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Today, 27th of September, we celebrate
Saint Vincent of Paul
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8
Moses said to the people:
"Now, Israel, hear the statutes and decrees
which I am teaching you to observe,
that you may live, and may enter in and take possession of the land
which the LORD, the God of your fathers, is giving you.
In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God,
which I enjoin upon you,
you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it.
Observe them carefully,
for thus will you give evidence
of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations,
who will hear of all these statutes and say,
'This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.'
For what great nation is there
that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us
whenever we call upon him?
Or what great nation has statutes and decrees
that are as just as this whole law
which I am setting before you today?"
Psalm 15:2-3,3-4,4-5
R./ One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Whoever walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R./ One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
by whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the Lord.
R./ One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things
shall never be disturded.
R./ One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27
Dearest brothers and sisters:
All good giving and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights,
with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change.
He willed to give us birth by the word of truth
that we may 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.
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
When the Pharisees with 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 that 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."
Dear brothers and sisters, peace and blessings.
We’ve finished reading chapter 6 of the Gospel of John. We spent five weeks on it, with the (long) discourse on the Bread of Life. We ended last Sunday with Jesus’ question of whether the disciples also wanted to leave, and Peter’s response: “You alone have the words of eternal life!” We return to the Gospel of Mark, which accompanies us in this cycle B. And we do so with some words from Jesus, words of life, which help us, as always, to better live our faith.
Today’s topic is about rules. Divine law and positive law. Those that come from God and those that we humans give ourselves, in other words, so that we can live together. What we cannot change, and what can be adapted over time. It is important not to confuse them.
Sometimes, there is the temptation to want to change the most demanding provisions, to make it easier to be a Christian: to remove a commandment (or two) or a vow, for religious people. We know that this is not possible. It does not depend on us. Or the opposite temptation, to add new rules that arise from human “wisdom.” One wants to turn the will of man into the will of God. This is how many idolatries arise, and consciences can be violated. One asks in the name of God what God does not want.
It is important to distinguish the fundamental from the secondary. We think the external is very important, but we forget the internal, the fundamental. Jesus criticizes this confusion because it is useless to wash your hands if your heart is very dirty. Of course, washing your hands is not bad. What he may not like is that the meaning of the Law has been lost. Liturgy, rituals, have as their purpose to bring us closer to God. But the Pharisees forgot this, and they observed the rules just because, emptying them of meaning. They honored God with their lips, but not with their hearts. The sacred sense of that Law had been lost. It made it difficult, if not impossible, to access God.
The relationship with God must lead us to the relationship with our brothers and sisters. If we have accepted the Word, it means that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. We must put that received Word into practice, and not just listen to it. The reference to widows and orphans refers us to the most needy people of the time in which the apostle James writes. Deceiving oneself, closing one’s eyes to the needs of our fellow men, means not being a good Christian. In our Western world, widows and orphans are usually more or less well cared for, but there are many others in need. It is a matter of paying attention.
In the Gospel, there is a long list of vices – sins that make man impure, more than washing or not washing hands before eating. Evil purposes, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, greed, injustices, frauds, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, frivolity. All this gives us food for thought for a good examination of conscience. What makes all this bad is that it goes against the dignity of man. It objectifies, denatures the other. It turns him into a means to achieve our end. We can all understand that this cast of evils comes from within, from the heart. Therein lies the origin of many of our sins. That is why we must be careful with what we think or desire because it can be the origin of disordered behavior.
In Jesus’ words in the Gospel, we can find another reason to reflect: our way of participating in celebrations. In other words, it is not advisable to put the “autopilot” on when we go to church. We believers, happy to meet our Lord, should show it in the temple. What we celebrate there should be a manifestation of what we live and feel inside. Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks (Lk 6:45). Therefore, when we start singing, do I do it knowing that singing is praise, and not just an adornment of the celebration? When we respond to the celebrant, kneel, stand up or sit down, are we aware of what we are saying and why we are doing it? Do we strive to understand the meaning of each sign, each symbol, each gesture of the Eucharist?
True religion, that of the heart, can only be practiced by those who have come to have an adult and mature faith, by those who are free, sincere, open to the light of God and to the impulses of the Spirit. May participation in this Eucharist help us to approach that goal.
Your brother in faith,
Alejandro Carbajo, cmfJesus our Lord has called us together
and he says to us today:
"Listen to me, all of you,
and try to understand."
May we hear his word
and put it into practice,
and may the Lord be always with you. R/ And also with you.
A. The Spirit of the Law
How do you experience laws, especially God's commandments? Many people consider them as something coming from outside themselves, as burdens imposed on them. Of course, if they are outside you, you cannot love them, you feel like rejecting them or observe only the absolute minimum required. If we understand that their inspiration is love of God and love and respect for people, then they can become a part of ourselves and live in our hearts. Let us ask the Lord that with generosity and love we may go far beyond the letter of the law.
B. With All Your Heart
We are gathered here to listen to the word of God and to eat from his table. To listen means not simply to hear what the Lord has to say, but to let his word guide our life. But even our obedience to God's word should not become a mechanical compliance. God is a God who loves us, who wants to be near to his people. If we respond to his love, our response to him and to his word and commandments cannot be anything else than a response from the heart, an answer given to him by free and responsible people.
Let us ask the Lord to forgive us
that we have not always lived
according to the spirit of the commandments.
(PAUSE)
Lord Jesus, you said,
This is my commandment:
Love one another as I have loved you:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
Jesus Christ, you taught us:
Do to one another
what I have done for you:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, you told us:
what you do to the least of those who are mine
you do to me:
Lord, have mercy R/ Lord, have mercy.
Forgive us our sins, Lord,
and help us to serve you and others.
with a generous love.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.
Let us pray that our whole life
may give praise and thanks to the Lord
(PAUSE)
Father, God of the ever-new covenant,
you have tied us to yourself
with leading strings of lasting love;
the words you speak to us
are spirit and life.
Open our hearts to your words,
that they may touch us
in the deepest of ourselves.
May they move us to serve you
not in a slavish way
but as your sons and daughters
who love you and whom you have set free
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
First Reading Introduction: The Law Brings Life and Wisdom
Keeping God's law brings wisdom and life to his people. It is their response of loyalty to God's liberating nearness.
Second Reading Introduction: Live by God's Word
God's word has brought us life. We should put it into practice, with love of neighbor as the heart of it; then we will give genuine worship to God..
Gospel Introduction: Serve God with the Heart
True religion consists in a personal relationship with God (and people), not in the observance of the law. Human traditions often stand in the way of God's law of love.
Let us pray to God, the giver of all good gifts, that we may always obey his laws with the free attitude of Christ, and let us say: R/ Father, your will be done.
- For the Church, that it may not replace the gospel with rites and laws of human invention but bring people to the freedom, the gentleness and the light of Christ, let us pray: R/ Father, your will be done.
- For the leaders of people everywhere, that God's Spirit may inspire them to give their people wise laws that bring them freedom and justice, let us pray: R/ Father, your will be done.
- For those who do not know Christ, that they may discover God's law written in their hearts and find salvation by the integrity of their lives and the love of their neighbor, let us pray: R/ Father, your will be done.
- For those upset by the changes in the Church, that they may learn to appreciate the attempts of God's people to understand and live our faith in a contemporary way that remains true to the gospel, let us pray: R/ Father, your will be done.
- For us who share in the Lord's table, that we may learn from Jesus our Lord that love is the heart of the law and that true love knows how to serve, let us pray: R/ Father, your will be done.
Lord our God, may we not only hear your word but live by it day after day by the strength of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior for ever.R/ Amen.
Lord our God,
we bring before you our readiness
to respond to your love.
Strengthen us with the body and blood
of your Son Jesus Christ,
that with him we may be dedicated to you
with our whole mind and heart,
and that we may be capable
of communicating your love and justice
to all those around us.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.
With Jesus we now give thanks to the Father that he has given us the example of Jesus himself to make us understand that love is the basis and the spirit of all commandments.
Our lips will now speak Jesus' own prayer.
May his Spirit speak in our hearts
that we may really mean those words : R/ Our Father...
Deliver us, Lord, from every evil
and grant us peace in our day.
Keep us from formalism and lip-service
in obeying your commandments.
Help us to serve you and people
in freedom and responsibility
and let love inspire all we do,
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...
This is Jesus, the Lamb of God who said:
My food is to do the will
of him who sent me
and to complete his work.
Father, let your will be done, not mine.
Happy are we to be invited
to the table of the Lord
and to receive from him the strength
to do the will of God. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...
Lord our God,
your Son has shared himself with us
in this eucharistic celebration.
Give us his Spirit of strength,
we pray you,
that we may also share in his attitude
of openness to your will
and to the needs of people.
May we thus fulfill more than the law
and serve you as your sons and daughters,
in whom you recognize Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever. R/ Amen.
In a spirit of gratitude
for all God has given us,
let us put our hearts
into seeking in the commandments
not our will but the will of God.
God's word in the gospel
and Jesus' own attitude tell us
what is meant by God's will.
May almighty God give you the strength
to do his liberating will:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit . R/ Amen.
Let us go and seek God's will in all we do.R/ Thanks be to God.
