22nd Sunday Ordinary Time

Fr. Peter Robinson

Preached: Sept. 1, 2024

In 1913 in Britain, a person incurred (in today’s Canadian dollars) over $160,000 of debt from gambling — and then died. In the Chancery Division of the British High Court of Justice, it was decided 47 years later that gambling debts were a part of a person’s legal debts. Therefore, the debt was to be paid from the dead person’s estate, to the individual who held the proof of debt. The fact that 47 years had passed in no way zeroed out the debt to be paid. Such is the nature of the legal system.

However, let’s think for a moment, not about the meaning of “legal” but about “legal-ism,” which is a different matter. Legalism means the dependence on religious performance for approval by God.

THAT is what is going on in today’s Gospel reading from Mark 7. The problem was not that the religious leaders, to whom Jesus was speaking, were ignoring the OT law; rather, their observance of the law had become dangerous. They were obeying the law of God exactly — while forgetting its purpose. For example, it is no good driving doggedly just below the speed-limit, if at the same time your driving is endangering your own life — and those around you. Why? Because the purpose of speed limits is to protect life.

However, what is even worse, is the nature of our hearts — our hearts are very devious. The more exact the laws, the greater our temptation to manipulate those laws to evade their very purpose. Think of someone using the tax system — to try to evade paying taxes. Lost is the purpose of paying taxes in the first place: which is to fund our government, and to spread wealth with those who have less.

You see, in Jesus’ time there were religious leaders who had made this mistake. They had concluded that the way of salvation was by merely observing the ritual laws of Judaism; that is, 1) by keeping the Sabbath; 2) by eating kosher food; and 3) by separating themselves from non-Jews — and from obvious sinners within Judaism. In fact, in Jesus’ day there were religious leaders who taught that a faithful Jew could not spit on the Sabbath day. Do you know why? Because the spit could make a little furrow in the dust, which was essentially the same as plowing. So, that meant working on the Sabbath — by spitting.

Jesus’ point, on the other hand, was that “A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor a rotten tree bear good fruit.” In other words, Jesus was saying, “By their fruits you shall know them.” A person’s actions reflect the person’s faith. A person’s true intentions and character come from her or his heart. So, our inner faith is made visible by our outer words and actions.

Which means that our Lord is challenging us too, isn’t he? For example, is our attitude that of doing the minimum that our Church asks for? Of attending the minimum number of masses per year? Of going to confession the minimum per year — which is once, preferably before Easter. Of giving the minimum of money to our parish? Or do we practice our faith because it flows from our relationship with God — a relationship that is rooted in our love for God? Are we obeying because of our desire to please God — which is what lovers do for one another, right? They long to please the other, not to do the minimum.

So, brothers and sisters, with this attitude in mind, notice what St. James says in our Second Reading (ch. 1). Let’s read his instruction, with Jesus’ teaching in mind …

– Welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls (v. 21)

– Be doers of the word and not merely hearers (v. 22)

– Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world (v. 27)