The things that come out of a person are what defile him

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B

Collect

God of might, giver of every good gift, put into our hearts the love of your name, so that, by deepening our sense of reverence, you may nurture in us what is good and, by your watchful care, keep safe what you have nurtured. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Dt 4:1-2, 6-8

You shall not add to what I command you … keep the commands of the Lord.

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy

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?”

The word of the Lord.

Ps 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5

R. :

℟. (1a) 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.

℟. 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.

℟. 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.

℟. One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27

Be doers of the word.

A reading from the Letter of Saint James

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.

The word of the Lord.

Acclamation before the Gospel
Jas 1:18

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

The Father willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we might be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark

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.”

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Lectio Divina

Sometimes you can’t help but think of how many people there are that stick their noses into other people’s business! How many people are always judging others, pointing their finger and accusing them, because in their eyes they see that things are not as they should be.

This is what happened to these Jews who were preoccupied with what others were doing, instead of concentrating on what was expected of them! And so, they began to see how they could belittle those around them; because they were so blind that they could not see the true meaning of all these rituals and traditions that had become a millstone around their necks.

Who knows how many times we have fallen into the same trap by name-calling and making judgements against our neighbour! Who knows how many times by our words we have wounded instead of healed because we had chosen to gossip about our neighbour! Jesus did not agree with them, as we sometimes do so as not to offend them. And He went even further by revealing to them that what they held as sacred was nothing but a burden. Jesus was not afraid of becoming ‘unclean’ in order to do good.

We see him touching the dead and those with leprosy, he associated with sinners and pagans like the centurion in Capernaum and many other people who, because they worked with pagans, were considered as unclean, such as Levi the tax collector.

This is why Jesus had disputes with the Scribes and Pharisees because they, unlike Jesus, considered the laws regarding uncleanliness and cleanliness on the same level if not greater than the law of love.

Therefore, Jesus used these occasions to warn them that these were just empty rituals because there was nothing from the outside that can contaminate people; only the thoughts that we harbour in our hearts against our neighbour are what contaminate us, such as jealously, hatred, vengeance, deceit, egotism, pride and greed. This is what contaminates and destroys people because they are all contrary to our natural intuition that is found in each and everyone of us: to love and be loved.

Prayer

Lord, help us to recognise what the intentions are behind our words and deeds. Continue to inflame our hearts with your love which is the essence of each and every one of us, because we were created by you in your image, you who are love itself. Amen.

 

Ara l-Qari tal-Ħdud li għaddew