a spiritual health hazard. We can start thinking about our response to
God along the same lines, and it just doesn’t work. God is different. God is on
about the heart. External observances, the keeping of rules and customs matter
little. It depends what is going on inside. God loves each of us precisely as
the fragile, wounded people we are and slowly transforms our hearts.
Father, free me from
concern about appearances and what other people might think of me. Let me stand
before you just as I am, knowing that my very weakness and sinfulness are a
cause of celebration. Make me gentle with myself, so that I may treat others
with your gentleness and compassion.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
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Focus on God
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When we keep our eye on God, we discover that we are both
lowly/sinful (humility) and made in God’s image (graced). By focusing on God,
the soul avoids illusion and avoids getting mired in the pettiness and misery
of our sinfulness.
February 10
St. Scholastica
(480-542?)
St. Scholastica
(480-542?)
Twins often share the same interests and ideas with an equal
intensity. Therefore, it is no surprise that Scholastica and her twin brother,
Benedict (July 11), established religious communities within a few miles from
each other.
Born in
480 of wealthy parents, Scholastica and Benedict were brought up together until
he left central Italy for Rome to continue his studies.
Little is
known of Scholastica’s early life. She founded a religious community for women
near Monte Cassino at Plombariola, five miles from where her brother governed a
monastery.
The twins
visited each other once a year in a farmhouse because Scholastica was not
permitted inside the monastery. They spent these times discussing spiritual
matters.
According
to the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great, the brother and sister
spent their last day together in prayer and conversation. Scholastica sensed
her death was close at hand and she begged Benedict to stay with her until the
next day.
He
refused her request because he did not want to spend a night outside the
monastery, thus breaking his own Rule. Scholastica asked God to let her brother
remain and a severe thunderstorm broke out, preventing Benedict and his monks
from returning to the abbey.
Benedict
cried out, “God forgive you, Sister. What have you done?” Scholastica replied,
“I asked a favor of you and you refused. I asked it of God and he granted it.”
Brother
and sister parted the next morning after their long discussion. Three days
later, Benedict was praying in his monastery and saw the soul of his sister
rising heavenward in the form of a white dove. Benedict then announced the
death of his sister to the monks and later buried her in the tomb he had
prepared for himself.
Comment:
Scholastica and Benedict gave themselves totally to God and gave top priority to deepening their friendship with him through prayer. They sacrificed some of the opportunities they would have had to be together as brother and sister in order better to fulfill their vocation to the religious life. In coming closer to Christ, however, they found they were also closer to each other. In joining a religious community, they did not forget or forsake their family but rather found more brothers and sisters.
Scholastica and Benedict gave themselves totally to God and gave top priority to deepening their friendship with him through prayer. They sacrificed some of the opportunities they would have had to be together as brother and sister in order better to fulfill their vocation to the religious life. In coming closer to Christ, however, they found they were also closer to each other. In joining a religious community, they did not forget or forsake their family but rather found more brothers and sisters.
Quote:
“All religious are under an obligation, in accordance with the particular vocation of each, to work zealously and diligently for the building up and growth of the whole mystical body of Christ and for the good of the particular churches. It is their duty to foster these objectives primarily by means of prayer, works of penance, and by the example of their own lives” (Vatican II, Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops, 33, Austin Flannery translation).
“All religious are under an obligation, in accordance with the particular vocation of each, to work zealously and diligently for the building up and growth of the whole mystical body of Christ and for the good of the particular churches. It is their duty to foster these objectives primarily by means of prayer, works of penance, and by the example of their own lives” (Vatican II, Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops, 33, Austin Flannery translation).
Patron Saint of:
Nuns
Nuns
LECTIO DIVINA:
MARK 7,1-13
Lectio:
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
1) Opening prayer
Father,
watch over your family
and keep us safe in your care,
for all our hope is in you.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel reading - Mark 7,1-13
The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. 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; 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. 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?'
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. 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.' And he said to them, 'How ingeniously you get round the commandment of God in order to preserve your own tradition! For Moses said: Honour your father and your mother, and, Anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death. 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)," then he is forbidden from that moment to do anything for his father or mother. 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.'
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today speaks about the religious traditions of that time and of the Pharisees who taught this tradition to the people. For example, to eat without washing the hands, as they said, to eat with impure hands. Many of these traditions were separated from life and had lost their significance. But even if this was the state of things, these were traditions kept and taught, either because of fear or because of superstition. The Gospel presents some instructions of Jesus concerning these traditions.
• Mark 7, 1-2: Control of the Pharisees and liberty of the disciples. The Pharisees and some Scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, observed how the disciples of Jesus ate the bread with impure hands. Here there are three points which deserve to be made evident: a) The Scribes were from Jerusalem, from the capital city! This means that they had come to observe and to control what Jesus did. b) The disciples do not wash the hands before eating! This means that being with Jesus impels them to have the courage to transgress the norms which tradition imposed on the people, but that no longer had any sense, any meaning for life. c) The fact of washing the hands, which up until now continues to be an important norm of hygiene, had assumed for them a religious significance which served to control and discriminate persons.
• Mark 7, 3-4: The Tradition of the Ancients. “The Tradition of the Ancients” transmitted norms which had to be observed by the people in order to have the purity asked by the Law. The observance of the law was a very serious aspect for the people of that time. They thought that an impure person could not receive the blessings promised by God to Abraham. The norms on purity were taught in order to open the way to God, source of peace. In reality, instead of being a source of peace, the norms constituted a prison, slavery. For the poor, it was practically impossible to observe the hundreds of norms, of traditions and of laws. For this reason they were considered ignorant and damned persons who did not know the law (Jn 7, 49).
• Mark 7, 5: The Scribes and the Pharisees criticize the behaviour of the disciples of Jesus. The Scribes and Pharisees ask Jesus: Why do your disciples not behave according to the tradition of the Ancients and eat the bread with impure hands? They think that they are interested in knowing the reason for the behaviour of the disciples. In reality, they criticize Jesus because he allows the disciples to transgress the norms of purity. The Pharisees formed a type of confraternity, the principal concern of which was to observe all the laws of purity. The Scribes were responsible for the doctrine. They taught the laws relative to the observance of purity.
• Mark 7, 6-13 Jesus criticizes the incoherence of the Pharisees. Jesus answers quoting Isaiah: This people approaches me only in words, honours me only with lip service, while their hearts are far from me (cf. Is 29, 13). Insisting on the norms of purity, the Pharisees emptied the content of the commandments of God’s Law. Jesus quotes a concrete example. They said: the person, who offers his goods to the Temple, cannot use these goods to help those in greater need. Thus, in the name of tradition they emptied the fourth commandment from its content, which commands to love father and mother. These persons seem to be very observant, but they are so only externally. In their heart, they remain far away from God; as the hymn says: “His name is Jesus Christ and is hungry, and lives out on the sidewalk. And people when they pass by, sometimes do not stop, because they are afraid to arrive late to church!” At the time of Jesus, people, in their wisdom, were not in agreement with everything they were taught. They were hoping that one day the Messiah would come to indicate another way to attain purity. In Jesus this hope becomes a reality.
4) Personal questions
• Do you know any religious tradition today which does not have too much sense, but which continues to be taught?
• The Pharisees were practicing Jews, but their faith was divided, separated from the life of the people. This is why Jesus criticizes them. And today, would Jesus criticize us? In what things?
5) Concluding prayer
Our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the world!
I look up at your heavens, shaped by your fingers,
at the moon and the stars you set firm-
what are human beings that you spare a thought for them,
or the child of Adam that you care for him? (Ps 8,1.3-4)
Father,
watch over your family
and keep us safe in your care,
for all our hope is in you.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
2) Gospel reading - Mark 7,1-13
The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. 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; 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. 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?'
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. 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.' And he said to them, 'How ingeniously you get round the commandment of God in order to preserve your own tradition! For Moses said: Honour your father and your mother, and, Anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death. 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)," then he is forbidden from that moment to do anything for his father or mother. 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.'
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today speaks about the religious traditions of that time and of the Pharisees who taught this tradition to the people. For example, to eat without washing the hands, as they said, to eat with impure hands. Many of these traditions were separated from life and had lost their significance. But even if this was the state of things, these were traditions kept and taught, either because of fear or because of superstition. The Gospel presents some instructions of Jesus concerning these traditions.
• Mark 7, 1-2: Control of the Pharisees and liberty of the disciples. The Pharisees and some Scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, observed how the disciples of Jesus ate the bread with impure hands. Here there are three points which deserve to be made evident: a) The Scribes were from Jerusalem, from the capital city! This means that they had come to observe and to control what Jesus did. b) The disciples do not wash the hands before eating! This means that being with Jesus impels them to have the courage to transgress the norms which tradition imposed on the people, but that no longer had any sense, any meaning for life. c) The fact of washing the hands, which up until now continues to be an important norm of hygiene, had assumed for them a religious significance which served to control and discriminate persons.
• Mark 7, 3-4: The Tradition of the Ancients. “The Tradition of the Ancients” transmitted norms which had to be observed by the people in order to have the purity asked by the Law. The observance of the law was a very serious aspect for the people of that time. They thought that an impure person could not receive the blessings promised by God to Abraham. The norms on purity were taught in order to open the way to God, source of peace. In reality, instead of being a source of peace, the norms constituted a prison, slavery. For the poor, it was practically impossible to observe the hundreds of norms, of traditions and of laws. For this reason they were considered ignorant and damned persons who did not know the law (Jn 7, 49).
• Mark 7, 5: The Scribes and the Pharisees criticize the behaviour of the disciples of Jesus. The Scribes and Pharisees ask Jesus: Why do your disciples not behave according to the tradition of the Ancients and eat the bread with impure hands? They think that they are interested in knowing the reason for the behaviour of the disciples. In reality, they criticize Jesus because he allows the disciples to transgress the norms of purity. The Pharisees formed a type of confraternity, the principal concern of which was to observe all the laws of purity. The Scribes were responsible for the doctrine. They taught the laws relative to the observance of purity.
• Mark 7, 6-13 Jesus criticizes the incoherence of the Pharisees. Jesus answers quoting Isaiah: This people approaches me only in words, honours me only with lip service, while their hearts are far from me (cf. Is 29, 13). Insisting on the norms of purity, the Pharisees emptied the content of the commandments of God’s Law. Jesus quotes a concrete example. They said: the person, who offers his goods to the Temple, cannot use these goods to help those in greater need. Thus, in the name of tradition they emptied the fourth commandment from its content, which commands to love father and mother. These persons seem to be very observant, but they are so only externally. In their heart, they remain far away from God; as the hymn says: “His name is Jesus Christ and is hungry, and lives out on the sidewalk. And people when they pass by, sometimes do not stop, because they are afraid to arrive late to church!” At the time of Jesus, people, in their wisdom, were not in agreement with everything they were taught. They were hoping that one day the Messiah would come to indicate another way to attain purity. In Jesus this hope becomes a reality.
4) Personal questions
• Do you know any religious tradition today which does not have too much sense, but which continues to be taught?
• The Pharisees were practicing Jews, but their faith was divided, separated from the life of the people. This is why Jesus criticizes them. And today, would Jesus criticize us? In what things?
5) Concluding prayer
Our Lord, how majestic is your name throughout the world!
I look up at your heavens, shaped by your fingers,
at the moon and the stars you set firm-
what are human beings that you spare a thought for them,
or the child of Adam that you care for him? (Ps 8,1.3-4)
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