Walking with Jesus: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8; James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

How am I responding to God’s law of love? Am I selective in giving, caring, forgiving, helping? Do I see that every person who comes into my life each day, even if it is for only a few seconds, is a person God loves and cares for -- and therefore I could be the person God has chosen to reach out to that person? I may say it’s impossible, I don’t have the time, I have important things to do and places to go. How would I respond to God? When I look at my life, I so often can see that the one who touched me in my time of need just happened to be the “good Samaritan” who was present with a helping hand. Being from New York, I loved to go to the Big City. One of my favorite hobbies was to stand at the corner of 42nd Street and Broadway and watch the people walk across the crosswalk. I would play my mental gymnastics game and try to imagine where they were from … what was on their minds … where were they going … what they were looking forward to that day. I found it a wonderful exercise to realize that everyone I see each day has loads of things on their minds: frustrations … fear … dreams … life and death. Each is known and loved by God in a personal way, and God is actively present in their lives … and hopefully and prayerfully they are aware of this. And it could be a very real possibility that I’m the one God has placed to interact with that person. They are loved and in various degrees of needing love at that time. How do I respond to their call to be loved? We look to the readings to help us see that we are God’s loved ones, called to share love.

In our country and many others, it's interesting that leaders are asserting their own greatness while promoting the attributes of the people. Moses had led a defeated, once proud nation of Israelites out of harsh slavery in Egypt to a Promised Land. Many thought this was a pipe dream and they certainly were afraid, realizing that the full Egyptian army was trying to bring them back. During their long sojourn Moses chose to attract his fledging nation toward greatness. Don’t you want to be admired for your wisdom? Moses asked in so many words. Don’t you dream that other nations will look up to you as intelligent and seek high morals as you do? They had been wandering for 40 years, and Moses reminded them about the importance of remaining faithful to the Covenant between God and themselves. They were to follow the laws consistently if they wanted to live in the Promised Land and remain secure in it. Israel’s tribes were to set the standard for the rest of the nations. They were to be examples of God’s love and care for all. First they were to be faithful to the Covenant. Secondly they were destined to be a people who would introduce their God to the rest of the world by manifesting God’s attributes to everyone. We too are children of the Covenant. In examining my conscience, do I regularly review the commandments as well as Jesus’ triple commands of love? We are called and have been chosen.

James, who was not an apostle but a relative of Jesus commonly called a “brother of the Lord,” was the leader of the Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem. He wrote his letter to the 12 tribes scattered throughout the world, urging them to persevere in times of persecution and temptation. God was not tempting them but had blessed them with every good gift they had and the ability to give and share. The greatest gift was the gospel, the “word of truth.” But for this to work, it had to be acted upon. You can’t call those words nice and practical and remain passive. We are to live God’s values and let them be seen. A neighbor's need is an opportunity to share our generosity in food, skills, time, patience, trust and prayer. How am I doing?

Isaiah claimed that the ritual hand-washing before meals could be seen as a superficial observance that conceals a failure to observe God’s commandments (Isaiah 29:13). Today the Pharisees were complaining that Jesus’ disciples were not washing their hands before dinner. (They didn’t have my mother watching over them.) Now Mark was writing to a Gentile audience who didn’t have this custom. Jesus wasn’t totally against these traditions, but these observances originally were only intended for the priests: The commoner would not have the ability or desire to do this. Jesus said this was about external observances, not what was going on in one’s heart. How true this is for each of us. To attain holiness, Jesus said, a person can be defiled by a variety of sins that only repentance can be called upon for purification. What a list: “From within people, from their hearts come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from wishing and they defile.” (Mark 7:22-23)

So I reflect on:

• We have been called on to wash our hands repeatedly. How much knowledge about disease transmission do we take for granted?
• I look to where I have seen goodness and kindness in ordinary life, doing rather than talking about it. How am I treating others?

Sacred Spaced 2021 states:

“God sees the heart and its fluctuations. He judges us on the love of our lives and our efforts to love. In the evening of life, God will see not just what we did but also the heart of goodness by which we lived. A practical way of letting the good flow is to be grateful. On any day we can always think of something to be thankful for. In thanks, the spirit of joy and blessing will flow into us and through us.”