22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time

Actions speak louder than words.  When Jesus railed against the Pharisees and the Scribes, this was one of the key elements he used to call attention to their hypocrisy.  While putting on the face of piety they consistently ignored the needs of the poor and more often than not, stood as a barrier, not a facilitator to building a relationship with God.  While our readings for this Sunday remind us that we must follow the Law set down by the Lord, neither should we ignore the spirit of that law.

The Word for the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8
Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5
James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Our first reading comes from the Book of Deuteronomy.  Here Moses is presenting the Law of God to the people of Israel.  Our passage is actually from two different sections – the first, from the opening of Chapter 4 where Moses enjoins them to her the law and not to add or subtract from it.  For the second part our text jumps over the actual precepts of the Law to its conclusion where Moses reminds Israel that obedience to the Law will give evidence of their wisdom and demonstrate the greatness of their nation and of their God.  As a reading for this Sunday’s liturgy, it seems straight forward enough, but in order to truly understand its message we need to recognize that we should not just blindly follow the Law but also understand the spirit behind the Law.  A law code, rooted in the Ten Commandments, is meant to honor the God – not the Pharaoh, not the king – but God and each other.  A Law code that demands fair and just treatment of those on the margins:  the poor, the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner.  Our Psalm holds the key when we sing “One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.”

After having spent the past several weeks with John’s “bread of life” discourse, our Gospel returns to Mark where we see Jesus challenging this point with a group of Pharisees and Scribes.  As they witness some of his Apostles eating without having washed their hands, they accuse Jesus of ignoring the traditions of their ancestors – a sly way of saying that they’re not following the ritual cleansing as strictly laid out in the scriptures.  Here Jesus points out that it is not one’s physical cleanliness that will make them pleasing to God, but the cleanliness of their hearts.  Using the Commandments as his guide, he points out that evil thoughts, theft, murder, adultery, and a host of other sins is what causes one to be defiled before the Lord, not someone’s unwashed hands.

Our second reading begins our 5-week study of the Letter of James.  This important letter doesn’t come from either of the Apostles named James but most likely from that James referred to as “the brother of Jesus,” who was the leader of the Church in Jerusalem.  Though not necessarily intentional, the selection of this Sunday’s passage acts as the perfect complement to our other readings, when James teaches us that “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.”  Purity of action.

Final Thoughts:
When I was growing up attending Catholic school, one of the songs we learned that still resonates with me today is “They Will Know We are Christians by Our Love.”  Written in 1968 by then Catholic priest Peter R Scholtes, it was inspired by John 13:35, and was on top of a new wave of Liturgical music following the Second Vatican Council.  While its music and the lyrics clearly have that early ‘70’s “guitar Mass” feel, the sentiment of the title and the chorus are universal and everlasting.  That one simple song taught an entire generation the philosophy and theology at the heart of the Mosaic Law, which Jesus then codified for us in his Greatest Commandment:  Love God, love one another.  If we are truly followers of Christ, we will demonstrate it with our actions, for it is our actions that show what’s in our hearts.