Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
Dear Friends.
Often in the Gospels, we find that Jesus’ conflict with the Pharisees and Scribes leads to a deeper dimension of his message. In today’s passage from Mark, Jesus addresses the distortion of the purity laws. Over time, these good practices had lost their way. They eventually became a source of division and elitism, hypocrisy and isolation. This is very often the case in all religious practice. It had become almost a full time job to respond to the endless details of the purity laws. For working poor, the actual implementation of the multiple and intricate laws had become an impossible burden. As an example, the shepherds were considered totally out of the realm of respectability because of their failure to ritualize the overwhelming demands of these laws.
In the beginning, the purity laws were a guide to true integrity. They were a means to express the true holiness of the Chosen People in the midst of their pagan neighbors. However, their distortion over time had evolved into an expression of power and control as well as a source of income for the élite.
Jesus cut right to core of the issue in the quote for Isaiah.
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.
In the midst of this controversy with the Jewish leaders, Jessus presents a fundamental truth to guide all people at all times. True holiness flows from a heart in love with God. All the laws of Moses are a guide to encounter this God of love. All the laws are truly a pathway to personal integrity and authenticity. The law, properly understood, was not a source of potential punishment, but an invitation into holiness, a holiness reflecting the life and love of God.
In this life-giving relationship with God, the fundamental issue is the heart. This core presence within the person nurtures all true and genuine morality. Any use of the law that is not rooted in the true faithfulness of the heart soon becomes a caricature. It reduces commitment to lip service and empty compliance. When there is a disconnect with the heart, hypocrisy is never far behind.
Jesus’ constant message is about faithfulness that is the product of a pure heart. For the heart to attain this sense of holiness and purity, it needs the word of God. The power of God’s word, especially the connection with Jesus, will guide and inspire in all circumstances.
Another issue is self-knowledge. This involves a growing awareness of the potential for evil within each person. This self-knowledge is a critical component of the gospel experience. Listing twelve common expressions of evil, Jesus then says: “All these evils come from within and they defile.” (Mk 7:23)
Jesus is constantly inviting the crowds and the disciples and us to move beyond the letter of the law to the deeper domain of the spirit, the home arena of the heart. This is a call to see in Jesus the one who truly is the absolute revelation of the God of love and mercy. He is the fullness of truth and freedom. In our effort to walk with Jesus, which is the true Christian life, we will find the rightful law which is the fount of all true morality. This is the gift of Jesus’ new law, love of God and love of our neighbor.
Till the end, the Church will have to deal with the awesome pull of hypocrisy and the temptation to weaponize the laws for the control and privilege of the few. Till the end, all of us as individuals, will struggle with a fragmented heart that distorts Jesus’ teachings for our personal advantage. Till the end, we will need to pray to Jesus for mercy and the elusive treasure that is purity of heart. This will help us hear and respond to the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth in our daily life.
