Today’s Scripture Readings

Gospel Reading

NRSV

Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?’ He said to them, ‘Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, “This people honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.” You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.’ Then he said to them, ‘You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition! For Moses said, “Honour your father and your mother”; and, “Whoever speaks evil of father or mother must surely die.” But you say that if anyone tells father or mother, “Whatever support you might have had from me is Corban” (that is, an offering to God)— then you no longer permit doing anything for a father or mother, thus making void the word of God through your tradition that you have handed on. And you do many things like this.’

Wow! A pretty impressive outpouring of Jesus’ feelings in this Gospel. He certainly didn’t hold back in confronting the shallowness of the elders in the Jewish community. Imagine you were in the group hearing the very challenging words from the mouth of Jesus. There would probably be lots of mixed emotions in the group. Perhaps embarrassment, shame, indignation at being called out or maybe self-righteous anger. You can feel the pain and disappointment in the words of Jesus.

The truth that Jesus speaks into the group is like holding a mirror up to the Elders to show that they cannot hide behind tradition when they are being invited into a loving relationship with the God who constantly journeys with them.

Jesus invites us to look deeply into our hearts and to be truthful and authentic in our relationship with our creating and loving God. We are asked to open our hearts and to honour God with our whole being in everything we do and say and are.

As we celebrate the feast of St Scholastica we see her complete desire to honour God with her voice, her heart and her whole being. With her as a role model and with the words of Jesus ringing in our ears, let us live this day in truth and openness for the greater glory of God.

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