The Gospel according to Mark (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.”
Reflection:
Just a week plus one day before we start the season of Lent, and some of these words Jesus directs at the Pharisees could be directed at we Catholics, too. Speaking as one who was a “former non-Catholic Christian”, I can certainly attest to the various rules we are obliged to follow as Catholics. Starting next Wednesday, we enter the season where we fast (albiet only twice now, on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday), and abstain from meat on all Fridays. We are obliged to use this upcoming season to better ourselves, by seeking God more, and trying to follow Him more closely. Of course, there are other rules we have to observe as well.
How does that relate to that first comment I made? Well, if we look upon these rules and believe that they either: a) justify us in God’s sight, or (worse) b) make us somehow holier and more honored by God, then we are no better than the Pharisees in today’s Gospel. This was one of the main things that caused upset on the part of the Pharisees, who loved the law, and did all they could to teach about it and to enforce it among the Jewish people. Why did it cause upset? Because the Pharisees (at least the ones Jesus directs most of His criticisms of the religious leaders) made it seem that the law was supreme, above the God who gave it to them.
Our Catholic faith should be viewed similarly. It is a *gift* to us, that God longed for us to know Him and love Him that He sent His only Son to die for each of us, making it possible for us to be with Him in heaven one day, and to live a life that shines that love to all, right here and now. Yes, we should follow the guidelines of our faith, as they help us stay on course, and live that life of love, shining forth. But, they don’t do *anything*, if we don’t have as our first priority today and every day to seek God to ask how we can serve our brothers and sisters, and then to do all we can to render that service to every one of God’s children in our midst.
I encourage all of us (me, too) to ponder how each may use this blessed season prior to Easter to do some “spring cleaning” of our own hearts, that we may truly love as God loves, and act after the example of Jesus, who loved everyone, and who taught us to do no less in our days, even today.
Action for the Day:
Take some time today to think about what you will do during the coming Lenten season to try to love more like Jesus does. What is something concrete you can commit to doing that will draw you closer to God during Lent? It doesn’t have to be something big, but it should be something that helps you to love better. Make it a habit during this Lent, and then carry it on through Easter and beyond!
Link to the DEACON5 website: https://deacon5.com/
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