Today’s readings (the Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time) are about the law of God (love God, yourself and your neighbor) and tradition.
We hear Moses in the First Reading (from the Book of Deuteronomy) tell us that to follow the law (the commandments of the Lord) will make you happy and set you free. He tells us that in living the law we evince God—that we are evidence of God’s goodness and mercy.
The Gospel story tells us to watch carefully what comes from within us—that we must examine our consciences for those things that are evil, to be our own watchdogs of our motives for the things we say and do. Jesus talks about ritual for its own sake rather than for the heart of belief, and he quotes Isaiah: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me…” We all have experienced this at times; we know Christians who judge and condemn, who have a lack of compassion or mercy. Jesus continues, “…in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts…” We are told that we disregard God’s law of love and cling to human tradition as if it were law. In the Gospel today, Jesus warns us to know the difference.
The Responsorial Psalm today (#15) is literally a list of what to do or not to do: basically the idea is to be a just person and then you will live in the presence of God. St. James (the second reading) puts it all more simply: “Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. Be doers of the word…care for orphans and widows…and keep oneself unstained by the world.”
Tradition in ritual is not under attack by Jesus, but the rationale for what we do together at Mass⎯the motive, the reason, the purpose, the intention⎯is the point. We gather as a Community of faith in order to give Glory and Praise to Our God. Deep Within your heart, God will plant His law.
That is a reason to Keep Singing!
Elizabeth Dyc
We hear Moses in the First Reading (from the Book of Deuteronomy) tell us that to follow the law (the commandments of the Lord) will make you happy and set you free. He tells us that in living the law we evince God—that we are evidence of God’s goodness and mercy.
The Gospel story tells us to watch carefully what comes from within us—that we must examine our consciences for those things that are evil, to be our own watchdogs of our motives for the things we say and do. Jesus talks about ritual for its own sake rather than for the heart of belief, and he quotes Isaiah: “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me…” We all have experienced this at times; we know Christians who judge and condemn, who have a lack of compassion or mercy. Jesus continues, “…in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts…” We are told that we disregard God’s law of love and cling to human tradition as if it were law. In the Gospel today, Jesus warns us to know the difference.
The Responsorial Psalm today (#15) is literally a list of what to do or not to do: basically the idea is to be a just person and then you will live in the presence of God. St. James (the second reading) puts it all more simply: “Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. Be doers of the word…care for orphans and widows…and keep oneself unstained by the world.”
Tradition in ritual is not under attack by Jesus, but the rationale for what we do together at Mass⎯the motive, the reason, the purpose, the intention⎯is the point. We gather as a Community of faith in order to give Glory and Praise to Our God. Deep Within your heart, God will plant His law.
That is a reason to Keep Singing!
Elizabeth Dyc
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