Tuesday of 5th Week in Ordinary Time

 

The Temple is for People

At the dedication of the Temple of Jerusalem, King Solomon prayed to the Lord. He asked God to be always present in the temple for the sake of the covenant; thus, he would be available to people expressing their needs.

After a period of initial fervor, the teaching of the Pharisees began to imply that people were to be sacrificed for the sake of the Temple, that religious traditions (made by people and juridical) were more important than God’s laws, which are supposed to be interior to people and express a personal relationship. Jesus takes them to many tasks for it. For the Temple of the Lord is there for people, not people for the Temple.

 

First Reading: 1 Kings 8:22-25 

Before the entire congregation of Israel, Solomon took a position before the Altar, spread his hands out before heaven, and prayed,

O God, God of Israel, there is no God like you in the skies above or on the earth below who unswervingly keeps covenant with his servants and relentlessly loves them as they sincerely live in obedience to your way. You kept your word to David my father, your personal word. You did exactly what you promised—every detail. The proof is before us today!

Keep it up, God, O God of Israel! Continue to keep the promises you made to David my father when you said, “You’ll always have a descendant to represent my rule on Israel’s throne, on the condition that your sons are as careful to live obediently in my presence as you have.”

 

Gospel: Mark 7:1-13 

The Pharisees, along with some religion scholars who had come from Jerusalem, gathered around him. They noticed that some of his disciples weren’t being careful with ritual washings before meals. The Pharisees—Jews in general, in fact—would never eat a meal without going through the motions of a ritual hand-washing, with an especially vigorous scrubbing if they had just come from the market (to say nothing of the scourings they’d give jugs and pots and pans).

 The Pharisees and religion scholars asked, “Why do your disciples flout the rules, showing up at meals without washing their hands?”

Jesus answered, “Isaiah was right about frauds like you, hit the bull’s-eye in fact:

These people make a big show of saying the right thing,
    but their heart isn’t in it.
They act like they are worshiping me,
    but they don’t mean it.
They just use me as a cover
    for teaching whatever suits their fancy,
Ditching God’s command
    and taking up the latest fads.”

He went on, “Well, good for you. You get rid of God’s command so you won’t be inconvenienced in following the religious fashions! Moses said, ‘Respect your father and mother,’ and, ‘Anyone denouncing father or mother should be killed.’ But you weasel out of that by saying that it’s perfectly acceptable to say to father or mother, ‘Gift! What I owed you I’ve given as a gift to God,’ thus relieving yourselves of obligation to father or mother. You scratch out God’s Word and scrawl a whim in its place. You do a lot of things like this.”

 

Prayer

Father, God of the ever-new covenant,
you have tied us to yourself
with leading strings of lasting love;
the words you speak to us
are spirit and life.
Open our hearts to your words,
that they may touch us
in the deepest of ourselves.
May they move us to serve you
not in a slavish way,
but as your sons and daughters
who love you and whom you have set free
through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

 

Reflection:
Truth without charity is brutality

Today’s gospel discusses about the value of the “tradition of the elders” and Jesus cautions his listeners that these traditions must never take precedence over the commandment of God. Pope Francis explains this passage and says, “today Jesus wants to caution us too, against the belief that outward observance of the commandments is enough to make us good Christians. The religious leadership of the time – the Pharisees and scribes observed these norms in an extremely scrupulous manner and presented them as the expression of authentic religiosity. Therefore, they rebuked Jesus and his disciples for transgressing them, specifically the norms regarding the external purification of the body (v. 5).

It is hypocritical to consider ourselves acceptable or better than others simply for observing the rules and customs, but fail to love our neighbour, we are hard of heart, we are arrogant and proud. Literal observance of the precepts is a fruitless exercise unless we return to the Word of God in prayer, seeking justice and peace and taking care of the poor.

We come across people in our communities and our parishes, who say they are deeply Catholic and often go to Church, but then neglect their families, speak badly of others and use uncharitable ways to add on to their profits. This is what Jesus condemns because this is a counter-witness to Christianity.

Pharisaic hypocrisy has survived through the centuries and is evident even in our lives today. In our attempts to project ourselves as better Christians than others, we belittle the lives of our brothers and sisters.

Jesus accused the Pharisees and scribes of abandoning God’s word by substituting their own arguments and interpretations. The Law of Moses was turned into a burden for the ordinary believer. Similar things happen in the Church today: how often do we use the Word of God to frighten people? Many sermons today frighten the listeners of the impending punishments of God. We don’t believe in a punishing God, but in a forgiving and merciful God. And His mercy does not depend on any conditions.

God in his mercy freely offers us pardon, healing, and grace for overcoming sin and evil in our lives. John the evangelist in his first letter beautifully explains the forgiveness of God: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8-9). Let us ask the Lord to cleanse us with the purifying fire of his Holy Spirit.
“Lord, let me dwell in your presence and fill me with the knowledge of your truth and goodness. Instruct my heart that I may walk in your way of love and holiness.”

 

Video available on Youtube: Truth without charity is brutality