Ad Jesum per Mariam

Jesus Tells Us About Cleanliness Before God. Implications for Our Spiritual Life.

Jesus Tells Us About Cleanliness Before God. Implications for Our Spiritual Life Everywhere we go we are presented with rules, regulations and laws. We must follow these rules or risk getting kicked out or banned. This is true in many circumstances, including sports. There are many rules and regulations. In each of the readings (not included within this audio) and the Gospel, we hear of rules. Israel was given rules that defined Israel as God’s children. In the first reading God talks to His children through Moses. Moses teaches the people God’s statues. Moses stresses the need to follow them . . . to keep them. Do not add or subtract from these commandments. Why? Because they came from God. Hear more within the Homily. In the second reading, St. James tells us all good comes from God. Humbly allow the Word of God to penetrate into you . . . to enter your heart. As we receive the Word of God, as we receive Jesus, we must allow Him to direct our ways . . . influence our daily living. In the Gospel, the Pharisees confront Jesus because they see the disciples eat without washing hands. What is Jesus trying to teach us in the Gospel? The Pharisees believed washing hands and washing feet are part of cleanliness. It was in arrogance they approached Jesus. Yes, cleanliness is good. Washing hands is good. But there is more to cleanliness before God than the ritual of washing hands. Listen more to this Meditation Media. Listen to: Jesus Tells Us About Cleanliness Before God. Implications for Our Spiritual Life. ------------------------------------- Image: The Pharisees Debating (Part of Hundred Guilder Etching): Dutch Painter: Rembrandt: 1647 ------------------------------------- Gospel Reading: Mark: 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23 First Reading: DT: 4: 1-2, 6-8 Second Reading: James: 1: 17-18, 21-22, 27

Broadcast on:: 02 Sep 2024
Audio Format:: other

The Lord be with you, and with your spirit, everything from the Holy Gospel according to you. When the Pharisees with some scribes had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of His disciples ate their meals with a clean, that is unwashed hands. For the Pharisees and in fact all Jews do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And only coming from the market place, they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are other many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of caps and jugs and caters and beds. So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Him, "Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders, but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?" They responded, "Where did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites? As it is written, these people honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines to human precepts. To disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition, He summoned the crowd again and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that enters one from outside can defile the person, but the things that come out from within are what defile. From within people from their hearts come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blaspheme, arrogance, folly, all these evils come from within and they defile." The Gospel of the Lord. Ruse, regulations, laws. We all know that every department, everywhere we go, we get ruse, regulations, these are precepts that we have to follow. And if we don't fall at times we're either kicked out or banned from there. I remember very well when I was asked to come here to the USA. My superior told me, "We appoint you to go and help out in the USA. The first thing that we ask you to do is you start applying for the visa." I said, "Okay." But before you do that, it's good that you consent other people that have been to the USA in order for you to know the procedure. I said, "Okay, that's fine." The very first person I contacted said, "My brother, you are in trouble." It's not easy to get entry into the USA, I said, "Wow." I contacted another one who was so generous, he said, "Yeah, it's possible I made it but after some struggles." I said, "Okay." I said, "Why is it so?" I said, "The rules and regulations for you to enter USA are not that easy." So I started the process, I applied online. I got discouraged on the very first day because I was booking for an appointment. And the nearest date that I got for this appointment was after six months from the day I was applying. So I applied in September and the nearest date for me to go for the interview, not to be granted the visa, but to go for the interview was in March. I said, "Wow." The day for the interview came, I thought it would be a piece of cake. I thought it would be that easy. So we're there, 20 of us in a room, the expectations that I had was it would be a private room in which I would be asked and then I would be responding. But it was different, it was just a common room, a common room, 20 of us there. The advantage that we had, we were just following the rules, the advantage that we had was you would get the questions that were being asked to the person who was being interviewed at that moment. That was the advantage. That disadvantage was you would also be disappointed when that person has been denied the visa. So every time we hear Sal or Madam, we are sorry, your reasons are not valid enough for you to go to USA. This person behind mine has been waiting for six months and this person behind mine has paid $185 US dollars, non-refundable. So people are moving from there confused without even seeing where the X door is. And for them to apply, that would also take some time. We are talking of rules and regulations that are put in order to be followed. We all know well that even in spots we have rules and regulations that have to be followed. And these rules and regulations make the sporting activity interesting to maybe baseball, maybe basket ball, maybe soccer, maybe football. Had an opportunity yesterday for the very first time with keen eyes and ears to watch football. Call it football. Previously, I've just been seeing it on TV but I never followed it. I just thought it was one of the wrestling games. Until yesterday, you see the people physically meeting together. Wow, I'm still confused because I haven't learned a lot about the game. But one thing I know about the game is they are rules that accompany the game. But one among the rules of this game of football is the factor of time. How people manage time. Rules and regulations. Rules, regulations, laws, give direction. They give the spirit in which people have to live. And at the same time, they give the identity. In the first reading, second reading, and the gospel, we are hearing of the law. The rules that the Israelites are being given to be followed. And these are the law, the rules that will identify Israelites as God's children. As long as they keep them. And in the gospel, Jesus calls deeper to that. In the first reading, Moses is talking to the Israelites. And he tells them. The statutes that I'm teaching you, please keep them. And Moses is very clear to say, "These statutes that I'm teaching you are not coming from me." No. They are coming from God. So keep them in their entirety. Keep them in their wholeness. Do not add or subtract anything from these commandments and statutes. Do not add or subtract anything from the divine law. Moses is not telling them that they should not interpret the law. Or they should not seek meaning in the law, no. Because that's how the law comes down to us. When we interpret it, and then we seek meaning. But what he's saying is, the interpretations that come from a human reason, the meaning that it derives from a human reason, should not be equal to the divine law. Because this is coming from God. So nothing should be added to it. At the same time, nothing should be subtracted from it. There are times we get laws, the commandments of God. And then we say, "This one appeals more to me than this one." So I better follow this one and leave out that one. Moses is saying, "No, we have to follow the commandments of God in their entirety, in their wholeness, no subtraction of those commandments of God. We have to follow them in their entirety." And in the second reading, St. James says, "Anything comes from God, or good comes from God, humbly allow the word of God to come to your heart, humbly allow the word of God to penetrate into you like soil receiving the seed. And like any feta or soil, allow this word of God to bear fruits. Allow this word of God to challenge you. Allow this word of God to direct you, to direct your ways, to direct your thoughts. And it is only that that we keep the commandments of God in their entirety. And he does not end there. You allow the word of God to penetrate into you. Allow the word of God to challenge you. And this very same word of God should set you on motion. This very same word of God should put you into action. Do not be only heroes of the word, but be as well the ones of the word. As we receive the word of God, as we receive Jesus, we allow Jesus to influence our thoughts. We allow Jesus to influence our ways. We allow Jesus to influence our daily living. So the word of God becomes the rule of our life. And it is this very same word of God that puts us into motion. And St. James says, "If we allow the word of God to come to us, penetrate in us, it will help us to take care of the orphans, to take care of the widow. We can continue to be forgiving one another, to be generous. If we allow the word of God to influence challenge us." And in the gospel. The Pharisees and the scribes are confronting Jesus because they see that his disciples are eating without washing hands. And we all know well, having come from the COVID crisis, the significance of washing hands. And when we wash hands, we not only care for ourselves, but we also care for the others. I was at Steema Parish where I was saving during the COVID crisis. And this was the moment for the very first time that it was put before receiving communion using hands, one had to go out and have their hands cleaned. So people are wondering, "Ah, we have been doing this. Why should we have our hands cleaned?" And there are some shops that would not even allow people to go in without their hands being sanitized or cleaned. And there are some little boys and girls who are asking. We all know that every time we wash hands, it means we have to eat. But now we are going into a shop to buy clothes, why should we wash hands? So we know the significance of washing hands, cleanliness. But what is Jesus trying to confront the Jews? What is Jesus trying to teach us? The Pharisees and the scribes considered the washing of hands, the washing of feet as part of cleanliness, being clean. And this they took it from their elders. So they are continuing the tradition that was there. Which Jesus says, "Yes, it is good, but there is more to cleanliness before God than the ritual of just washing hands." In the sight of God, there is more to be done than just cleaning the outside. Jesus says, "What defours a man is not what goes in, but is that which comes out?" So if you want to make this man clean, if you want that this man should be clean before God, what has to be cleaned is that which is inside. And he mentions envy, arrogance, anger, pride, licentiousness and whatever. These are the things that make a person dirty, that defile a person. And if you want to make this person clean, these are the things that have to be washed. Yes, it's okay. Go ahead by following the traditions, but follow the word, follow the rule, follow the commandment of God, and the commandment of God is to clean first the inside. Because it is the inside that makes a person dirty in the eyes of God. As said, it is different to be good and to look good. It is different to be good and to look good. And as human beings, we are more inclined to looking good than to be good. And why is it so? Because it is easier to look good than to be good. It is easier for people to see that we are looking good than for people to recognize that we are good. Because to be good demands a lot, to be good demands cleaning the inside. Why ought to look good requires easily so cleaning the outside. May God help us to focus more on cleaning the inside, to focus more on challenging ourselves, to focus more on conversion, to focus more on removing pride, removing jealousy, removing greed, and all sorts of data that defile us. And it is only then that we keep the law of God, to love God with whatever we have, and to love our neighbor with everything when we challenge ourselves from deep down our heart. Amen. I'm in.