The Gospel according to Matthew (15:1-2,10-14)
Some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?
They do not wash their hands when they eat a meal.”
He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand.
It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles the man;
but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.”
Then his disciples approached and said to him,
“Do you know that the Pharisees took offense
when they heard what you said?”
He said in reply, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted
will be uprooted.
Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind.
If a blind man leads a blind man,
both will fall into a pit.”
Reflection:
Today’s Gospel highlights the tension that is increasing between the Pharisees and scribes, those who knew and enforced the Jewish Law, and Jesus, who was expected to fall in line with the same priorities. The prior chapter in Matthew’s Gospel includes the feeding of the five thousand (plus), and it is safe to say that the Pharisees, even from Jerusalem, were intrigued, and were trying to rein Jesus in.
The Pharisees point out how Jesus’ disciples aren’t following the “oral traditions”, rules that they claimed came from Moses, but weren’t written down with the same weight as the Torah. What is the point of that conflict? It is to show that Jesus knew that the leaders of the Pharisees were enforcing the Law, but they had lost sight of the reason for the Law. He even made that extra jab to say that the food laws weren’t necessary, because it is from within that people were defiled, not from what they ate.
We who have faith are so blessed. We know that we are created by the One who created the universe. He holds us in the palms of His hands! All that this loving Creator asks in return is for us to try to love as He does. Completely. Without limitation. Without requirement. Without expectation. He demonstrated this love to us by sending His Only Son to be the bridge that allows us to be holy before Him.
Do we have rules to follow? Yes, we do. Did the Jewish people of Jesus’ own time have rules to follow? Yes, they did. But the rules in both cases serve the same purpose. They aren’t the goal. They are the “guardrails” that help us keep on course along the path that God sets before us. If we fear that we are missing one of those many rules, we need only ask ourselves if we acted out of love toward God and toward our brothers and sisters. If we acted that way, we will certainly be within those “guardrails”.
One who lived a life of incredible love is the saint we honor today, St John Vianney, patron saint of parish priests. He was renowned for spending hours every day hearing confessions, and people came from all over to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation from him. Did they do this because St John Vianney was just too holy? No. They came, because St John Vianney spoke the words of Jesus to them and he lived those words with his life. That’s what we are called to do, too, every day of our lives.
Let us pray for the parish of St John Vianney in Hacienda Heights today, that their patron intercede especially for them today.
Action for the Day:
Pray for your priests. They act in the “Person of Christ” when they confer Sacraments, and they guide and teach God’s people with love and charity. Pray that they know God’s protection against the Evil One, and always minister with a heart of humility and love toward all, and know that they are the ones who truly speak Jesus’ words in their spoken words and in their actions. Please continue to pray for the family of our dear brother Deacon Ray Emnace, that they may find peace and consolation, especially his daughters, Rosalina and Ariana.
Link to the DEACON5 website: https://deacon5.com/
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