Gospel Reflection for Sunday August 29th : 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Br Michael Moore OMI

Lip service or service of the heart

In the gospel today, while the conversation with Jesus and the religious leaders is still about food, it is more about the Pharisees and their ancient rules and rituals; The Jewish Law.

They gather around Jesus and accuse him and his followers of eating without washing their hands or the bowls from which they eat. They say, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands? Immediately Jesus responds and says, ‘This people honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me…’ and then very directly he tells them; ‘you abandon the commandment of God and hold on to human tradition.’ While they focus on the smallest of things, they lose sight of the much big picture and deeper reality of what really matters, their relationship with God and concern for others.

The Pharisees and the Scribes were totally dedicated to the ancient Jewish Law which had been handed down from generation to generation. They were mainly concerned with externals so that their worship of God had become a matter of outward show. They dismissed those who they considered to be sinners. These included the sick, the poor, Gentiles, widows – anyone they themselves condemned and judged on a regular basis, including Jesus and his disciples. On one occasion Jesus said to them publicly; ‘You tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them? Not they!’ (Mtt 23.4).

The Pharisees came to Jesus and asked him, ‘Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ His answer to them and to each of us is clear; ‘Love the Lord with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. This is the greatest and most important commandment. The second most important is ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ (Mtt. 22.37) Jesus did not come to destroy or abolish the Law, but to give it real meaning, to fulfil it and make accessible to all people, especially the poor. He boils the whole of the Law down to love, love of God, love of neighbour and love of self.

As always Jesus not only encourages and challenges those in the gospel, but he also does the same with each of us today. As he calls us to follow him, he also challenges us to love God and to love other as we love ourselves. Being a follower of Jesus is about relationships that are built of love, not just rules and regulations. The cost of being a Christian today is that our faith is to be seen in the quality of our love, daily lives and actions. What is the quality of my prayer and friendship with Jesus? Am I in danger of honouring Jesus with my lips but not with my heart and through the quality of my daily life? In the second reading for today from St. James we read, ‘We must do what the word (of God) tell us and not just listen to it and deceive ourselves. He continues, pure unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it.

Br Michael Moore OMI

Because we have prayed and precisely because we have prayed, we are called to turn our attention to those who are most in need. May the faith that we believe with our hearts and profess with our lips be seen in the work of our hands and through the quality of our daily lives.

-Br Michael Moore OMI

You put aside the commandment of God, to cling to human traditions