Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 125
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) The 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. The 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. The 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. The 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.
Alleluia
Jas 1:18
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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.”
MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,
The Word of God is perfect, and it is also eternal with God. Jesus Christ is proclaimed as The Word becoming flesh in The Gospel of John. In essence this means that all that God has revealed is manifested through Jesus Christ. Us being God’s children means that we are part of The Word and that Jesus Christ dwells within us. To follow The Word means that we will be living our lives the way that God intended us to live and that we will be in communion with Him as a result. Communion with God means a right relationship filled with satisfaction, joy, and love. An absence of this will mean a lack of fulfillment and a constant pursuit of things originating from this world that will leave us empty and wanting. Sacred Scripture and Divine Revelation can be viewed as instruction; all that we need to bring about serenity.
Preparation is the key to success. Without it we can easily become surprised and overwhelmed by even the smallest of situations that present themselves. Unexpected things bring about unexpected results which then create anxiety; wreaking havoc upon any given situation. God does not want this to happen to us. Instead He wants us to be fully prepared for all things that we might encounter in our lives. Before the Israelites crossed over the River Jordan into the promised land, they were given final instructions by God through Moses. They were reminded to heed all the words and revelations that they were given previously and apply all of them to their lives. They were also given a warning: if The Word of God was followed then nothing would go wrong. The Israelites would be safe and protected if they were walking with God. They would be revered and admired throughout the world. If they abandoned God, then they too would be abandoned as a result of their own actions. The covenant that God had established with them would remain intact if they listened. God would never break it. We too are given that promise. If we act on the words given to us by God, then we will remain in relationship with Him and the bond established between Him and us can never be broken.
Instructions can only be beneficial if they are followed. Imagine picking up a box from the store that contained a piece of furniture that needed to be assembled. Inside the box there were no instructions. How far could an average person go before they were completely lost? The only way to have what is inside the box match the picture of the completed product on the outside of the box is to follow the instructions step by step. Therefore, we are reminded through The Apostle James to “be doers of the word and not hearers only.” Nothing is gained from hearing something and not reacting to it. We can all have the best intentions regarding our faith-life, but these mean nothing if we do not react to what is being told to us. What has been freely given to us then has to be applied to all aspects of our lives. We cannot ignore what is being said or just pretend to react to it. It is impossible to benefit from a loving relationship with God if we do not listen to what is being said. What God has given us needs to be treated with the value that it has: priceless because its origin is from God Himself. With that understanding should come a reaction to what is being said that fits the importance of it. In essence the words that we read should be treated as God: “It the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The two cannot be separated.
Jesus Christ was the full revelation of God. All that was said and written before led up to Him. He is the apex of everything before and after. To follow the word means that we follow Jesus which then leads us to the Father. To be led and to follow means that we are on a journey. This takes action. There must be adjustments and changes made along the way. It is impossible to remain stagnant if we are on a journey and are reacting to what is happening. Faith requires action. Action leads to reactions which in turn bring about results. With God the only actions and reactions possible are positive ones. The negative is forced out. The only way that it returns is through an invitation from us that then enables us to turn away from God. When we are following God there is only one direction: forward. Forward equals progress and positive change. When we cease to follow God then we are either stagnated or are going in reverse.
The Pharisees and Scribes loved to follow rules, but they did not follow instructions well. Instructions include, at the conclusion, a complete product which can be displayed. This is part of the goal of instructions: to bring about a complete product. The Pharisees and Scribes forgot about the defined goal and only focused on the instructions. The instructions were treated with more importance than the result. They followed what was being said out of rigid obligation with no focus on the love or joy that was to be produced as a result of adherence to what was being said. Their hearts were hardened. The Word was before them, but they were missing one ingredient: the love that came with the instructions; the love that could come as a result of following what was being told them. Things were done out of fear and obedience without an expectation of the results that would be produced. They were slaves to The Law instead of being slaves to God.
We need to constantly remind ourselves that we were created out of love to love and be loved. Love is the key ingredient that brings us closer to God and His creation. Through love we are transformed and are joined with Him. When we put love first, just as Jesus Christ did when He laid His life down for us, all that is good will follow. Listening to what God is saying to us then reacting to what is being said will open the floodgates of His love onto us. This indeed is the final goal: to bring us back into loving relationship, to be healed by that relationship, and to finally be loved and to love forever. What a marvelous plan that is. The instructions are before us. Let us follow them with the final goal constantly in mind.
Deacon Tom
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