September 2, 2018

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time B Deuteronomy 4: 1-2, 6-8; James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27; Mark 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23 When we look at our past life, it is good to remember the times that we had conflicts between our faith and our actions. Sometimes these might have led to a great deal of tension. It could have been possible that we ‘turned off’ or ‘tuned out’ the Catholic Religion. These conflicts could have kept us away from Church and the sacraments. Did we blame God for these ‘tensions’? Did we think that God could have or should have been ‘God’ when these conflicts arose and restored normalcy? Were these times that we were upset with the ‘rules’ we ‘had’ to follow? Did it seem that we were torn between matters of the heart and somehow being trapped by an excessive observance of the law? Could it be that we were just ‘reacting’ as we did when our parents told us to do something we really didn’t want to do so we ‘pouted’? Do these conflicts and tensions have to do with the ‘letter of the law’ versus the ‘spirit of the law’? Where is God in these matters? Do I want to know or do I like being a ‘rebel’ or ‘reactionary’ or even a ‘hippie’ as some of us might have been labeled? The bottom line is that Jesus went to the ‘heart of the matter’. He was not concerned with the ‘small stuff.’ He showed us constantly that God is concerned about His relationship with each person…a relationship that is a total reflection of the love of the Trinity to each other. Do I want to be loved by God? Do I really know that I am loved by God? Is this where, perhaps, my fear comes in? Today’s readings really demand that we examine our lives lest we fall into the trap of trivial worries that border on scrupulosity that definitely and negatively affect our relationship with others. Deuteronomy starts today when the tribes of Israel were all lined up ready to be lead into the Promised Land. Moses has real concerns. He knows of the abundance of gifts and richness present — Deuteronomy 26: 8-9, “He brought us out of Egypt with His strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders; and bringing us into this country, He gave us this land flowing with milk and honey.” Will all these ‘good things’ from the Lord distract the people away from gratitude and dependence on God? Will they still realize that the Covenant meant that they had duties and obligations corresponding to God’s lavish love? Do we realize this? It is incumbent on them to live their love responses to God which will be a testimony to the surrounding peoples and nations that God is a God of love for all? Do I realize this by the way that I live and love? These laws are not unreasonable, they are important, encouraging respect for each other and protecting a close relationship with a loving God. Do I view the Ten Commandments in this way? Do I follow the ones I like or are most convenient for me? James in his letter today is written for those who misinterpreted Romans 4:5-6, which stated that FAITH ALONE was necessary. So I don’t have to DO anything, just BELIEVE in God. I do not have to live love, just know that I am loved. Moses must have been from Missouri, the ‘Show Me State’. Moses wanted the people to SHOW HIM the depth of their relationship by LIVING their faith and caring for the orphans and widows. James says, “Be doers of the word ad 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 sustained by the word.” It is not about me, but about God’s total love for me and LIVING that love so that others KNOW they are loved and then will be able to love. The Gospel continues with a controversy between Jesus and the Pharisees and Scribes. It centered on ‘The Tradition of the Elders’ which was a collection of Jewish practices that had been ‘practiced’ down through time that WERE NOT found in Scripture but had been lived AS IF they were from Scripture. By Jesus’ time these ‘practices’ were a real burden to understand and even to follow. The Pharisees were totally absorbed in following these ‘practices’ to the LETTER. They were furious that Jesus did not require His disciples to strictly follow these: the ritual purity laws about hand washing and cleansing of cooking utensils and the like. These had become ‘laws unto themselves.’ Jesus quotes Isaiah 13: “The Lord said: Since this people draws near with word only and honors Me with there lips alone, though their hearts are far from Me, and their reverence of Me has become routine observance of the precepts of men…” They are hypocrites, two-faced. The teaching and practice of Jesus is totally founded on the commandments of God while the Pharisees and scribes cling to the traditions from the past which have NOTHING to do with God. Jesus is saying to be His FAITHFUL follower means having a pure heart, a heart concerned with love, care, compassion, forgiveness and mercy. NOTE: It is unfortunate that verses 9 - 13 are omitted from Mark’s seventh chapter today. I feel they bring out the richness of Jesus’ teaching. “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 you father and mother’ and ‘whoever curses father mother shall die.’ Yet you say, If a person says to father or mother, ‘any support you might from me is ‘gorban’ 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.” Pope Francis in his 2017 Palm Sunday homily called each of us to live as Jesus did every day or our lives saying, “He is present in our many brothers and sisters who today endure sufferings like His own: they suffer from slave labor from family tragedies, from diseases…from wars and terrorism, from interests that are armed and ready to strike. Women and men who are cheated, violated their dignity, discarded…Jesus is in them, in each of them, and, with marred features and broken voice, He asks to be looked in the eye, to be acknowledged, to be loved.” Am I doing that? Do I want to do that? Do I realize I am called to do that each day? So I reflect on: • Make a list of concrete ways in my life NOW that I show Jesus in my words and actions. • Am I living daily my life as Jesus would? What would He say at the end of the day as I examine my activities with others? • How do I want to be regarded by others? • Am I welcoming to those who can’t repay me? • Do I love when I have to? When convenient? When I have time? Or do I love as Jesus loves? Sacred Space 2018 says: “Jesus often impresses upon us the need to act upon His word. It is not enough to Honor Him with our lips. One can argue with words, but deeds speak for themselves. Jesus’ word is planted deep in me, and I pray, inspired by the message from the letter of the Apostle James: Let me be a doer of the word, and not a forgetful hearer. If I am a doer that acts, I shall be blessed in my doing.”