Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary
Time
Lectionary: 331
Lectionary: 331
At the time when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens—
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 ground—
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 ground—
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 how 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.
God gives us his strength to resist sinful thoughts
and desires
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.
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.
God's word has power to set us free to chose what is
good and reject what is wrong
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?
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."
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The cycle of bitterness broken by forbearance, by Tertullian, 160-225 A.D.
"Let us, then, his servants, follow our Lord and
patiently submit to denunciations that we may be blessed! If, with slight
forbearance, I hear some bitter or evil remark directed against me, I may
return it, and then I shall inevitably become bitter myself. Either that, or I
shall be tormented by unexpressed resentment. If I retaliate when cursed, how
shall I be found to have followed the teaching of our Lord? For his saying has
been handed down that one is defiled not by unclean dishes but by the words
which proceed from his mouth ( Mark 7:15)." (excerpt from ON PATIENCE 8)
[Tertullian (160-225 AD) was an early Christian writer
and theologian from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was a noted
early Christian apologist who defended Christianity and the practice of Christians
against the reproaches of the pagans. He promoted the principle of freedom of
religion as an inalienable human right and demanded a fair trial for Christians
before they were condemned to death.]
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, MARK 7:14-23
Weekday
(Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17; Psalm 104)
Weekday
(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: Do I consider someone "unclean" because of their race, religion, culture or lifestyle?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, make my intentions pure so I can serve you and my neighbor.
Optional Memorial of Saint Jerome
Emiliani, priest
In 1511, Jerome Emiliani was a soldier when he was captured by Venetian forces and chained in a dungeon. He prayed to Our Lady for help, and was miraculously freed by an apparition. He hung his chains on a church wall as an offering. Jerome was ordained in 1518, a year of the spotted-fever plague. He cared for the sick and housed orphans in his own home. At night he roamed the streets, burying those who had died unattended. He contracted the fever himself, but survived. Jerome founded six orphanages, a shelter for penitent prostitutes, and a hospital. In 1532 he founded the Order of Somaschi (Company of Servants of the Poor, or Somascan Fathers), which was named after the town of Somasca where the order started. They continue their work today in a dozen countries. It is believed Jerome developed the question-and-answer catechism technique for teaching children religion. He was declared the patron of orphans and of abandoned children in 1928 by Pope Pius XI.
Optional Memorial of Josephine Bakhita,
virgin
Josephine Bakhita was born to a wealthy Sudanese family, and given the name Bakhita, which means “fortunate.” She was kidnapped by slave-traders at age nine and was purchased in 1883 by an Italian consul who planned to free her. She accompanied him to Italy and worked for the family as a nanny. As an adult convert she joined the Church in 1890, and took the name of Josephine as a symbol of her new life. She entered the Institute of Canossian Daughters of Charity in Venice, Italy in 1893, serving as a Canossian Sister for the next fifty years. Her gentle presence, her warm, amiable voice, and her willingness to help with any menial task were a comfort to the poor and suffering people who came to the door of the Institute. After her biography was published in 1930, she became a noted and sought after speaker, raising funds to support missions.
Wednesday 8 February 2017
Wed 8th. St Jerome Emiliani; St Josephine
Bakhita, Genesis 2:4-9, 15-17. Bless the Lord, my soul!—Ps 103(104):1-2, 27-30.
Mark 7:14-23.
Readings
‘It is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge.’
Readings
‘It is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge.’
The Pharisees had been criticising Jesus’
disciples for not following Jewish traditions of washing before preparing food.
He quoted Isaiah’s words: ‘their hearts are far from me … their doctrines are
human regulations.’ In this reading Jesus goes further by saying that nothing
from the outside can make a person unclean. It is only the things within,
avarice, malice, deceit, slander which make someone unclean. And yet, if we
draw on God’s spirit within ourselves we can enrich the lives of those we meet,
for the fruits of the spirit come forth from the heart of the true follower of
Jesus. Let us seek ways to be true to the spirit within and not be blinded by
the demands of laws which do not work for the common good.
ST. JOSEPHINE BAKHITA
On February 8, the Church commemorates the life of St. Josephine Bakhita,
a Canossian Sister who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in Sudan.
Josephine Bakhita was born in 1869, in a small village in the Darfur
region of Sudan. She was kidnapped while working in the fields with her family
and subsequently sold into slavery. Her captors asked for her name but she was
too terrified to remember so they named her “Bakhita,” which means “fortunate”
in Arabic.
Retrospectively, Bakhita was very fortunate, but the first years of her
life do not necessarily attest to it. She was tortured by her various owners
who branded her, beat and cut her. In her biography she notes one particularly
terrifying moment when one of her masters cut her 114 times and poured salt in
her wounds to ensure that the scars remained. “I felt I was going to die
any moment, especially when they rubbed me in with the salt,” Bakhita wrote.
She bore her suffering valiantly though she did not know Christ or the
redemptive nature of suffering. She also had a certain awe for the world and
its creator. “Seeing the sun, the moon and the stars, I said to myself: 'Who
could be the Master of these beautiful things?' And I felt a great desire to
see Him, to know Him and to pay Him homage.”
After being sold a total of five times, Bakhita was purchased by Callisto
Legnani, the Italian consul in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Two years
later, he took Bakhita to Italy to work as a nanny for his colleague, Augusto
Michieli. He, in turn, sent Bakhita to accompany his daughter to a school
in Venice run by the Canossian Sisters.
Bakhita felt called to learn more about the Church, and was baptized with
the name “Josephine Margaret.” In the meantime, Michieli wanted to take
Josephine and his daughter back to Sudan, but Josephine refused to
return.
The disagreement escalated and was taken to the Italian courts where it
was ruled that Josephine could stay in Italy because she was a free
woman. Slavery was not recognized in Italy and it had also been illegal
in Sudan since before Josephine had been born.
Josephine remained in Italy and decided to enter Canossians in 1893. She
made her profession in 1896 and was sent to Northern Italy, where she dedicated
her life to assisting her community and teaching others to love God.
She was known for her smile, gentleness and holiness. She even went on
record saying, “If I were to meet the slave-traders who kidnapped me and even
those who tortured me, I would kneel and kiss their hands, for if that did not
happen, I would not be a Christian and Religious today.”
St. Josephine was beatified in 1992 and canonized shortly after on October
2000 by Pope John Paul II. She is the first person to be canonized from Sudan
and is the patron saint of the country.
LECTIO DIVINA: MARK
7,14-23
Lectio Divina:
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
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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