HOMILY OF 5TH TUESDAY IN ORDINARY TIME — YEAR A
HOMILY THEME: ARE YOU LIKE THE PHARISEES?
BY: Fr. Mike Lagrimas
Genesis 1:20-2:4, Psalm 8:4-9, Mark 7:1-13
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 went on to say, “How well you have set aside the commandment of God in order to uphold your tradition! For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and ‘Whoever curses father or mother shall die.’ Yet you say, ‘If a person says to father or mother, “Any support you might have had from me is qorban”’ (meaning, dedicated to God), you allow him to do nothing more for his father or mother. You nullify the word of God in favor of your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many such things.”
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‘In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.’ God is not pleased with the way His people worship Him, for they give undue importance to human precepts, which are being taught as doctrines. In time, these human precepts or regulations are regarded as ‘tradition of the elders’ and, though unwritten, have acquired binding force as the Law of Moses. Even St. Paul calls himself “a zealot for my ancestral traditions” before his conversion (Gal 1:14).
Originally, these observances have practical basis. For instance, washing of hands before eating, and washing of cups, kettles and dishes are for health reasons. Eating pork is banned because pigs, during those times, are known for their unsanitary living conditions. And in order for people to seriously follow these rules of hygiene, they were linked to a religious sanction. So, violating them jeopardizes one’s physical as well as spiritual health. Ignoring is tantamount to disobedience to God.
The popularity of Jesus has become so rapid and widespread that news about Him quickly reached Jerusalem. So, in the Gospel today, a group of scribes and Pharisees come up from Jerusalem to observe Jesus. What they notice right away is the violation of the ‘tradition of the elders’, in particular, the washing of hands before eating: “His disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.”
Immediately, these religious leaders unabashedly confront Jesus: “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” Definitely, Jesus is not against the washing of hands, not only as a health practice, but also as religious observance. But what Jesus opposes is the way these leaders strictly impose these external observances as expressions of love of God and as manifestation of holiness.
In reply to the question of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus simply quotes the words of the Prophet Isaiah, which is a direct condemnation of their hypocrisy, legalism and misguided notion of holiness. They are so keen in the observance of these human precepts and traditions and seriously impose them upon the people. For them, one can be holy by just observing in detail all these human precepts. But they miss the most important precept of all: God’s command to love and be merciful to others, especially those in need.
The Gospel today is a very important lesson for us all, priests and lay people alike. This serves as a warning to us lest we fall into the same sin of the Pharisees. We must be careful not to confuse the essential with the peripheral matters in the practice of our faith. In the end, we will only be judged by the depth of our love and nothing else.
St. Teresa of Kolkata said: “I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and it comes time for God to judge us, He will not ask, “How many good things have you done in your life?’ rather He will ask, ‘How much love did you put into what you did?’”
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