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

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8

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

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

Mark 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.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, I want to cling to you above all things. Eternal union with you is what I truly desire. Help me to be detached from the things of this passing world. Purify my heart from all evil.

Encountering the Word of God

1. True Defilement: For the last five Sundays we read from John 6 and heard Jesus proclaim that he was the Bread of Life and that he will give us his flesh and blood for food and drink. This Sunday, we return to the Gospel of Mark and begin with chapter 7. The passage is part of the “Bread Section” in Mark’s Gospel (6:33-8:26), where bread is mentioned 17 times. Throughout the section, bread serves as a keyword to refer to the understanding of Jesus and his mission, which the disciples often lack (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 124). The Bread Section begins with Jesus multiplying the loaves and fish in Israel and ends with him doing the same miracle in Gentile territory. Sandwiched between these two miracles is a conversation with a Canaanite woman who, as a Gentile, welcomes the scraps of bread that fall from the table of the children of Israel. In today’s Gospel, the discussion with the Pharisees about their human traditions happens in that context. The Pharisees who confronted Jesus were part of “a renewal movement that sought to restore God’s favor to Israel by advocating strict observance of the law and total separation from all Gentile defilement” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 135). The Gospel shows that the ritual and cultural walls of separation between Israel and the Gentiles, defended burdensomely and zealously by the Pharisees, were torn down by Jesus, who taught that “defilement is not ceremonial but moral; likewise, purity is a matter of the heart” (Healy, The Gospel of Mark, 143). What habitually defiles me from within?

2. The “Second Law” of Moses: The First Reading is taken from the Book of Deuteronomy. The name “Deuteronomy” means “Second Law.” Moses gave this law to Israel after forty years of wandering in the desert. The people of Israel repeatedly broke the “First Law” given at Mt. Sinai. After forty years of rebellion, Moses gave the people a second law that was much harsher than the first law and full of concessions. One of the objectives of the second law that Moses gave was to separate and protect the people of Israel from the influence of the Gentiles. Many of the laws that Moses gave in Deuteronomy were good and sought to apply the Ten Commandments to daily life in the Promised Land. But other laws that Moses gave were not good – such as the laws about divorce or eradicating enemies in warfare. These laws awaited their correction and fulfillment by Jesus, the New Moses. Jesus not only had to bring the Old Law of Moses to fulfillment, but he also had to correct the interpretation of that same law by the scribes and Pharisees who were unnecessarily burdening the people with their human traditions. Jesus will bring us back to the heart of the Law – loving God above all things and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. Do I act like a Pharisee and concentrate on lesser matters or like a disciple of Jesus who focuses on the heart of the New Law?

3. Humbly Welcome the Word: This Sunday we begin to read the Letter of James as the Second Reading. It is a very practical letter that teaches that our Christian faith needs to flourish in works of charity. Faith does not consist in simply believing that God exists but must be completed in works of love and mercy (James 2:22). Faith without works of love is dead and useless. The Second Reading begins by reminding us that God does not tempt us to sin but is the giver of every good gift. God offers us the crown of eternal life, wisdom, truth, and being a new creation. “Ultimately, all these perfect gifts pertain to eternal life and salvation; God wills our salvation and life, not damnation and death. To think otherwise is to be deceived” (Anderson and Keating, James, First, Second, and Third John, 31). God is the eternal, unchanging source of all that is good. Those who receive God’s word do so humbly and know that the hope of salvation lies in God’s gracious gift and not in their own strength. The path to life comes through accepting God’s word of truth and persevering in it. Death comes from being ensnared by one’s own desires and the influence of the world (Anderson and Keating, James, First, Second, and Third John, 39). The Pharisees relied on their own strength to fulfill God’s Law and failed; do I rely on God’s grace to fulfill the New Law?

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, I humbly welcome you into my life and heart. You have transformed my life with your grace. Empower me to do good and avoid evil so that I may merit eternal life with you, the Father, and the Holy Spirit.

Living the Word of God: What am I still clinging to that keeps me from God? How can I work to overcome these temptations?