Walking with Jesus: 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

For Sunday, September 1, 2024

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

Last week’s readings proclaimed that Jesus is God and that He died to show that God loves us all the time, every moment of our lives. He left us the gift of Himself in the Eucharist, His Body and Blood sacrificed to show the extent of God’s love, compassion and care. His death emphasized the gift the Father has for us: eternal life forever in heaven with Him.

Today’s readings address the obvious question: How am I to respond to God? What am I called to do? Can I just sit and be an observer and receive God’s gifts, or am I called to respond to God's love with love? Is creation and my part in it all about me, or is it all about God? If this is true … then am I important in God’s eyes to complete His work of creation?

Our starting point is the solemn covenant that God has with His people. In the opening line in Deuteronomy, Moses calls the people Israel and His teaching torah which means “instructions” but is customarily translated as “law.” God called and has been forming Israel into His people and their observance of God’s Torah, which Moses will deliver at length in Deuteronomy chapters 5 through 26. Today Moses begins the introduction most solemnly: “Now Israel, hear the statutes and decrees which I am teaching you to observe, that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land which the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you.” [Deuteronomy 4:1] How important are these rules? Can they be adopted or changed down through the ages? Moses continues: “In your observance of the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I enjoin upon you, you shall not add to what I command you, nor subtract from it.” [Deuteronomy 4:2] We can ask why. “Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations … who will hear of all these statutes and say … For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon Him?” [Deuteronomy 4:6-7] It is God’s law. God is near and quick to respond to the people. Since it is God’s law, it’s what makes Israel a truly great nation. Which leads to the basic tenet of this nation: God gave this land to us, the Jewish people … no one else. This is our land … so they do not recognize a two-nation country. This is a total stumbling line in our world today.

During the next five Sundays we will read from the Letter of James, which recalls the first Creation story. James identifies all good things as God’s gifts. Do we ever look at our multiple gifts and realize they are from God who loves us? It is far too easy to say I did this all myself … well, who gifted me with the intelligence, desire, ingenuity and resourcefulness to develop them? James adds the question: Do I keep my gifts or share them, especially with those most in need? Care for the most vulnerable is part and parcel of any religion that seeks to be good and righteous in God’s eyes. Christian values strengthen and deepen God’s values on those most vulnerable.

The Gospel describes an incident of conflict between Jesus and some opponents — the case in point is ritual cleansing. The scribes and Pharisees “come from Jerusalem” … implying not only where they come from but also that they represent the religious leadership and are legitimately challenging Jesus. They really want to make Jesus responsible for the behavior of those who follow Him. They also want to embarrass Him in front of the people. Listen to us, not Him … we know what is right … He doesn’t. Jesus calls them hypocrites and uses a passage from Isaiah against them. The prophet condemns those who are faithful to outward observances of religious practices but careless and irresponsible when it comes to total commitment to God. God’s law is about love, as Jesus points out so succinctly: It is the human heart that conjures evil schemes. These are the hatch-makers: “… evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy,  blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” [Mark 7:21-22]

So I reflect on:

• James calls on the community to take care of widows and orphans. There are so many more who are vulnerable: those who have lost a spouse, those avoided or forgotten or who slip beneath anyone’s notice. I sit down and make a list of “those who are needy … vulnerable.” What will I do with this list?
• Am I a doer of God’s word?

Sacred Space 2024 states:

“Ritual handwashing was prominent in the lives of the Pharisees. Jesus was pointing beyond the practical and the hygienic to the need for inner cleanliness. We pray for hearts that are clean so that we may truly honor God.

“External actions have an internal source.  Evil intentions can find expression in life. May we have the honesty to look behind our actions to come to a deeper freedom to live in the truth.”