Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Missal September-October 2024
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
2nd week of the 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, in order that you may live and enter into possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your ancestors, 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 commands of the Lord, your God, that I enjoin on you. Observe them, then, 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.’ For what great nation has gods as close 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 this entire law that I am giving you today?” - The word of God.
Commentary on the First Reading
God asks that his norms and laws not be altered, but practiced exactly as given. He knows that people tend to modify directives, generally to their own advantage, simply because, after original sin, they are inclined toward evil. In fact, this is precisely what the Pharisees did: they added, removed, interpreted, and quibbled until almost all that remained of the original law was its memory. Jesus came not to abolish it, but to “dust it off,” removing all the layers deposited by people over the centuries so that the original core of a law might shine forth - a law dictated not only with love, but for love, because God is Love. If we put into practice the words that God speaks to us, we will feel life springing up within us, because the word of God gives life; we will realize that everything is set alight in our souls, because God is light, and the word of the Lord will become the guide for all our choices, directing them toward goodness, charity, and love. We will become full of power and action.
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 present is 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 kind of firstfruits of his creatures. Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. 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
Saint James does nothing more than reaffirm Deuteronomy. The word of God must not be altered because God is unchanging: Jesus Christ is the same “yesterday, today, and forever.” The solidity of God's word should bring us great comfort. The philosophies and systems devised by people follow fashions and pass away; the doctrine taught by the Father and reaffirmed by the Son, however, does not pass away. On this most solid rock we pitch our tent and withstand every kind of storm. But listening is not enough; we must allow ourselves to be shaped and worked upon by this divine voice, until we ourselves become that Word acting in the world through the power of charity. This is what is beautiful about love: it gives itself without considering the consequences, because love is nourished by its own power. Thus, Christians living in the world do not allow themselves to be contaminated by worldliness, because they possess the antibodies: the sacraments, prayer, and boundless trust in God the creator and savior.
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. When they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands - the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders, and on returning from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves, and they observe many other traditions, such as the purification of cups, jugs, kettles, and beds - 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.” And he said [to his disciples]: “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
Without directly accusing those Pharisees, the Lord makes them understand what is in their hearts: impurity, murders, adulteries, and all the other things listed. If such wickedness is present within, it is useless to think that one can win God's favor by washing hands and copper objects. Ours is a religion of the heart, because we have received the Holy Spirit, who pours into us the demands of God: purity, transparency, the radiance of charity... much more than plates and dishes. Christians, therefore, work on themselves because, as Saint Placid, the first disciple of Saint Benedict of Norcia, said, “whoever lifts himself up lifts up the world.” When the inner self has been purified, divine law will flow from our hearts and win over the world. The world is not converted to God by seeing that we “wash our hands,” but if we love Jesus intensely and, for his sake, are willing to do anything, even to give our very lives. Saint Joseph Benedict Labre was a beggar; he never washed himself and sought food in garbage bins, yet his heart was extraordinarily fragrant with the holiness of Christ, and at his funeral all Rome came to honor him.
