Twenty-second
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading
I
Dt 4:1-2,
6-8
Moses said to the people:
"Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees
which I am teaching you to observe,
that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land
which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin upon you,
you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it.
Observe them carefully,
for thus will you give evidence
of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,
who will hear of all these statutes and say,
‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.'
For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us
whenever we call upon him?
Or what great nation has statutes and decrees
that are as just as this whole law
which I am setting before you today?"
Responsorial
Psalm
Ps 15:2-3, 3-4,
4-5
R (1a) One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Whoever walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
by whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the Lord.
R One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Reading
II
Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22,
27
Dearest brothers and sisters:
All good giving and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.
He willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.
Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves.
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this:
to care for orphans and widows in their affliction
and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Gospel
Mk 7:1-8, 14-15,
21-23
When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
- For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. -
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
"Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?"
He responded,
"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.
You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."
He summoned the crowd again and said to them,
"Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.
"From within people, from their hearts,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile."
Commentary
Deuteronomy is the fifth and last book of the Pentateuch, or “five fifths of the Torah”. The title comes from the LXX title deuteronomion, a Greek word meaning, “second law”. In the Jewish tradition the title is simply “words” (dĕbārîm), which comes from the opening verse of the book. It is certainly one of the most important and influential books in the Hebrew Scriptures. It provided the theological perspectives that dominated the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings). It exerted its influence over the final shape of a number of prophetic books, notably Hosea and Jeremiah. Indirectly it influenced Chronicles, Ezra, and Nehemiah.
The New Testament cites or alludes to Deuteronomic texts almost 200 times. Deuteronomy’s reinterpretation of selected items of ancient Israelite law and history provided a model for the rabbis who produced the Mishnah and the Talmud. Its self-understanding as a written, authoritative document gave rise to the very concepts of Scripture and canon.
The Deuteronomists wanted to make ancient tradition speak again in a time of great crisis for Israel in order to help Israel survive that crisis. They saw that the great institutions of ancient Israel were dead or dying. The monarchy, prophecy, temple, and priesthood had all failed to prevent the nation from arriving at the brink of destruction, which was being caused by both internal and external forces. Deuteronomy suggested that Israel relearn the lessons of its formative years in the wilderness under Moses: obedience to the law of the Lord was the only way for Israel to secure its future. The book presented itself to Israel as the last hope: obey and live, or disobey and die (Deut 30:15-20).
The material found in today’s First Reading was probably incorporated into Deuteronomy during the Babylonian Exile (587-539 BC) when circumstances forced Israel to reconsider the meaning of its relationship with God and to examine the status of that relationship. This chapter in particular speaks of the fundamental loyalty that is essential to Israel’s unique relationship with God.
In today’s Second Reading, James reminds us that the God we worship is a moral God. Therefore, anyone who makes a conscious decision to commit themselves to a moral God must also live a moral life. Just as God is committed, so should we be. For James, there exists two types of believers: true believers who act on their faith, and false believers who only listen. A false Christian only looks into a mirror and has no perseverance, no memory, no moral response to the Gospel, whereas a true Christian looks, sees, remembers and acts. If God’s word created us, lives in us, and saves us, then we must act upon God’s word and not stand idle. James urges the reader to understand that while we are freely justified by God through faith, our sanctification demands that we live a life worthy of our calling.
Today’s Gospel Reading contains a teaching that is as important for Mark’s readers today as it was in A.D. 70. Jesus criticizes his opponents because they are substituting their human traditions for divine commandments through a practice known as korban. korban is a Greek transliteration of the Aramaic word qorbān which means “offering” or “gift”. In the practice of korban the recipient of the gift is God. By declaring that a “gift” belonged to God, a person could deny any claim on it that anyone might have. (i.e., a son could deny his aging parents claim to monetary assistance, thereby providing a loophole to observance of the 4th Commandment – Honor your Father and Mother).
The complaint that Jesus’ disciples failed to follow the traditional Jewish practices of ritual purification is the center of the controversy and not hygiene. Ritual purification was required for the priests when exercising their office. The Pharisees wished to extend this law of ritual purity to all the Israelites, thus making actual the vision of a priestly people. This only added another burden upon the hearts of the people, especially since these very same Pharisees and scribes pay only “lip service” to God and present their human teachings as divine commandments. Jesus quoting the prophet Isaiah, calls them hypocrites. (the actual term used is hypokritēs which describes an actor whose face is hidden behind a mask; a phony).
This false observance of the law is confronted with Jesus’ claim of defilement from within. Real defilement proceeds from man’s heart – in other words, evil deeds and vices proceed from evil persons. A catalogue of sins featuring both evil actions and vices is given as an example of true defilement that comes from man’s heart. Other such lists appear in Gal 519-21; Rom 1:29-31; 1 Pet 4:3.
Have you ever asked yourself who you really are? Many people hesitate to ask this question because the answer might be very revealing. In fact, the answer might shock us! The problem lies in the way we live our very lives: the way we act, the things we do, and what we say when were with our friends is usually not the same when we’re in Church or in front of our parents, spouses, or boss. We act one way in public and a different way when alone. It would be good then, taking into account today’s readings, to take a close look at ourselves through the eyes of Jesus.
It’s so easy to criticize other people without realizing that the very things that annoy us about them we are guilty of as well, and that this type of behavior may be offensive to God. Just think of the many times that you’ve lost your temper at another driver while on the road. Yet, if you stop to think about it, you might be guilty of having done the same thing you’re now condemning. The same applies in all aspects of our lives.
Have you truly asked yourself if you’re a fair and just person? Most people are convinced they are, but if you look deep inside of yourself the answer might surprise you. Maybe the answer is “not always”. Maybe it’s little things like accidentally breaking that glass ornament in the store or jamming the copy machine at work. Maybe you looked around to see if anyone saw what happened and if you thought you were in the clear you just leave the scene as if nothing ever happened, but knowing all too well that you were responsible for the damage. Maybe you remain silent when an accounting error causes a paycheck increase, or your bank credits your account by mistake, after all they are big corporations and can afford to make a mistake. Or maybe it’s just that you join in on the juicy gossip or jokes about that person no one likes very much. You get the idea.
And, what about when you’re alone, when you’re convinced that no one is watching? The things you read or watch, or when you surf the net. What if you were driving on a semi deserted road and struck a person, would you become just like that hit-and-run driver we've heard so much about lately? How many times have you been moved to tears by images of hunger and tragedy on the evening news and not lifted a finger to help? No body has to know right? Yet the Book of Proverbs tells us: “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart.” and “to do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” (Prov 21:2-3)
My dear friends, God knows our deepest and darkest secrets, because nothing can be hidden from the eyes of God. No matter how many times we partake of Mass or other liturgies, no matter how many rosaries we pray, or how well we can quote the Bible or name all the Popes, no matter how pious we may seem, if in our heart lies hypocrisy then these things are of no avail. These things should and must be an outward expression of what is in our hearts and this is the point Jesus was trying to make in today’s reading.
Biblical Sources
New American Bible; Brown, R. K., and Comfort, P. W. (trans.) and Douglas, J. D., (ed.) “The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament”; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; North, M., “The Deuteronomistic History”; Weinfeld, M., “Deuteronomy and the Deuteronomic School”; Davids, P., “Commentary on James”; Leahy, T. W., S.J., Commenatry “The Epistle of James”; Kingsbury, J. D., “The Christology of Mark’s Gospel”; Schweizer, E., “The Good News According to Mark”; Tuckett, C. (ed.), “The Messianic Secret”; “The Collegeville Bible Commentary”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary”.
Reflection
Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa