(Mark 7)
There’s a story about Pope Pius X as a young priest ferreting out an unfaithful Catholic. He walked by the man’s home on Friday morning and smelled bacon frying. Since the young priest eventually became a saint, we will presume that he didn’t condemn the man outright. But it may be best that we no longer abstain from meat on Fridays, except in Lent, to minimize our judging other people.
This gospel today shows Jesus abrogating the dietary laws of the Jews, at least among his followers. The action is bold because the dietary laws distinguished Jews from their pork-eating neighbors. No doubt, the Jews prided themselves as being God’s people because they did not eat ham. Jesus followers, at least, would have to show themselves to be God’s newly chosen people in other ways. He presents the blueprint for their righteousness here. They will refrain from all evil thoughts and malicious actions.
But do Catholics really live better lives than other groups of people? Catholics seem to divorce as often as non-Catholics. Abortion is not unknown or even strictly uncommon among American Catholics. We probably attend church on Sunday more frequently than other churches. And it can be shown that children going to Catholic schools whose parents attend Mass on Sunday are less likely to use drugs and alcohol and to have sex in high school. But, unfortunately, Catholic education is not as available as it once was. In any case, we must continue to strive for the righteousness that Jesus preaches throughout the gospels. We do so not to see ourselves as better than others but to have God see us as His grateful children.
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