Sunday, September 1, 2024

 Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, September 1, 2024

(Deuteronomy 4:1-2.6-8; James 1:17-18.21b-22, 27; Mark 7:1-8.14-15)

Today we return to the Gospel of Mark after reflecting for five weeks on the Bread of Life Discourse in the Gospel of John. The theme remains eating, but this time deals with how we eat rather than what we eat. By “how,” we mean that Jesus will outline some principles of Christian morality.

We need to understand that Christian morality is not simply a list of obligations and prohibitions. Rather, it is about following Jesus in daily life towards eternal life. Jesus will show us how to fulfill God’s will so that He may welcome us into His Kingdom. As the book of Deuteronomy states in the first reading: “"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.”

In the Gospel, Jesus emphasizes some obstacles that might trip us up along the way. He particularly insists on avoiding hypocrisy. He criticizes the pretentiousness of the Pharisees who observe various purification rituals not prescribed in the Law, while accusing his disciples for not following them. We see this type of hypocrisy when some people come for ashes at the beginning of Lent but refuse to reform their lives.

More than just avoiding hypocrisy, we need to avoid other “intrinsically evil” acts.  That is, acts that cannot be justified for any reason or in any situation. The list is more extensive than the examples Jesus presents in today’s Gospel, but his serve as fitting samples: “evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit,” etc.

If it is necessary to avoid doing evil, it is even more important to imitate Jesus by doing good. The second reading from the Letter of James indicates the type of activity Jesus desires when it says: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this:
to care for orphans and widows in their affliction.” Consider this true, albeit amusing, story. Once a bishop removed a priest from his parish to work with him at the diocesan office. When the priest reported the news to his mother, he was surprised because she seemed worried. The priest asked her, “Mom, aren’t you going to congratulate me?” The mother replied, “No. How are you going to get to heaven if you don’t visit the sick and bury the dead?” We all need to ask ourselves something similar. “How are we going to please the Lord if we don’t help the unfortunate and the needy?”

Moral life is not easy, but it is rewarding. It allows us to avoid the shame and guilt that invariably accompany vices. It frees us from the selfishness that may seem pleasant at first but ultimately leads to isolation and misery. Above all, through moral living, we come to know Jesus Christ, our greatest hope for eternal joy.Top of Form

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