Readings: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8; Psalm 15; James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
God has given the Commandments so that we can live lives of purpose and meaning. We can choose to live according to His commands or choose another path. Our only true path is the one our Father has given us. It is a path to the ‘Promised Land,’ Heaven, or the Kingdom of God. The false path is the path of the ego, what is called our false self. This choice is based on seeking selfish desires. It will always lead to the loss of our true self and as a result of greater suffering than we would otherwise experience. Sadly we often have to experience this false path first to discover what has already been given to us from the beginning. It is a path that the world and our society prescribe and it is about short-term personal success rather than a commonwealth of love and justice. “How well you have set aside the commandment of God to uphold your tradition! (Mark 7:9) “You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.” (Mark 7:13)
Unfortunately, we often see God’s commands as burdensome and something that keeps us from the happiness and joy we seek. However, like any good parent, God is only trying to preserve us from any unnecessary pain, suffering, and death. The Word of God is a gift, giving the truth of life to us so that we can bear fruit. We have only to welcome this word already planted in us, which can save us from much pain. Recognize it as the good conscience that alerts us towards right thought, right speech, right action, and right occupation. Jesus instructs us to “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves, for my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:29-30) Based on the law written in our hearts we are to act accordingly: “to care for orphans, and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” (James 1:17b)
It is this active faith that gives evidence that we have heard the word of God and taken it to heart so that we can bear its fruit. It is by living and acting out of justice that we become the presence of the Lord in the world. There are many who find that they are in darkness and we have been born by God to bring his light into this world. We bring His light when we hold the truth in our heart, and bear witness to that truth by our actions in defense of the weak and lowly. When we choose to do no harm and to protect the innocent against the reprobate and those who exploit the worker. Many prey upon the poor today by lending money at exorbitant interest rates they have little hope to repay. Others are separated from their families at our border or expelled after living here from their youth until adulthood and have become productive citizens.
Our Gospel today points out the age-old practice of emphasizing the letter of the law at the expense of the spirit of the law. The practitioners of the law pay strict attention to the unimportant details rather than the larger more important aspects. Today’s Gospel example shows how the Pharisees try to trip Jesus while drawing attention away from the true source of the problem. They are wrongly focused on the externals rather than the source of evil, that which comes from within their hearts. They profess publicly that they are people of faith while their actions, especially those actions that are hidden, tell the truth of what they believe.
Jesus makes a clear statement about those hypocrites who would rather focus on the dietary laws rather than the things that impact the lives of people trying to survive in the community. It is a message we need to listen carefully to today. We would all do well to attend to those in need and who live on the margins of society rather than worrying about how we dress for church or how our temples are adorned.
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