Working with a tradition to resist evil

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today offer a few paths to contemplate as we work for truth and beauty in our struggle against evil.

Truth and tradition

In the passage from the Book of Deuteronomy, the Israelites are exhorted to live the advantages of fidelity to the Law of Moses.

The Letter of James declares we must be doers of the Word and not just hearers.

* [1:26–27] A practical application of Jas 1:22 is now made.

In the Gospel from Mark, Jesus criticizes the scribes and Pharisees who have traveled to Galilee for putting the tradition of the Elders before living in the Spirit of God.

* [7:5] Tradition of the elders: the body of detailed, unwritten, human laws regarded by the scribes and Pharisees to have the same binding force as that of the Mosaic law; cf. Gal 1:14.

In the musings of a Franciscan friar, Fr. George Corrigan, OFM, explains the development of the tradition of the elders and how the Pharisees and scribes take as a given the tradition/understanding of the requirements of the Torah and mitzvot. They are not only questioning Jesus’ adherence to the accepted traditions and understanding, but they are questioning his leadership.

The logic is that if Jesus does not teach his disciples even the most basic practices of piety, he cannot be an orthodox or acceptable religious teacher. The litmus test is the accepted tradition and the understanding surrounding it. In addition, their question seeks to embarrass Jesus in front of the crowds and thus undermine his authority as a teacher.

The My Jewish Learning website explains why observe the Mitzvot? It links back to texts from Deuteronomy.

The Torah generally explains that the Jewish people should observe the mitzvot simply because God commanded us to do so, or because of the potential negative consequences that would result from non-compliance.  Other thinkers have endeavored to prove that the mitzvot are all completely rational, logical actions which any moral and ethical people would welcome. Still others claim that the commandments actually improve us as human beings, refining us as upright and just people, or that doing God’s commandments actually has a cosmic effect upon the spiritual fabric of all creation.

Tom Shanahan, S.J. asks how we might receive and react to the Pharisees’ reactive criticism and Jesus’ response to their questioning.

Jesus here affirms in the dialogue with the Pharisees that one’s interior attitude is clearly far more important than merely fulfilling an external command.   The ritual washing pales against the meal that is being prepared and shared together by the disciples.
Gracious God, you know us at the core of our being, our heart.  Help us to serve you with generosity and peace. Be with us as we seek you with sincere hearts.  We are grateful for your care for us and your call that invites us to be women and men of joy and concern for others.

Don Schwager quotes “Keeping one's own heart with all watchfulness”, by Origen of Alexandria, 185-254 A.D.

"These things are what 'defiles the person' when they come out from the heart and, after they have gone out from it, go through the mouth. Thus if they did not occur outside of the heart but were held by the person somewhere around the heart, not being allowed to be spoken through the mouth, they would very quickly disappear and the person would not be defiled any longer. Therefore the source and beginning of every sin is 'evil reasonings.' For if these reasonings did not prevail, there would be neither murders nor acts of adultery nor any other of such things. Because of this each one ought to keep one's own heart with all watchfulness. (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 11.14–15)

The Word Among Us Meditation on James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27 reminds us that we have to be “doers of the word” as well as “hearers”.

But no matter how much grace God has for us, James tells us that it’s not enough just to hear the word of God—not if we want to see any significant changes in the sinful areas of our lives. Similarly, just hearing the word of God won’t result in a growth in our gifts and virtues. We have to be “doers of the word” as well as “hearers” (James 1:22).

Friar Jude Winkler contrasts the Law and statues given to Israel with the sense in ancient world of capricious gods who could bring disaster from unknown sources. The gift of the Word planted in our hearts is to be actualized in our lives of serving the poor. The rabbinic interpretation is declared hypocritical by Jesus if we do not purify your hearts. Law is not an exact prescription but a guide to greater conversion.

The reflection from Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, focuses on people and communities within Christianity who were somehow transformed and “got it” at a mature level for their time in history.

The “Early Church” period (the five hundred or so years following Jesus’ resurrection) was a time of dramatic change in culture, politics, and economy. All these changes affected the development of the fledgling religion, shaping liturgy, rituals, and theology. Historian Diana Butler Bass writes, “for all the complexity of primitive Christianity, a startling idea runs through early records of faith: Christianity seems to have succeeded because it transformed the lives of people in a chaotic world.” [1] During this time, Christianity was not so much about doctrines or eternal salvation, but about how to live a better life here and now, within the “Reign of God.”

Fr Richard offers a conclusion appropriate for today that the very things the early Christians emphasized—such as the prayer of quiet, the Trinity, divinization, universal restoration, and the importance of practice—have been neglected, to our own detriment. Not knowing this early heritage will allow us to cling to superficial Christian distinctions that emerged much later, and largely as historical accidents.

References


(n.d.). Deuteronomy chapter 4 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 2, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/bible/Deuteronomy/4:1
(n.d.). James chapter 1 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 2, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/james/1
(n.d.). Mark chapter 7 - United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Retrieved September 2, 2018, from http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/7
(2015, August 28). Tradition of the elders | friarmusings. Retrieved September 2, 2018, from https://friarmusings.com/2015/08/28/tradition-of-the-elders/
(n.d.). Mitzvah: A Commandment | My Jewish Learning. Retrieved September 2, 2018, from https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/mitzvot-a-mitzvah-is-a-commandment/
n.d.). Online Ministries Home Page - Creighton University. Retrieved September 2, 2018, from http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/preparing.html
(n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved September 2, 2018, from https://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
(n.d.). Daily Meditations Archives - Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved September 2, 2018, from https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/