Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 125
Reading 1
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
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 2
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
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
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,
God has given us all the answers to living a joyous life. These things are revealed through Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Teachings of the Church. It is through Moses that we are reminded today that, when we follow the teachings of God, we will find ourselves in right relationship with Him. This will leave to a removal of the negative thoughts that threaten to plaque us and a better life overall. It is through trusting in God and following His instruction that we can experience fundamental change and experience a better way of living. It does take time and effort for this to be achieved, but isn’t it worthwhile to dedicate our time and effort on something that will produce only positive results? Moses further describes the intimate relationship that the Jewish people enjoyed with God. We too have the capability to have the same thing if we follow the same course of action:
“The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.”
It is obvious that when we do bad things, bad things will result. Furthermore, when we don’t take God into account when making decisions, this endangers our relationship with Him. Instead of becoming familiar with Him, we become unfamiliar with Him. Instead of being an intimate friend, He becomes a stranger to us. This can lead to dry prayer and an unawareness of His presence. Upon reflection, it becomes obvious that the story of the Jewish people is also our story. When they stayed intimate with God, things went well for them. When they turned away from God, things tended to get really bad. Acknowledging this gives us a pathway to an amazing life and an amazing relationship with God.
It is truly beneficial to remember that all of us are unique and created in God’s image. This makes us special and an important asset to God’s creation. The Apostle James tells us that all good things come from God and heaven. Him willing to give us birth means that all of us are truly good. When we keep this central in our thoughts, then we can proceed forward doing good and being good. We can then,
“Be doers of the word and not hearers only.”
With God’s help, we can strive to remain unstained by this world. He acts as our shield, protecting us from all the evils and temptations that society offers us. The Apostle Paul describes it the best in his letter to the Ephesian:
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, ”
and later,
“above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.”
Even when these things fail, which they will at some point because these perfect things are put into the hands of us who are imperfect, we still have an advocate that God has given us to be forgiven and to find redemption. That advocate is Jesus Christ. He is our final layer of defense against a world broken by sin and ready to engulf us in its debaucheries.
In the Gospel Reading today, Jesus teaches that it is the things that come from within our own hearts that defiles us. Our disordered desires and evil thoughts have the propensity to destroy us. This is where the Armor of God and the Shield of Faith come into play. Knowing that we are walking with Jesus and that our God has our best interest at heart, keeps us focused on Him instead of the temptations of the world. Yes, we can easily be dragged down by all the things that are going on around us, but Jesus is always there to pull us back up. We just have to keep our attention on Him and not sell Him short. Faith the size of a mustard seed can indeed move mountains.
Joy can be experienced in all situations. God has given us the key to this and the keys to His kingdom. Keys, being an instrument, must be utilized in the proper way. They are offered to us, but if we do not make the attempt to unlock the door, then it will remain locked.
Deacon Tom
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