Gospel: Mark 7:1-8. 14-15. 21-23
The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?” He answered, “It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture: This people honours me only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me. The worship they offer me is worthless. The doctrines they teach are only human regulations. You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.” He called the people to him again and said, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him 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.”
PROMPTS FOR FAITH-SHARING
In the first reading Moses invites the people to ponder, “What great nation has statutes and decrees/that are as just as this whole law/which I am setting before you today?” How is God’s law a gift in your life?
The psalm lifts up the just person as one who “thinks the truth in his heart/and slanders not with his tongue.” How do you endeavour to be truthful in all your words and deeds?
The second reading from the letter of St James reminds us that true religion is “to care for orphans and widows in their affliction / and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” Who has modelled this purity of religion for you?
In the gospel, Jesus quotes the prophet Isaiah who condemned hypocrites who honour God with their lips, “but their hearts are far from God.” What spiritual practices keep your heart close to God?