Dt 4:1-2, 6-8
Ps 15:2-5
Jas 1:17-18, 21-22, 27
Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
St. Jude Thaddeus Catholic
Church, Burkburnett, TX
St. Paul Catholic Church, Electra, TX
Christ the King Catholic Church, Iowa
Park, TX
Midwestern State University Catholic Center, Wichita Falls, TX
To
understand fully what was going on between Jesus and the Scribes and Pharisees
in our Gospel reading, it may be helpful to know more about the historical
context. Mark was writing to a Gentile audience. For them, the burning question
they needed answered was this: ‘Are Christians obliged to follow the laws and
traditions of the Jews?’ As we learn from the Gospel story, the Old Law has
been radically fulfilled and transformed by the New Law.
The
Pharisee and Scribes had gathered around Jesus and attacked the behavior of the
disciples. They accused them of having unclean hands when eating! To a 21st
century reader, this sounds like a mountain out of a molehill, right? So, they
didn’t wash their hands before eating? Is that something worth making a public
spectacle out of? After all, who here hasn’t invoked the 5-second rule? But the
Pharisees and Scribes were not talking about hygiene. They accused Jesus and
his disciples of violating Jewish purity laws. Mark listed many of those ritual
purifications for the benefit of his Gentile audience (and us) who would have
no knowledge of why this is a big deal otherwise. The Law of Moses included
ritual washings of hand and feet before offering sacrifices to God, but it was
originally intended for priests who were serving at the altar. The rabbis over
the centuries had extended these practices to everyone and sought to apply them
to all Jews at meals – they wanted to turn every meal into a religious act and
an expression of Jewish identity. The law had become more important than the
purpose behind it.
Jesus
surprised his accusers yet again by invoking Isaiah 29 and called them
hypocrites – literally “stage actors”. Jesus accused them in turn of being
people whose outward behavior did not match the actual state of their hearts.
Isaiah had warned the rabbis against their grave error. By invoking Isaiah 29
against the Pharisees and Scribes, Jesus pointed out that they too were guilty
of promoting a superficial ritual as a substitute for doing God’s
will.
We must understand
that Jesus was not rejecting all
human traditions. That would be a terrible misinterpretation of the
Gospel – one that is sometimes used against Catholics to attack our rites,
rituals, and liturgies as only human inventions. Rather, Jesus rejected merely human traditions that are not based
in God’s word, that negate the intent of God’s word, and are contrary
to His will. Every purely human law is to be rejected if it is not in accord with the Divine Law of God.
What
happened next is the climax of today’s Gospel. Jesus wanted to make such an
important point that he summoned the crowd closer to him. Jesus commanded them
“Hear me, all of you, and understand.” ‘All of you’ includes us today. Jesus
revealed the radical transformation of the Old Law I mentioned at the beginning
of this homily. He taught us that NOTHING outside of us can defile us. Only
that which comes from within – from the heart and soul – can defile a
person. I hear it said all the time: “Father, I guess the devil made me do it.”
NOPE – no, he didn’t. YOU made you do it. The devil can tempt us, but he cannot
MAKE us do anything. Evil comes from within the human heart and soul because it
is wounded by Original Sin. Note that Jesus used the word ‘defile.’ Defile is a
legal term in the Torah – in Jewish understanding, to defile means to
render something unfit for the
worship of God. Let’s put that together because it is critically important to
understand. Jesus taught that what comes from within a person can make them
unfit to worship God! He listed 12 vices
that originate from within that defile a person. Notice that the first six are
actions we carry out against our fellow
human beings (unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice), while
the second six are thoughts and attitudes we hold against our fellow human beings (deceit, licentiousness, envy,
blasphemy, arrogance, folly). With his new teaching, Jesus clarified exactly what
he meant when he accused the Pharisees of disregarding God’s commandment while
clinging to human traditions. From that point forward, “the only uncleanness
that should preoccupy people is that of sin:
the evil dispositions and actions that originate from deep within the heart.
From within the heart come evil thoughts—that is, the sinful intentions that
separate a person from God.”[1] From that point forward,
the New Law has fulfilled and perfected the Old Law of Moses.
And what is
the New Law? The New Law is the Law of
Love because infused by the love of the Holy Spirit, we can now act out of
love of God and neighbor instead of fear. The New Law is the Law of Grace because we can now receive
the strength of grace to act rightly by means of faith and the sacraments and
so strive toward heaven. The New Law is the Law of Freedom because we have been set free from ritual and
juridical observance of the Old Law - we are no longer servants who do not know
what the Master is doing, but are now friends of Christ, sons and daughters,
and heirs of God! (CCC 1972)
The Law of
Love, this Law of Charity rules and
directs all other commands in our life. The Code of Canon Law, which
contains 1752 canons governing the Church, states at the very end that the
entire Code is directed to the salvation of souls. The Law of Love is to will
the good of the other. It is to will our own good by avoiding evil. The Law of
Love seeks to reform our hearts and gives us the grace to do it. Living the Law
of Love is a daily struggle – in fact it is a many-times-daily struggle! Every
day, we need to examine the state of what lies within us. We need to ask
ourselves serious questions: Do I do what I want? Or do I do what God wants? Or
is it partly both? Do I act out of fear of punishment or out of love of God and
neighbor? When I do fall short, do I at least want to do what God wants? This
is a great beginning! When we gather at the altar of the Eucharist, we do well
to remember that Jesus gives us the hope and provides the grace necessary to
reform our hearts. Jesus always walks alongside us, helping us to live the Law
of Love.
St. Joseph, Most Faithful. Pray for Us!
[1] Mary
Healy, The Gospel of Mark, Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker, 2008), 141.
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