Mark 7:1-13

1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30

Psalm 84:3, 4, 5 and 10, 11

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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I can easily fall into hypocrisy. Sometimes, I say one thing and do another. Other times, I put on a show of piety to be seen by others when in truth my heart is far from you. Please heal me so that I may love you with an undivided heart.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Solomon’s Prayer and Petition: When the Temple was completed, Solomon led the people in the liturgy of its dedication during the Feast of Tabernacles (1 Kings 8:1-66). He imitated his father, King David, and presided over the assembly of Israel as a priest-king leading the long prayer of dedication (1 Kings 8:22-53), blessing the assembly with the divine name (1 Kings 8:54-61), and offering sacrifices of oxen and sheep (1 Kings 8:62-66). Today we hear part of his prayer of dedication. In his prayer, Solomon refers to the covenants God has made with humanity and Israel. He asks God to deliver Israel from the covenant curses of Deuteronomy. These include military defeat, drought, famine, pestilence, sickness, captivity, and exile. In his petitions, Solomon asks the Lord to forgive and restore penitent exiles, to end droughts occasioned by sin, to rescue sinners, to grant the prayers and petitions of the Gentiles, to give Israel victory in war, and to show mercy to penitent captives. After Solomon’s prayer of dedication, God will confirm that he has heard his prayer and that the Temple has been consecrated as a dwelling place for his Presence.

2. The Tradition of the Elders: In Jesus’ day, the religious practice and strict observance of the Law of Moses promoted by the Pharisees had unfortunately become burdensome. The Pharisees were scandalized that Jesus and his disciples did not follow the tradition of the elders and ate food without washing their hands before the meal. The Law of Moses commanded the washing of hands before offering sacrifices and eating part of the sacrifice (Exodus 30:17-21; Numbers 18:11-13). This command, however, was extended, by the tradition of the elders, to every meal. According to this pious tradition, every meal was a religious act and, therefore, required the ritual washing of hands.

3. The Hypocrisy of the Pharisees: In the Gospel, Jesus calls out the Pharisees’ hypocrisy. By clinging to and giving more importance to human tradition, the Pharisees disregard the heart of God’s commandments and nullified the Word of God. Jesus invokes a prophecy from Isaiah 29:10-24 that accuses the people of substituting superficial religious practice for true obedience to God’s will and authentic worship. Jesus applies this prophecy to the Pharisees who hypocritically neglect the care of their aging parents by pledging to dedicate their wealth to the Temple.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you have prepared a dwelling place for me in the heavenly House of your Father. How lovely is that dwelling place, Lord mighty God! One day in heaven is better than a thousand here on earth. Lead me to this dwelling place. Guide my steps. Strength my spirit.

Resolution: We need to remember that authentic religious practice and worship must be built on the love of God above all things and love for our neighbor. Love, in the words of St. Paul, is the fulfillment of the Law (Romans 13:10). We must rid ourselves of any hypocritical actions. We are hypocrites and liars if we say and act like we love God and yet neglect to care for those around us with love (1 John 4:20). Am I a hypocrite? With God’s help, how can I rid myself of hypocrisy today?