PURE, UNSPOILT RELIGION

 XXII SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME - Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23

In this Sunday’s gospel, Jesus confronts the Pharisees who reproached Him for not keeping to the customs and traditions. Like the Pharisees, we honour our traditions more than God’s words and commandments. And Jesus put the finger on the wound, saying clearly: “You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.” We have created traditions, philosophies and ideologies to serve our interests and make us the masters of the world, a world without God. We are not different from the Pharisees. We become self-centred, twisting even religion to serve our interests. Following our human traditions, we see ourselves as faithful and righteous, while, in reality, we refuse to listen to God’s Word and obey his commandments. External obedience is possible and quite common, without a true openness to recognise God’s will and be guided by his Spirit. Human traditions can be props that facilitate obedience to God’s commandments, but they can never take their place. 

The Pharisees accuse Jesus’ disciples of not following the rules of purification, keeping them in a state of impurity and putting those who come in touch with them in danger of contamination. Jesus makes it clear that external things do not make us unclean.

“For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.”

In the first reading, taken from the book of Deuteronomy, Moses advises the people to keep the commandments. We have no authority to change or modify them. Faithfulness to the commandments is the only way to wisdom and happiness.

In the second reading, St. James speaks of true, pure and spoilt religion, which implies always a relation with God. And the truthfulness of that relation is asserted by our relation to the others, especially to the poor, the needy and the suffering.

“Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father, is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.” (James 1:27).

The responsorial psalm makes this very explicit. For us to approach the Lord and dwell in his house, we must act with justice and speak the truth, showing respect to our brothers, and being ready to accept and love them. We may pray and meditate on the words of the Psalm 15:

Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain?

He who walks without fault;

he who acts with justice

and speaks the truth from his heart;

he who does not slander with his tongue.

He who does no wrong to his brother,

who casts no slur on his neighbour,

who holds the godless in disdain,

but honours those who fear the Lord.

He who keeps his pledge, come what may;

who takes no interest on a loan

and accepts no bribes against the innocent.

Such a man will stand firm for ever.