Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 331
Lectionary: 331
At the time when
the LORD God made the earth and the heavensB
while as yet there was no field shrub on earth
and no grass of the field had sprouted,
for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth
and there was no man to till the soil,
but a stream was welling up out of the earth
and was watering all the surface of the groundB
the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being.
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and he placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The LORD God then took the man
and settled him in the garden of Eden,
to cultivate and care for it.
The LORD God gave man this order:
“You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden
except the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
From that tree you shall not eat;
the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die.”
while as yet there was no field shrub on earth
and no grass of the field had sprouted,
for the LORD God had sent no rain upon the earth
and there was no man to till the soil,
but a stream was welling up out of the earth
and was watering all the surface of the groundB
the LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground
and blew into his nostrils the breath of life,
and so man became a living being.
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,
and he placed there the man whom he had formed.
Out of the ground the LORD God made various trees grow
that were delightful to look at and good for food,
with the tree of life in the middle of the garden
and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The LORD God then took the man
and settled him in the garden of Eden,
to cultivate and care for it.
The LORD God gave man this order:
“You are free to eat from any of the trees of the garden
except the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
From that tree you shall not eat;
the moment you eat from it you are surely doomed to die.”
Responsorial PsalmPS 104:1-2A, 27-28, 29BC-30
R. (1a) O bless the Lord, my soul!
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
All creatures look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
You are clothed with majesty and glory,
robed in light as with a cloak.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
All creatures look to you
to give them food in due time.
When you give it to them, they gather it;
when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.
R. O bless the Lord, my soul!
AlleluiaSEE JN 17:17B, 17A
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth:
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Your word, O Lord, is truth:
consecrate us in the truth.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelMK 7:14-23
Jesus 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.”
When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
“Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?”
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”
“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.”
When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
“Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?”
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
“But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile.”
Meditation: "Out of the heart come
evil thoughts"
Where does evil come from and can we eliminate
it from our personal lives? Jesus deals with this issue in response to the
religious leaders' concern with ritual defilement (uncleanness) - making
oneself unfit to offer acceptable worship and sacrifice to God. The religious
leaders were very concerned with avoiding ritual defilement, some no doubt out
of reverent fear of God, and others because they wanted to be seen as observant
Jews. Jesus points his listeners to the source of true defilement - evil desires
which come from inside a person's innermost being. Sin does not just happen
from external forces. It first springs from the innermost recesses of our
thoughts and intentions, from the secret desires which only the individual mind
and heart can conceive.
When Cain became jealous of his brother Abel,
God warned him to guard his own heart: "Sin is couching at the
door; it's desire is for you, but you must master it" (Genesis
4:7). Cain unfortunately did not take God's warning to heart. He allowed his
jealousy to grow into spite and hatred for his brother, and he began to look
for an opportunity to eliminate his brother all together. When jealously and
other sinful desires come knocking at the door of your heart, how do you
respond? Do you entertain them and allow them to overtake you? Fortunately God
does not leave us alone in our struggle with hurtful desires and sinful
tendencies. He gives us the grace and strength we need to resist and overcome
sin when it couches at the door of our heart.
The Lord Jesus wants to set us free from the
burden of guilt and from the destructive force of sin and wrong-doing in our
personal lives. He wants to purify our hearts and renew our minds so we can
freely choose to love and do what is right, good, just, and wise. The Lord Jesus
is ready to change and purify our hearts through the grace and help of the Holy
Spirit who dwells within us. Like a physician who probes the wound before
treating it, God through his Word and Spirit first brings sin into the light
that we may recognize it for what it truly is and call upon his mercy and grace
for pardon, healing, and restoration. The Spirit of truth is our Counselor and
Helper. 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 heal, change, and
transform your heart and mind?
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit
and make my heart like yours. Strengthen my heart, mind, and my will that I may
freely choose to love what is good and to reject what is evil."
 The Kingdom Within |
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February 11, 2015. Wednesday of the Fifth Week of Ordinary
Time
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Mark 7:14-23
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."
When he got home away from the crowd his disciples questioned him about the
parable. He said to them, "Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything that goes into a person from outside
cannot defile, since it enters not the heart but the stomach and passes out
into the latrine?" (Thus he declared all foods clean.) "But what
comes out of a person, that is what defiles. 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, I believe that you are my Creator and
Redeemer and that you know all things. Though none of my sins are hidden from
you, I know that you still love me unconditionally and are waiting for me to
repent and turn to you so that you can forgive me and wash me clean once
more. Thank you for loving me infinitely. I offer you my weak love in return.
Petition: Lord, help me to overcome my fallen nature and to put you
first in my life.
1. “Nothing that goes into a man from the outside can make him
unclean.” “The Kingdom of God,” as Christ tells us in the Gospel, “is
within you.” Consequently, all that wars against the Kingdom is also within
us. Number 405 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that original
sin is a “deprivation of original holiness and justice.” It states that human
nature has been “wounded in the natural powers proper to it,” and that it is
subject to “ignorance, suffering and the dominion of death; and inclined to
sin – an inclination to evil that is called ‘concupiscence.’” This concupiscence
causes all sorts of disordered tendencies to surface from within us. These
disordered tendencies—if accepted—are, as our Lord tells us, what defiles a
man. Our holiness and purification must start from within (in ordering our
thoughts and desires according to the Gospel standard), and rise to the
surface in concrete deeds of goodness (in words and actions). Where does
concupiscence do the most damage in my life?
2. “It is the things that come out of a man that make him
unclean." Sin and death entered the world through the disobedience
of the Adam. But, “if death came to reign through that one, how much more
will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of
justification come to reign in life through the one person Jesus Christ”
(Romans 5:15). It is true that death and sin strive to reign in us due to our
concupiscence, but it is not less true that we have at our disposal all the
means necessary to root sin out from our hearts and live a new life in
Christ. Christ has already conquered sin and death. With his grace we can
conquer them within our hearts. Without ever looking back we must start out
on this path, the path of the reign of Christ within us. Am I sincerely
striving to overcome concupiscence in my life?
3. “If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to this.” “If today you hear his
voice, harden not your hearts.” This is a familiar theme in the Liturgy due
to the fact that throughout the centuries, people have often closed their
hearts to the message of the Gospel and to their own greatest good. In the
parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), the rich man petitions
Abraham to send Lazarus from the dead so that he can warn his brothers about
the fate that awaits them due to their materialistic, self-centered way of
life. The rich man is told that they have the Law and the Prophets, to which
he replies that if only someone would return from the dead, the brothers
would believe. He is told that even then people would not believe. I cannot
permit my heart to be hardened against God’s saving Word! But to remain open,
my heart needs to be detached from the pleasures and easy way of living that
make me deaf to Christ’s gentle instructions.
Conversation with Christ: Lord, open my ears and
lift the veil from my eyes so that I will allow your Kingdom to reign in my
heart. Free me from loving anything more than you. Free me to allow you to
make demands in my life, demands which are proof of your love. Help me, Lord,
to live Christian charity so that I will not be caught off guard on the Day
of Judgment.
Resolution: I will foster goodness in my thoughts and desires, and I will
deny entrance to anything that would drive Jesus away.
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, MARK 7:14-23
(Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17; Psalm 104)
KEY VERSE: "Do you realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile" (v 18).
TO KNOW: The concept of "clean" and "unclean" in the ancient world had to do with one's worthiness before God. Most of the regulations were related to the mysteries of life and death, areas that were considered to be under God's domain. Since food was necessary to sustain life, one's diet and hygiene were also regulated. Jesus criticized the scrupulous observance of these rites without authentic faith. External objects in themselves did not defile a person; it was the impurity of one's intentions. Moral defilement was the only thing that made one "unclean." By setting aside this Law, Jesus opened the door of unity with "unclean Gentiles," a problem that the early Church later faced (Acts 11:17-18).
TO LOVE: Lord Jesus, make my intentions pure so I can serve you and my neighbor.
TO SERVE: Do I consider someone "unclean" because of their race, religion, culture or lifestyle?
(Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17; Psalm 104)
KEY VERSE: "Do you realize that everything that goes into a person from outside cannot defile" (v 18).
TO KNOW: The concept of "clean" and "unclean" in the ancient world had to do with one's worthiness before God. Most of the regulations were related to the mysteries of life and death, areas that were considered to be under God's domain. Since food was necessary to sustain life, one's diet and hygiene were also regulated. Jesus criticized the scrupulous observance of these rites without authentic faith. External objects in themselves did not defile a person; it was the impurity of one's intentions. Moral defilement was the only thing that made one "unclean." By setting aside this Law, Jesus opened the door of unity with "unclean Gentiles," a problem that the early Church later faced (Acts 11:17-18).
TO LOVE: Lord Jesus, make my intentions pure so I can serve you and my neighbor.
TO SERVE: Do I consider someone "unclean" because of their race, religion, culture or lifestyle?
Optional Memorial of Our
Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady appeared 18 times in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous, a poor, young girl in the grotto of Masabielle, close to Lourdes in France. Our Lady asked for a chapel to be built on the site of the apparitions and when asked who she was, replied: "I am the Immaculate Conception." Our Lady asked Bernadette to wash her face at the fountain but there was no fountain there, so Bernadette dug a hole in the ground, and washed her face with muddy water. People ridiculed her, but there sprung up the famous fountain of water that has healing attributes. Many sick people have bathed themselves in that water and from the time of the Apparitions until now, 69 miraculous cures have been recognized by the Bishops. Millions of people from all over the world go to Lourdes yearly in the hope of obtaining help from the generous Mother of God. Bernadette became a nun. She died when she was 35 and her body is still incorrupt.
WORLD
DAY OF THE SICK
The National Association of Catholic Chaplains (NACC) is cultivating the ministry of chaplaincy and transforming spiritual care locally, nationally, and globally to faithfully reflect the healing presence of Jesus Christ by:
- forming life-giving
relationships with individuals, families, colleagues, and organizations;
- advancing compassionate care
through creative educational and spiritual growth opportunities;
- promoting the dignity of
persons of every age, culture, and state in life.
NACC
is a light of hope, whose members are persistently advocating for those
dedicated to the spiritual care of people experiencing pain, vulnerability,
joy, and hope.
Wednesday 11 February 2015
Our Lady of Lourdes.
Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17. Bless the Lord, my soul!—Ps 103(104):1-2, 27-30. Mark 7:14-23.
Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17. Bless the Lord, my soul!—Ps 103(104):1-2, 27-30. Mark 7:14-23.
Christians are called to
holiness.
Holiness is being close to
the Father in Christ though the power of the Spirit. Often, morally acceptable
behaviour is said to be bound up with holiness. When we look at the things
mentioned in the gospel for today, we find that each of them weakens the bonds
we have with others.
They are the things that
turn us away from the care of others and are self-destructive. They cause us to
turn from the Father, not to listen to the promptings of the Spirit, and to
falter in our steps of discipleship. Too much concentration on moral cleanness
can obscure where the Father is really leading us in the Spirit. Finding God in
our lives is our first priority.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
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His Greatest Delight
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Human beings are the beneficiaries of a God whose greatest delight
is in giving presents to those who approach.
February
11
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes
On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the
Immaculate Conception in the apostolic constitution Ineffabilis Deus.
A little more than three years later, on February 11, 1858, a young lady
appeared to Bernadette Soubirous. This began a series of visions. During the
apparition on March 25, the lady identified herself with the words: “I am the
Immaculate Conception.”
Bernadette
was a sickly child of poor parents. Their practice of the Catholic faith was
scarcely more than lukewarm. Bernadette could pray the Our Father, the Hail
Mary and the Creed. She also knew the prayer of the Miraculous Medal: “O Mary
conceived without sin.”
During
interrogations Bernadette gave an account of what she saw. It was “something
white in the shape of a girl.” She used the word aquero, a dialect
term meaning “this thing.” It was “a pretty young girl with a rosary over her
arm.” Her white robe was encircled by a blue girdle. She wore a white veil.
There was a yellow rose on each foot. A rosary was in her hand. Bernadette was
also impressed by the fact that the lady did not use the informal form of
address (tu), but the polite form (vous). The humble virgin
appeared to a humble girl and treated her with dignity.
Through
that humble girl, Mary revitalized and continues to revitalize the faith of
millions of people. People began to flock to Lourdes from other parts of France
and from all over the world. In 1862 Church authorities confirmed the
authenticity of the apparitions and authorized the cult of Our Lady of Lourdes
for the diocese. The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes became worldwide in 1907.
Comment:
Lourdes has become a place of pilgrimage and healing, but even more of faith. Church authorities have recognized over 60 miraculous cures, although there have probably been many more. To people of faith this is not surprising. It is a continuation of Jesus’ healing miracles—now performed at the intercession of his mother. Some would say that the greater miracles are hidden. Many who visit Lourdes return home with renewed faith and a readiness to serve God in their needy brothers and sisters. There still may be people who doubt the apparitions of Lourdes. Perhaps the best that can be said to them are the words that introduce the film The Song of Bernadette: “For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.”
Lourdes has become a place of pilgrimage and healing, but even more of faith. Church authorities have recognized over 60 miraculous cures, although there have probably been many more. To people of faith this is not surprising. It is a continuation of Jesus’ healing miracles—now performed at the intercession of his mother. Some would say that the greater miracles are hidden. Many who visit Lourdes return home with renewed faith and a readiness to serve God in their needy brothers and sisters. There still may be people who doubt the apparitions of Lourdes. Perhaps the best that can be said to them are the words that introduce the film The Song of Bernadette: “For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is possible.”
Quote:
“Lo! Mary is exempt from stain of sin, Proclaims the Pontiff high; And earth applauding celebrates with joy Her triumph, far and high. Unto a lowly timid maid she shows Her form in beauty fair, And the Immaculate Conception truth Her sacred lips declare.” (Unattributed hymn from the Roman Breviary)
“Lo! Mary is exempt from stain of sin, Proclaims the Pontiff high; And earth applauding celebrates with joy Her triumph, far and high. Unto a lowly timid maid she shows Her form in beauty fair, And the Immaculate Conception truth Her sacred lips declare.” (Unattributed hymn from the Roman Breviary)
Patron Saint of:
Bodily ills
Bodily ills
LECTIO DIVINA:
MARK 7,14-23
Lectio:
Wednesday, February 11, 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 7,14-23
Jesus called the people to him again and said, 'Listen to me, all of you, and understand. 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. Anyone who has ears for listening should listen!'
When he had gone into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable. 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, because it goes not into the heart but into the stomach and passes into the sewer?' (Thus he pronounced all foods clean.)
And he went on, 'It is what comes out of someone that makes that person unclean. For it is from within, from the heart, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a person unclean.'
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today is the continuation of the themes on which we meditated yesterday. Jesus helps the people and the disciples to understand better the significance of purity before God. For centuries, the Jews, in order not to contract impurity, observed many norms and customs bound to food, to drink, to the dress, to hygiene of the body, to contact with persons of other races and religions, etc. (Mk 7, 3-4), for them it was forbidden to have contact with pagans and to eat with them. In the years 70’s the time of Mark, some converted Jews said: “Now that we are Christians we have to abandon these ancient customs which separate us from converted pagans!” But others thought that they had to continue with the observance of these laws of purity (cf. Col 2, 16.20-22). The attitude of Jesus, described in today’s Gospel, helps us to overcome this problem.
• Mark 7, 14-16: Jesus opens a new way to try to get people closer to God. He says to the crowds: “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” (Mk 7, 15). Jesus overturns things: what is impure does not come from outside to the inside, as the Doctors of the law taught, but what comes from inside to the outside. Thus, nobody ever needed to ask himself if this or that food is pure or impure. Jesus places what is pure and impure on another level, not on the level of ethic behaviour. He opens a new way to reach God, and in this way realizes the most profound design of the people. .
• Mark 7, 17-23: In the house, the disciples asked for an explanation. The disciples did not understand well what Jesus wanted to say with that affirmation. When they reached the house, they ask for an explanation. The question of the disciples surprises Jesus. He thought that they had understood the parable. In the explanation to the disciples he goes to the very bottom of the question of impurity. He declares that all food is pure! That is, no food which from outside enters into the human being can make him become impure, because it does not go to the heart, but to the stomach and ends in the septic tank. But what makes one become impure, says Jesus, is what comes out from within the heart to poison human relationships. And then he enumerates some: prostitution, murder, adultery, ambition, theft, etc. Thus in many ways, by means of the word, of the life together, of living close by; Jesus helps persons to attain purity in another way. By means of the word he purified the lepers (Mk 1, 40-44), cast out unclean spirits (Mk 1, 26.39; 3, 15.22 etc), and overcame death which was the source of all impurity. But thanks to Jesus who touches her, the woman excluded and considered impure is cured (Mk 5, 25-34). Without fear of being contaminated, Jesus eats together with persons who were considered impure (Mk 2, 15-17).
• The laws of purity at the time of Jesus. The people of that time were concerned very much about purity. The laws and the norms of purity indicated the necessary conditions to be able to place oneself before God and to feel well in his presence. One could not get before God just in any way, because God is holy. The Law said: “Be holy because I am holy!” (Lv 19, 2). One who was not pure could not get close to God to receive the blessings promised to Abraham. The laws of what was pure and impure (Lv 11 to 16) were written after the time of slavery in Babylonia, toward the year 800 after the Exodus, but had its origin in the ancient mentality and customs of the people of the Bible. A religious and mystical vision of the world led people to appreciate things, the persons and the animals, beginning from the category of purity (Gn 7, 2; Dt 14, 13-21; Nm 12, 10-15; Dt 24, 8-9).
In the context of the Persian domination, the V and IV centuries before Christ, before the difficulties to reconstruct the Temple of Jerusalem and for the survival of the clergy, the priests who governed the people of the Bible increased the laws relative to poverty and obliged the people to offer sacrifices of purification for sin. Thus after child birth (Lv 12, 1-8), menstruation (Lv 15, 19-24) the cure of a haemorrhage (Lv 15, 25-30), women had to offer sacrifices to recover purity. Lepers (Lv 13) or people who had contact with impure things or animals (Lv 5, 1-13) they also had to offer sacrifices. Part of this offering remained for the priests (Lv 5, 13).
At the time of Jesus, to touch a leper, to eat with a tax collector or publican, to eat without washing the hands, and so many other activities, etc. everything rendered the person impure, and any contact with this person contaminated the others. For this reason, it was necessary to avoid “impure” persons. People lived with fear, always threatened by so many impure things which threatened life. They were obliged to live without trust, not trusting any thing or anybody. Now, all of a sudden, everything changes! Through faith in Jesus, it was possible to have purity and to feel well before God without being it necessary to observe all those laws and those norms of the “Ancient Tradition”. It was liberation! The Good News announced by Jesus took away all fear from the people, and they no longer had to be all the time in a defensive situation, and he gives them back the desire to live, and the joy of being children of God, without the fear of being happy!
4) Personal questions
• In your life, are there any traditions which you consider sacred and others which you do not? Which ones? Why?
• In the name of the Tradition of the Ancients, the Pharisees forgot the Commandment of Jesus. Does this also happen today? Where and when? Does it also happen in my life?
5) Concluding prayer
The upright have Yahweh for their Saviour,
their refuge in times of trouble;
Yahweh helps them and rescues them,
he will rescue them from the wicked,
and save them because they take refuge in him. (Ps 37,39-40)
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 7,14-23
Jesus called the people to him again and said, 'Listen to me, all of you, and understand. 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. Anyone who has ears for listening should listen!'
When he had gone into the house, away from the crowd, his disciples questioned him about the parable. 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, because it goes not into the heart but into the stomach and passes into the sewer?' (Thus he pronounced all foods clean.)
And he went on, 'It is what comes out of someone that makes that person unclean. For it is from within, from the heart, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a person unclean.'
3) Reflection
• The Gospel today is the continuation of the themes on which we meditated yesterday. Jesus helps the people and the disciples to understand better the significance of purity before God. For centuries, the Jews, in order not to contract impurity, observed many norms and customs bound to food, to drink, to the dress, to hygiene of the body, to contact with persons of other races and religions, etc. (Mk 7, 3-4), for them it was forbidden to have contact with pagans and to eat with them. In the years 70’s the time of Mark, some converted Jews said: “Now that we are Christians we have to abandon these ancient customs which separate us from converted pagans!” But others thought that they had to continue with the observance of these laws of purity (cf. Col 2, 16.20-22). The attitude of Jesus, described in today’s Gospel, helps us to overcome this problem.
• Mark 7, 14-16: Jesus opens a new way to try to get people closer to God. He says to the crowds: “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” (Mk 7, 15). Jesus overturns things: what is impure does not come from outside to the inside, as the Doctors of the law taught, but what comes from inside to the outside. Thus, nobody ever needed to ask himself if this or that food is pure or impure. Jesus places what is pure and impure on another level, not on the level of ethic behaviour. He opens a new way to reach God, and in this way realizes the most profound design of the people. .
• Mark 7, 17-23: In the house, the disciples asked for an explanation. The disciples did not understand well what Jesus wanted to say with that affirmation. When they reached the house, they ask for an explanation. The question of the disciples surprises Jesus. He thought that they had understood the parable. In the explanation to the disciples he goes to the very bottom of the question of impurity. He declares that all food is pure! That is, no food which from outside enters into the human being can make him become impure, because it does not go to the heart, but to the stomach and ends in the septic tank. But what makes one become impure, says Jesus, is what comes out from within the heart to poison human relationships. And then he enumerates some: prostitution, murder, adultery, ambition, theft, etc. Thus in many ways, by means of the word, of the life together, of living close by; Jesus helps persons to attain purity in another way. By means of the word he purified the lepers (Mk 1, 40-44), cast out unclean spirits (Mk 1, 26.39; 3, 15.22 etc), and overcame death which was the source of all impurity. But thanks to Jesus who touches her, the woman excluded and considered impure is cured (Mk 5, 25-34). Without fear of being contaminated, Jesus eats together with persons who were considered impure (Mk 2, 15-17).
• The laws of purity at the time of Jesus. The people of that time were concerned very much about purity. The laws and the norms of purity indicated the necessary conditions to be able to place oneself before God and to feel well in his presence. One could not get before God just in any way, because God is holy. The Law said: “Be holy because I am holy!” (Lv 19, 2). One who was not pure could not get close to God to receive the blessings promised to Abraham. The laws of what was pure and impure (Lv 11 to 16) were written after the time of slavery in Babylonia, toward the year 800 after the Exodus, but had its origin in the ancient mentality and customs of the people of the Bible. A religious and mystical vision of the world led people to appreciate things, the persons and the animals, beginning from the category of purity (Gn 7, 2; Dt 14, 13-21; Nm 12, 10-15; Dt 24, 8-9).
In the context of the Persian domination, the V and IV centuries before Christ, before the difficulties to reconstruct the Temple of Jerusalem and for the survival of the clergy, the priests who governed the people of the Bible increased the laws relative to poverty and obliged the people to offer sacrifices of purification for sin. Thus after child birth (Lv 12, 1-8), menstruation (Lv 15, 19-24) the cure of a haemorrhage (Lv 15, 25-30), women had to offer sacrifices to recover purity. Lepers (Lv 13) or people who had contact with impure things or animals (Lv 5, 1-13) they also had to offer sacrifices. Part of this offering remained for the priests (Lv 5, 13).
At the time of Jesus, to touch a leper, to eat with a tax collector or publican, to eat without washing the hands, and so many other activities, etc. everything rendered the person impure, and any contact with this person contaminated the others. For this reason, it was necessary to avoid “impure” persons. People lived with fear, always threatened by so many impure things which threatened life. They were obliged to live without trust, not trusting any thing or anybody. Now, all of a sudden, everything changes! Through faith in Jesus, it was possible to have purity and to feel well before God without being it necessary to observe all those laws and those norms of the “Ancient Tradition”. It was liberation! The Good News announced by Jesus took away all fear from the people, and they no longer had to be all the time in a defensive situation, and he gives them back the desire to live, and the joy of being children of God, without the fear of being happy!
4) Personal questions
• In your life, are there any traditions which you consider sacred and others which you do not? Which ones? Why?
• In the name of the Tradition of the Ancients, the Pharisees forgot the Commandment of Jesus. Does this also happen today? Where and when? Does it also happen in my life?
5) Concluding prayer
The upright have Yahweh for their Saviour,
their refuge in times of trouble;
Yahweh helps them and rescues them,
he will rescue them from the wicked,
and save them because they take refuge in him. (Ps 37,39-40)
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