First Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8
Psalm 15:2-3,3-4,4-5
Second Reading: James 1:17-18,21b-22,27
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23
In today’s Gospel reading from Mark, Jesus seems to contradict the command given by Moses in the first reading from Deuteronomy. Moses tells the Israelites that they must follow the commands of the Lord without adding to it or subtracting from it. Then when the Pharisees confront Jesus with not following the commands of Moses, Jesus calls them hypocrites. This is all very confusing!
When children are young, they need to be told what to do. Parents teach their kids how to behave and get along in society by giving them instructions on what to do or not to do in given situations. In the same way, under Moses, because the Israelites were still learning how to live as children of God, they needed to be told what to do.
As children grow, however, they begin to behave not just because of what their parents taught them, but because they see the purpose behind the reasons for their actions. When Jesus called the Pharisees hypocrites, he did so because they were still acting like children, doing what they were told to do without really thinking about the purpose behind their actions. While they were following the Law of Moses, they were overlooking the real truth of purity. While they practiced the purity rituals, their hearts and minds were impure.
At some point in their lives, parents need to help their children understand the reasons for actions so that they can maintain a balance between what they do and what they believe.
Faith Chat Question:
Why do you do what you do? Do you blindly do as your told, or do you do what you do with conviction and belief?Faith Response: Together, talk about some of the things that we do as Catholic Christians. Consider especially some of the actions of our Eucharistic Liturgy, the Mass. Discuss why we do those things. If you’re not sure why we do what we do, research the actions to find out more about them.
Pray: Jesus, you want us to be responsible for what we do. Help us to understand what we do so that our actions reflect what we believe in our hearts. Amen.
