Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Missalette July-August 2021

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
2nd week, psalter

FIRST READING

From the Book of Deuteronomy (Dt 4:1-2,6-8)
Moses spoke to the people, saying: “Now, Israel, listen to the laws and norms that I teach you, so that you may put them into practice, so that you may live and enter into possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is about to give you. You shall not add anything to what I command you, nor take anything away from it; but you shall observe the commandments of the Lord, your God, that I prescribe to you. You shall therefore observe them and put them into practice, for that will be your wisdom and your intelligence in the sight of the peoples, who, on hearing of all these laws, will say: ‘This great nation is the only wise and intelligent people.’ Indeed, what great nation has gods so near to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? And what great nation has laws and norms as just as all this legislation that I give you today?” The word of God.

Commentary on the First Reading

Through Moses, God speaks to the people of Israel: “Now, Israel, listen to the laws and norms that I teach you, so that you may put them into practice.” What we will initially focus on is precisely that “now.” Not later, not tomorrow, and not even in a few months, but “now,” that is, immediately. God asks us to listen, and to do so well, and then to put it into practice. The problem lies precisely here: we are not accustomed to this, so we turn listening into merely hearing and, as far as practice is concerned, if we can, we postpone it, especially when it concerns religious matters. To put the word of God into practice, we must change our lifestyle and our habits; in other words, we must learn to listen and translate it into action. To do this, we must carefully observe God’s precepts. This is not something to do with half-hearted commitment: putting God’s norms into practice means living them day by day; it means making both major and minor decisions based on God’s principles. The question, then, is: are we using what we have received? Are we putting it into practice?

SECOND READING

From the Letter of Saint James the Apostle (Jas 1:17-18,21b-22,27)
My dearest brothers and sisters, every good gift and every perfect gift are from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change. By his own will he gave us birth through the word of truth, so that we might be a firstfruits of his creatures. Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save you. Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world. The word of God.

Commentary on the Second Reading

If someone naively believes they can deceive a flesh-and-blood friend for their own personal interests, things certainly do not work that way with God. Some people approach the Sacrament of Reconciliation having already decided in advance to distort the truth so as not to look too bad. Some believe they can improve their affairs with assistance “from Above” by giving alms taken from stolen money or money derived from illegal or immoral dealings, such as drugs and weapons. There are adolescents and young people who spend afternoons or entire days in the parish youth center, but completely neglect their family and study responsibilities. As the Apostle James emphasizes, such people are not deceiving the Most High, but themselves. James distinguishes between those who simply enjoy listening to fine speeches about faith, hope, and charity... and those who instead put the Lord’s word into practice.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Mark (Mk 7:1-8,14-15,21-23)
At that time, the Pharisees and some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus. They observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, 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 on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles 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?” He responded: “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.’ You 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 that 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, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the Day

The evangelist focuses on a risk we also face today: losing sight of what is essential, God’s commandment, by concentrating our attention on less important things. Jesus denounces the ways in which we distort religious practice, which leads us to seem better rather than truly be better. We prefer to display outward attitudes rather than achieve genuine conversion of heart, to perform rituals rather than seek union with God. Saint Paul reminds us that it is not religious practices that save us, but faith working through charity. What comes from God cannot defile us, because he has made only good things. What defiles a person comes from within, that is, from our heart. And it is through our actions, which begin in the heart, that we choose what is pure or impure, what is good or evil. Everything depends on us: whether or not we observe the commandment of love, which makes God’s face present among us or not. Believing in love above all else, as the only law, was difficult for the disciples in Jesus’ time, but it is also difficult for Christians today. Let us allow Christ to lead us so that our hearts may always be filled with love.