Over the past month, the Sunday Gospels have recounted the “Bread of Life Discourse” from the sixth chapter of St. John’s Gospel where Jesus revealed that He offers His Body and Blood — the Bread of Life — to His church, that all who believe in Him and eat His flesh might have eternal life. This truth is remarkable and glorious but also must have been unimaginable to some, and thus, Jesus found opposition among His disciples. They argued that He could not offer Himself as food. When Jesus replied that His flesh is real food and His blood is real drink, some could only respond by saying, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Even after Jesus assured them that He was speaking the truth, we hear with heavy hearts that, faced with the “hard” teaching of Jesus, “many of His disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied Him.”

Seen through the eyes of faith, this abandonment is tragic. These disciples walked with Jesus, saw His works and heard Him preach. How could they turn from Him? Were they confused with what He proposed regarding His Flesh and Blood? Were they indignant that Jesus, the Son of God, acted in a way they found less than divine? Why was their faith lacking to the point that they could not believe His words? We cannot know. We just know that many disciples chose this point to walk away from Our Lord and the salvation and eternal life He promised.

There comes a point in every Catholic's life when they realize the challenges of Christianity and ask themselves whether it is worth it to continue to follow Jesus. Usually this occurs after we leave our homes and are free to make life decisions on our own. It is then that many abandon Christianity because we think it is easier not to go to Mass and pray, easier not to live the moral life required by our faith, easier to go with the flow of our culture and not fight against it. This is not a new phenomenon. More than a century ago, G. K. Chesterton wrote, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried” (What's Wrong with the World, 1, V).

For many, the temptation to abandon Jesus is the result of one of His teachings. For the disciples in today's Gospel, it was the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, but it may be one of many that are upheld by the Catholic Church. Today, many view Catholic teaching as irrational, old-fashioned, restrictive and even hateful when it comes to issues such as contraception, same-sex marriage, abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment and stewardship of God's creation (just to name a few). Because of this, it is hard to follow Jesus Christ and live His truth because doing so may bring the “sword,” causing division within families, between friends and neighbors, and in society in which we live (cf. Mt 10:35). But we know that we gain nothing by dismissing Jesus and His truth for a fleeting worldly peace founded on sand. It is better to build on the solid rock of faith.

Others choose to remain with Jesus and His church, but prefer to choose which of His teachings to follow. In the 4th century, St. Augustine wrote, “For to believe what you please, and not to believe what you please, is to believe yourselves, and not the Gospel” (Contra Faustum, XVII, 3). We can see the dangerous inconsistency of following Jesus but not trusting the church He established to lead and feed His flock. No doubt each of us has struggled to understand some aspect of the Christian teaching on morals and doctrine, and perhaps some of us still do. When facing this doubt, we must do our best first to understand exactly what the church teaches and why. This requires us to read what has been taught, to engage in dialogue with priests and laity who are faithful to the church and knowledgeable about its teaching and to pray to understand the divine truths we struggle to comprehend, as well as the faith to follow these truths while still we are in the process of understanding.

In the Scriptures and through His church, Jesus reveals the beauty of all creation and the truth that leads us to eternal life. Let us pray that we remain faithful to Him, His truth and His promises, even in the difficult times when we are tempted to stray.

Lord Jesus, through your grace, enlighten our minds and hold our hearts firm in faith and love of you.

Fr. Wagner is Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde’s secretary.

The Work of God

Year B - 22nd Sunday in ordinary time

This people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me

This people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me Catholic Gospels - Matthew, Luke, Mark, John - Inspirations of the Holy Spirit "> Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

1 And there assembled together unto him the Pharisees and some of the scribes, coming from Jerusalem.
2 And when they had seen some of his disciples eat bread with unclean hands, they found fault.
3 For the Pharisees, and all the Jews eat not without often washing their hands, holding the tradition of the ancients:
4 And when they come from the market, unless they be washed, they eat not: and many other things there are that have been delivered to them to observe, the washings of cups and of pots, and of brazen vessels, and of beds.
5 And the Pharisees and scribes asked him: Why do not your disciples walk according to the tradition of the ancients, but they eat bread with unclean hands?
6 But he answering, said to them: Well did Isaiah to prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
7 And in vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines and precepts of men.
8 For leaving the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pots and of cups: and many other things you do like to these.
14 And calling again the multitude unto him, he said to them: Hear me, all of you, and understand.
15 There is nothing from outside a man that entering into him, can defile him. But the things which come from a man, those are they that defile a man.
21 For from within out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.
23 All these evil things come from within, and defile a man.

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus

22nd Sunday in ordinary time - This people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me"> I said, “do not judge” because he who judges will be judged. It is very common in the spiritual life to think that human efforts may lead to sanctity, but I want to remind you that God is the one who builds the spiritual house, not man. Those whose efforts are not combined with obedience forfeit the grace that is always given to the humble.

The Pharisees used to criticize my disciples and doubted my teachings, they had become proud and thought that they were better than everybody else. Today, there are many who criticize those who are in the spiritual life; and putting aside my teachings they think that they are in a higher spiritual position. This is why I said, the first will be the last, and the last will be the first.

What is human opinion before God? I am the Master, and my teaching brings perfection to the soul. There is nothing good in personal opinion since that is contaminated with self-love and is always mixed with pride, even in the souls closest to me. This is why I have called you to learn from me, who am humble of heart. I the greatest, the King, have become the slave of humanity and have come to serve you.

It is very serious to judge others, because only God knows the heart of everyone, he who imparts judgment is putting himself above the person being judged and loses merit for many of his good deeds. It is of no value to offer me prayer, when the heart is rejecting my teachings; it is worthless to offer me lip service when the soul is full of egoism and the heart is far away from me.

He who wants to be forgiven must forgive others, he who wants to know what concept I have of him, must abandon all judgment to others, he who wants to be worthy of me, must recognize constantly his indignity and must live in accordance to his repentance.

He who wishes to grow spiritually must be filled with me, so that he can become a fountain of living water and so that from his heart may come good works as a testimony of my Presence in his life.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

Archdiocese of Washington

The Love of the Law and the Law of Love – A Homily for the 22nd Sunday of the Year

Msgr. Charles Pope • August 29, 2015 •

Today’s readings teach a proper understanding of the Law and its relationship to our hearts. The readings go a long way toward addressing the false dichotomy that many set up between love and law, as though the two were opposed; they are not. For if we love God, we want what He wants and love what He loves. And the Law goes a long way toward describing what God wants and loves. Indeed, the Law is letting love have its way.

God is Love and His Law (no matter how averse we are to “rules”) is ultimately an expression of His love. In all of the readings today God asks (even as He commands it) that we let love have its way. Let’s look at four teachings on the relationship of Law to God, who is Love.

I. The PROTECTION of the Law – Note that the text from today’s first reading frames the Law, and the obedient hearing of it, in terms of a promise of God, seeing the Law as a doorway to the loving blessings and promises of God. The text says, 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.”

So the Law comes with a promise. It is the basis of life and the doorway to the further blessings of the land. Many today see God’s Law as prison walls, as a limitation on our freedom to “do as we please.” But the walls are not prison walls; they are defending walls.

Every ancient city had walls, not to imprison its citizens, but to protect them from the enemy. Within the walls there was security and the promise of protection. Outside the walls lurked danger; there were no promises of safety.

It is like this with God’s Laws. For those who keep them, they are a great source of protection and also contain the promise of ultimate victory. But outside this protective wall there is every danger and no promise of victory.

In his famous book Orthodoxy, G.K. Chesterton wrote,

Catholic doctrine and discipline may be walls; but they are the walls of a playground … We might fancy some children playing on the flat grassy top of some tall island in the sea. So long as there was a wall round the cliff’s edge they could fling themselves into every frantic game and make the place the noisiest of nurseries. But the walls were knocked down, leaving the naked peril of the precipice. They did not fall over; but when their friends returned to them they were all huddled in terror in the center of the island; and their song had ceased. [1]

God didn’t give the Law to take away our fun, but that we might find life and happiness. The devil, of course, is a liar; he tells us that we’ll be happier if we sin, that God is limiting our freedom by hemming us in with His Law. But sin does not make us free. Jesus says, Truly, truly, I say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin (John 8:34). Indeed, how much suffering and pain would vanish if we all just kept the commandments? Most of our wounds are self-inflicted, by insisting on journeying outside the walls of God’s loving and protecting commandments.

Moses reminds us that our decision for or against the Law brings either blessing or curse:

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the LORD your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the LORD your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the LORD is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Deut 30:15-20).

II. The PRECISION of the Law – Regarding the Law of God, Moses says, 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.

Here we might the Law to be like a set of directions to a destination. If you give me directions to get to your house, I am probably not going to get there if I only follow half of the directions. The compliance must be complete to bring me to the right place. And so we are directed the follow the Law of God wholly. Scripture says elsewhere,

Instruct me O Lord, in the way of your statutes, that I may exactly observe them (Ps 119:33).
I intend in my heart to fulfill your statutes always to the letter. I have no love for half-hearted men, my love is for your law (Ps 119:112-113).
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it (James 2:10).

Here we must see God as a healer who is not exacting and precise for His sake, but for ours. Imagine a man who goes to a doctor with two broken legs and the doctor says, “We’re gonna aim for 50% here. I’ll set one leg but leave the other one broken. But don’t worry about the broken leg; that’s why God gave you two!” We would surely hold such a doctor in contempt. God, who is our healer, points to full health, not crippled or partial health.

When Jesus says, You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48), He is indicating the kind of healing He offers. And St. Paul adds, [God who] began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil 1:6).

Thus the precision of the Law is taught to indicate the healing power of God’s law with grace.

III. The PRIORITY of the Law – In today’s gospel, Jesus rebukes the Scribes and Pharisees saying, “[You] teach as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.”

Now, as then, many set aside the priority of God’s Law in favor of human thinking. Politics has become a pernicious influence in this regard. Many Catholics of both parties are more passionate about their political views than about God’s teachings as revealed through Scripture and Church teaching. And if there is a conflict between what God teaches and the political party view, guess which gives way and which gets unexamined allegiance?

Be it questions of abortion, immigration, or same-sex “marriage,” all too easily Catholics will turn a deaf ear to what God teaches, never rebuking their own party when correction is needed, and even cheering as their political leaders champion positions contrary to God’s Law. Too many Catholics place political priorities and popularity, human traditions and agenda, over God’s Law.

The Lord Jesus goes on to say, 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. He says elsewhere, [you] make void the word of God through your tradition which you hand on. And many such things you do (Mk 7:13).

Be very careful; the pernicious effects of partisan political thinking, worldviews, and mere cultural preferences have caused too many Catholics to cease to be the leaven, the prophetic voice they are supposed to be in this world. All of the political parties, most worldviews, and many cultural trends need purification. A Catholic must be a Catholic before he is a Democrat, a Republican, or a Libertarian; before he is a fan of a Hollywood star or musician; before he touts the latest trend or raves about the most recent bestselling book. None of these things usually stand blameless before God, and the unquestioning, unqualified, and silent allegiance from Catholics and other Christians toward such worldly things is a huge problem today. We are too easily compromised and have often elevated human teachings and movements above God’s Law.

To all of this, the Lord gives rebuke and reminds us that His Law must the standard by which every other thing is judged. A Christian should see everything by the Light of God’s Law, exposing error and evil, approving goodness and truth wherever they are found. Nothing has priority over what God teaches.

In the end it is a question of what and whom we love more: God and His Law, or this world and its ways of sin and compromise.

IV. The PLACE of the Law – The Lord goes on to indicate that our fundamental problem can be that the Law of God is not in our heart. He warns that the heart, since it is the locus of human decision and action, must be the place of His Law for us. The Lord says, 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.

Hence there is the need to have God’s law in our heart. It is not enough to have a cursory and intellectual awareness of God’s Law. The Law must drop the 15 inches from the intellect to the heart.

And what is the human heart? While there ambiguities in the biblical text distinguishing mind and heart, this much is clear: the heart is the deepest part of the human person, the place where we are alone with our thoughts and deliberations. The heart is the place where we discern, ponder, and ultimately decide. The heart is “where we live.” It is in this deepest part of ourselves that the Law of God must find a home.

Jesus makes it clear that it is from the deep heart of the individual that come forth the behaviors that determine our character and our destiny. It is here that the Law of God must find a home. And it will only find a deep home here through prayer and meditation; through the careful, persistent, and thoughtful reading of God’s revealed truth, coupled with gratitude and love of God.

It is no mistake that the summary of God’s Law is simply, “Love the Lord the your God with all your heart and your neighbor as your very self.” For it is only love that unlocks the door of our heart. And in loving God we begin to love what and whom He loves. To love God is to love His Law. Scripture says,

My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times (Ps 119:20).
Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors (Ps 119:24 24).
The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold (Ps 119:72).
For I love your commands more than gold, however fine (Ps 119:127).
I open my mouth and sigh, longing for your commands (Ps 119:131).

Yes, in the end, the Law comes from Love, the God of Love, who is Love. And thus it is love that unlocks the Law, love that makes us realize that the Law is a gift of God’s love. He gives us His law in order to protect us, precisely guide us, and heal us. Thus He asks us to make His Law a wholehearted priority.

Love the Law and come to experience the Love that the Law is.

This song says,

We need to hear from you
We need a word from you
If we don’t hear from you
What will we do?
Wanting you more each day
Show us your perfect way
There is no other way
That we can live
Destruction is now is now in view
Seems the world has forgotten all about you
Children are crying and people are dying
They’re lost without you, so lost without you
But you said if we seek
Lord if we seek your face
And turn from our wicked, our wicked ways
You promised to heal our land
Father you can!

Video

Sunday Gospel Reflections

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading I: Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8 II: James 1:17-18,21-22,27

Gospel
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

¹ Now when the Pharisees gathered together to him, with some of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem,
² they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands defiled, that is, unwashed.
³ (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders;
⁴ and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they purify themselves; and there are many other traditions which they observe, the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze.)
⁵ And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with hands defiled?"
⁶ And he said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
⁷ in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.'
⁸ You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men."
¹⁴ And he called the people to him again, and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand:
¹⁵ there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him."
²¹ For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery,
²² coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.
²³ All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man."

Interesting Details

For the Jewish people, the Law of Moses or Torah, even today, means two things: the Ten Commandments and the first five books of the Old Testament. What is under discussion here is not the Law but the moral principles or the unwritten rules to which the scribes and Pharisees gave equal force and observed rigorously.
Mark adds the explanation in (v.3 and 4) for the benefit of Gentile readers unfamiliar with Jewish custom, thus giving evidence about the Gospel's audience and purpose.
The issue was not hygiene but a ritual, ceremonial cleanness. The Pharisees wished to extend these rules applied to priests to all people, thus making the vision of a priestly people.
Making explicit what was implicit in the quotation "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me," Jesus accuses the Pharisees and scribes of being "hypocrites," fulfilling the prophesied word of God written in Isaih 29:13.
(v. 14) Like the opponents and the crowd, the disciples remain speachless, giving no indication that they have really "heard" and "understood" Jesus, resulting in Jesus' strong reaction to their question in v.18: "Then are you also without understanding?"

One Main Point

Jesus demonstrates that the Pharisees and scribes annul God's word with their human traditions.

Reflections

What role do external observances play in our life of faith?
What do I like best and least about what comes from within me? How can I control what comes from within?

We should all realize that no matter where or how a man dies, if he is in the state of mortal sin and does not repent, when he could have done so and did not, the Devil tears his soul from his body with such anguish and distress that only a person who has experienced it can appreciate it.

St. Francis of Assisi

The Angelus

The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.

Hail Mary . . .

And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.

Hail Mary . . .

Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts; that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His Resurrection, through the same Christ Our Lord.

Amen.

"Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)

"Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb"
(Lk 1:42).

Information: St. Pammachius

Feast Day: August 30

Born: 340

Died: 409 at Rome

Holy Spirit Interactive Kids: A Saint a Day

St. Pammachius

Feast Day: August 30
Born: (around) 360 :: Died: 410

Pammachius was a well-known Christian politician in Rome. When he was a young student, he became friends with St. Jerome and they remained friends all their lives.

His wife Paulina, was the second daughter of St. Paula, another good friend of St. Jerome. Then Paulina died in 397, and St. Jerome and St. Paulinus of Nola wrote Pammachius letters filled with sympathy, support and the promise of prayers.

Pammachius was heart-broken and he spent the rest of his life serving in the hospice (rest house) that he and St. Fabiola built. There, pilgrims coming to Rome were welcomed and made comfortable.

Pammachius and Fabiola willingly accepted the poor, the sick and the handicapped. Pammachius felt that the spirit of his wife who had died was with him as he performed his works of mercy. Paulina had been known for her love for the poor and suffering. Her husband now believed that by caring for them, he was paying her the best possible compliment he could.

St. Pammachius was much gentler with his words and ways than the fiery St. Jerome. He often suggested to Jerome that he soften or reword his letters, but Jerome usually did not listen. For example, a man named Jovinian was going about with false teachings. Jerome wrote a strict article clearly marking Jovinian's mistakes.

When Pammachius read the article he asked Jerome to reword the strong language. St. Jerome thanked his friend for his concern, but refused to make the corrections.

Once when St. Jerome and a man named Rufinus had a big quarrel, Pammachius tried to help them settle the disagreement but as usual, Jerome refused to listen.

St. Pammachius knew how to be a good friend. He was always helpful and honest. We can ask him to help us be true to our friends as he was.

He had a little Church built in his house, which today is the Passionist Church of Saints John and Paul. St. Pammachius died in 410 when the Goths took over Rome.

CATHOLIC ALMANAC

Sunday, August 30

Liturgical Color: Green

On this day in 1884 Pope Leo XIII issued
the encyclical Superiore Anno urging all
the faithful to pray the rosary for the
Church. He said in times of trial, the
Rosary is the best way to gain God’s
blessings for the Church and her
members.

I pray that we will all remember #30.

Day 242 - The Cleansing of the Temple

Today’s Reading: John 2:13-25
13 The Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the temple he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers at their business. 15 And making a whip of cords, he drove them all, with the sheep and oxen, out of the temple; and he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables.
16 And he told those who sold the pigeons, “Take these things away; you shall not make my Father’s house a house of trade.” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.” 18 The Jews then said to him, “What sign have you to show us for doing this?” 19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he spoke of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken. 23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs which he did; 24 but Jesus did not trust himself to them, 25 because he knew all men and needed no one to bear witness of man; for he himself knew what was in man.

Today’s Commentary:
In the temple: The Jerusalem Temple was divided into several courts. The outermost court, open to Gentile pilgrims, was used for selling sacrificial animals and exchanging foreign currency for the appropriate coins needed to pay the annual Temple tax. Jesus is angry that the merchants are robbing Israel through inflated rates of exchange and robbing the Gentiles of the opportunity to worship and pray.

poured out . . . overturned: The aggressive actions of Jesus are a prophetic sign of the Temple’s imminent destruction (Mk 13:1-2). The expulsion of oxen, sheep, and pigeons (2:14) from the precincts likewise signifies the termination of animal sacrifice in the Temple (4:21-24).

Ordinary Time: August 30th

Twenty-Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

Daily Readings for: August 30, 2015
(Readings on USCCB website)

Collect: God of might, giver of every good gift, put into our hearts the love of your name, so that, by deepening our sense of reverence, you may nurture in us what is good and, by your watchful care, keep safe what you have nurtured. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

RECIPES

Beef Brisket with Fall Vegetables

ACTIVITIES

PRAYERS

LIBRARY

Old Calendar: Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

And he called the people to him again, and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him." For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man (Mark 7:14-15, 21-23)."

Click here for commentary on the readings in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite.

Sunday Readings
The first reading is taken from the Book of Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 in which the chosen people are urged to carry out the laws God gave them. If they do, they will give good example to the pagan peoples among whom they live, and will make these pagans see how good God is to His chosen people.

The second reading is from the Letter of James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27. St. James exhorts us to be Christians in practice, not in theory; to "do", to live according to the law laid down for us.

The Gospel is from St. Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23. When Christ came on earth the Scribes and Pharisees were the religious leaders of the Jews. The Scribes, so called because of their knowledge of the Mosaic Law and the traditions added on to it, were the elite among the Pharisees who prided themselves on their strict, rigorous observance of the Law and the human traditions. The Pharisees had no time or no understanding for their fellow-Jews who often violated the scribal traditions — and even the Law of Moses itself sometimes. For this reason they kept themselves apart from the ordinary people and developed a proud superiority complex. They performed many acts of virtue but their pride and sense of self-sufficiency vitiated their good deeds (see the description of the Pharisee and the tax-gatherer in the temple, in Lk. 18: 10-14). The opposition of the Pharisees and Scribes to Jesus began very early in his public life. It grew in strength daily until, with the help of the Sadducees, their arch-opponents, they finally nailed him to the cross.

The main reason why they opposed him so bitterly was his mercy, kindness and understanding for sinners. He ate with tax-gatherers and made one of them, Levi, an Apostle. He forgave the adultress and many, many others. While he certainly did not approve of sin, he never uttered a hard word against any sinner. He had come, as he said, to call sinners to himself and to repentance. This he did all through his public life. He objected to the Pharisees, not because of their strict observance of the Mosaic Law nor of their insistence on human traditions — although they sometimes carried this to an intolerable extreme. He objected because they despised the lowly people, the uneducated in the law and traditions — those, in other words, who did not belong to their own exclusive class. To the Pharisees all these were "sinners," while they themselves had the worst sin of all — the original sin of mankind, the sin of pride.

In today's encounter with the Pharisees, Jesus tells them that they are hypocrites: "they honor God with their lips but their heart is far from God"; they obey the Law and the traditions, not to please God, but to be seen and admired by men; their motive, self-glorification, vitiates every otherwise good act they perform. Christ then addresses the people — the crowds who most likely had overheard his dialog with the Pharisees — and he tells them that it is not legal or cultic uncleanliness that matters, but cleanliness of the heart before God. Eating with unwashed hands, or using unwashed vessels for drinking, does not defile a man, this does not make him less worthy before God. It is not from things outside him that a man incurs defilement but from his own innermost self. Every serious sin against God and neighbor has its beginning within a man, in his intellect and will; the evil design is the forerunner and instigator of the evil deed.

The Pharisees should have known all this. They did know it. They knew very well that before a man breaks any of the commandments of God he must first plan and decide to break it; it was not their theology that was defective but their practice. They despised their neighbors and called fellowmen "sinners," because through ignorance they violated many of the man-made precepts the Pharisees had added to the Law of Moses. There were also fellow-Jews of theirs who violated the law itself, but it was not their right to judge or condemn much less excommunicate them, as they so often did in practice.

Christ condemned the Pharisees by word and deed. He was merciful, kind and understanding to all sinners. He forgave sin and promised forgiveness to all who would repent of their past misdeeds. Not only that: for he left to his followers for all time his sacrament of mercy and forgiveness, by means of which they could have their sins forgiven by his minister, acting in his name. Should we ever forget all he has done for us and disobey in a serious way any of his commandments, let us remember that we are not excluded from his company as the sinners were excluded by the Pharisees: we have banged the door on ourselves but he has given us the key with which to reopen it. Let us never be so foolish as to fail to use that key.

Excerpted from The Sunday Readings by Fr. Kevin O'Sullivan, O.F.M.

The Word Among Us

Meditation: James 1:17-18, 21-22, 27

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Be doers of the word and not hearers only. (James 1:22)

In the Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification, Lutherans and Catholics spelled out their common understanding of and belief in the concept of justification by faith. Issued in 1999, the declaration said, “Together we confess: By grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works” (15).

Faith in Jesus is the way to salvation. We cannot save ourselves. At the same time, faith calls us to do good works. C. S. Lewis once said that any discussion about which is more important—faith or works—is as senseless as asking which blade of a pair of scissors is more important. Both are important. Both are critical. Both are necessary.

If faith were not vital, we would have to ask, “Then why did Jesus die for our sins?” If works were not crucial, we would have to ask, “Why did Jesus tell us to go out and evangelize, care for the poor, visit the sick, and feed the hungry?”

Faith and works are inseparable. When people asked Jesus, “What can we do to accomplish the works of God?” he answered, “This is the work of God, that you believe in the one he sent” (John 6:28, 29). Even faith in Jesus takes work. It means entrusting ourselves to his saving grace. It means choosing to surrender ourselves to him and obeying his word.

So make it a point to put your faith in Jesus every day. At the same time, make it a point to serve the Lord and to care for his people. Be a believer and be a doer. You have incredible gifts. They were given to you so that you would build the kingdom of heaven on earth. Use your talents for God, and you’ll see people’s faith come to life.

“Jesus, you are my Savior. I believe in you, Lord!”

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8
Psalm 15:2-5
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion:

Mass Readings:
1st Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8
Responsorial: Psalm 15:2-5
2nd Reading: James 1:17-18,21-22,27
Gospel: Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23

1. In today’s first reading, Moses declares that the Israelites’ obedience to the commandments of God would be a great witness to other nations and would bring glory to God. Why do you believe this is so? In what way is our obedience to Christ and his commandments in our daily lives a witness to others that he is truly the Lord? How are you doing?

2. Moses also warns the Israelites to keep God’s law, not adding or subtracting from it. Why is this also true of us when it comes to Christ’s and the Church’s teachings? Why is being faithful to these teachings not just a matter of trying harder to do better, but requires a greater reliance on the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit? Knowing this, what steps can you take to help you be more faithful to these teachings?

3. In the Responsorial Psalm, we are invited to see that God demands that in our daily actions, and our dealings with others, we need to walk “blamelessly,” do “justice,” think “the truth” and not “slander.” We also hear these words of encouragement, “Whoever does these things will not be disturbed” (Psalm 15:5). Why is our interior peace so dependent on living a godly life?

4. In the second reading, James tells us that we need to keep ourselves from sin and “to care” for others. In what way does this require us to continue to grow spiritually and to open ourselves more deeply to God’s transforming love? Are there some additional steps you can take to do this, so that so that you will “be doers of the word and not hearers only”?

5. The second reading ends with these words: “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.” What steps can you take to reach out more to others, especially “orphans,” “widows,” and others less fortunate than you?

6. In the Gospel, Jesus presents examples where the Pharisees and scribes have added to God’s law their own commandments (e.g., certain ritual purifications). They are warned against religious observance that is purely external and ritualistic. How does Jesus distinguish between rituals that are empty and those that are from God and are life-giving?

7. Jesus also told the Pharisees and scribes that they “honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” What can we do in our celebration of the Eucharist, and the other Sacraments, that will allow us to experience greater renewal in our inner selves, so that we are able to manifest the love, power, and compassion of Christ to others?

8. The meditation challenges us with these words: “Faith in Jesus is the way to salvation. We cannot save ourselves. At the same time, faith calls us to do good works.” Why is faith in Jesus the “way to salvation? The meditation goes on to say that “Faith and works are inseparable.” Why are our “good works” the “evidence” of our salvation? If someone were to ask you why faith and works are inseparable, how would you answer him?

9. Take some time now to pray and thank the Lord for setting you free from sin and death, and for the grace to be a better “hearer” and “doer” of the Word of God. Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.Use the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point.

Mark
	English: Douay-Rheims	Latin: Vulgata Clementina	Greek NT: Byzantine/Majority Text (2000)
	Mark 7
1.	AND there assembled together unto him the Pharisees and some of the scribes, coming from Jerusalem.	Et conveniunt ad eum pharisæi, et quidam de scribis, venientes ab Jerosolymis.	και συναγονται προς αυτον οι φαρισαιοι και τινες των γραμματεων ελθοντες απο ιεροσολυμων
2.	And when they had seen some of his disciples eat bread with common, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.	Et cum vidissent quosdam ex discipulis ejus communibus manibus, id est non lotis, manducare panes, vituperaverunt.	και ιδοντες τινας των μαθητων αυτου κοιναις χερσιν τουτ εστιν ανιπτοις εσθιοντας αρτους εμεμψαντο
3.	For the Pharisees, and all the Jews eat not without often washing their hands, holding the tradition of the ancients:	Pharisæi enim, et omnes Judæi, nisi crebro laverint manus, non manducant, tenentes traditionem seniorum :	οι γαρ φαρισαιοι και παντες οι ιουδαιοι εαν μη πυγμη νιψωνται τας χειρας ουκ εσθιουσιν κρατουντες την παραδοσιν των πρεσβυτερων
4.	And when they come from the market, unless they be washed, they eat not: and many other things there are that have been delivered to them to observe, the washings of cups and of pots, and of brazen vessels, and of beds.	et a foro nisi baptizentur, non comedunt : et alia multa sunt, quæ tradita sunt illis servare, baptismata calicum, et urceorum, et æramentorum, et lectorum :	και απο αγορας εαν μη βαπτισωνται ουκ εσθιουσιν και αλλα πολλα εστιν α παρελαβον κρατειν βαπτισμους ποτηριων και ξεστων και χαλκιων και κλινων
5.	And the Pharisees and scribes asked him: Why do not thy disciples walk according to the tradition of the ancients, but they eat bread with common hands?	et interrogabant eum pharisæi et scribæ : Quare discipuli tui non ambulant juxta traditionem seniorum, sed communibus manibus manducant panem ?	επειτα επερωτωσιν αυτον οι φαρισαιοι και οι γραμματεις δια τι οι μαθηται σου ου περιπατουσιν κατα την παραδοσιν των πρεσβυτερων αλλα ανιπτοις χερσιν εσθιουσιν τον αρτον
6.	But he answering, said to them: Well did Isaias prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.	At ille respondens, dixit eis : Bene prophetavit Isaias de vobis hypocritis, sicut scriptum est : Populus hic labiis me honorat, cor autem eorum longe est a me :	ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν αυτοις οτι καλως προεφητευσεν ησαιας περι υμων των υποκριτων ως γεγραπται ουτος ο λαος τοις χειλεσιν με τιμα η δε καρδια αυτων πορρω απεχει απ εμου
7.	And in vain to they worship me, teaching doctrines and precepts of men.	in vanum autem me colunt, docentes doctrinas, et præcepta hominum.	ματην δε σεβονται με διδασκοντες διδασκαλιας ενταλματα ανθρωπων
8.	For leaving the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, the washing of pots and of cups: and many other things you do like to these.	Relinquentes enim mandatum Dei, tenetis traditionem hominum, baptismata urceorum et calicum : et alia similia his facitis multa.	αφεντες γαρ την εντολην του θεου κρατειτε την παραδοσιν των ανθρωπων βαπτισμους ξεστων και ποτηριων και αλλα παρομοια τοιαυτα πολλα ποιειτε
[...]
14.	And calling again the multitude unto him, he said to them: Hear ye me all, and understand.	Et advocans iterum turbam, dicebat illis : Audite me omnes, et intelligite.	και προσκαλεσαμενος παντα τον οχλον ελεγεν αυτοις ακουετε μου παντες και συνιετε
15.	There is nothing from without a man that entering into him, can defile him. But the things which come from a man, those are they that defile a man.	Nihil est extra hominem introiens in eum, quod possit eum coinquare, sed quæ de homine procedunt illa sunt quæ communicant hominem.	ουδεν εστιν εξωθεν του ανθρωπου εισπορευομενον εις αυτον ο δυναται αυτον κοινωσαι αλλα τα εκπορευομενα απ αυτου εκεινα εστιν τα κοινουντα τον ανθρωπον
[...]
21.	For from within out of the heart of men proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,	Ab intus enim de corde hominum malæ cogitationes procedunt, adulteria, fornicationes, homicidia,	εσωθεν γαρ εκ της καρδιας των ανθρωπων οι διαλογισμοι οι κακοι εκπορευονται μοιχειαι πορνειαι φονοι
22.	Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.	furta, avaritiæ, nequitiæ, dolus, impudicitiæ, oculus malus, blasphemia, superbia, stultitia.	κλοπαι πλεονεξιαι πονηριαι δολος ασελγεια οφθαλμος πονηρος βλασφημια υπερηφανια αφροσυνη
23.	All these evil things come from within, and defile a man.	Omnia hæc mala ab intus procedunt, et communicant hominem.	παντα ταυτα τα πονηρα εσωθεν εκπορευεται και κοινοι τον ανθρωπον

1. Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the Scribes, which came from Jerusalem.
2. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashed, hands, they found fault.
3. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands off, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.
4. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.
5. Then the Pharisees and Scribes asked him, Why walk not you disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?
6. He answered and said unto them, Well has Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.
7. However in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things you do.

BEDE; The people of the land of Gennesareth, who seem to be unlearned men, not only come themselves, but also bring their sick to the Lord, that they may but succeed in touching the hem of His garment. But the Pharisees and Scribes, who ought to have been the teachers of the people, run together to the Lord, not to seek for healing but to move captions questions; wherefore it ms said, Then there came together to him the Pharisees and certain of the Scribes, coming from Jerusalem; and when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with common, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault.

THEOPHYL. For the disciples of the Lord, who were taught only the practice of virtue, used to eat in a simple way, without washing their hands; but the Pharisees, wishing to find an occasion of blame against them, took it up; they did not indeed, blame them as transgressors of the law, but for transgressing the traditions of the elders.

Wherefore it goes on: For the Pharisees and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

BEDE; For taking the spiritual words of the Prophets in a carnal sense, they observed, by washing the body alone, commandments which concerned the chastening of the heart and deeds, saying, Wash you, make you clean; and again, Be you clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. It is therefore a superstitious human tradition, that men who are clean already, should wash oftener because they eat bread, and that they should not eat on leaving the market, without washing. But it is necessary for those who desire to partake of the bread which comes down from heaven, often to cleanse their evil deeds by alms, by tears, and the other fruits of righteousness. It is also necessary for a man to wash thoroughly away the pollutions which he has contracted from the cares of temporal business, by being afterwards intent on good thoughts and works. In vain, however, do the Jews wash their hands, and cleanse themselves after the market, so long as they refuse to be washed in the font of the Savior; in vain do they observe the washing of their vessels, who neglect to wash away the filthy sins of their bodies and of their hearts.

It goes on: Then the Scribes and Pharisees asked him, Why walk not your disciples after the tradition of the elder's, but eat bread with common hands?

JEROME; Wonderful is the folly of the Pharisees and Scribes; they accuse the Son of God, because He keeps not the traditions and precepts of men. But common is here put for unclean; for the people of the Jews, boasting that they were the portion of God, called those meats common, which all made use of.

PSEUDO-JEROME; He beats back the vain words of the Pharisees with His arguments, as men drive back dogs with weapons, by interpreting Moses and Isaiah, that we too by the word of Scripture may conquer the heretics, who oppose us; wherefore it goes on: Well has Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites; as it is written, This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

PSEUD-CHRYS. For since they unjustly accused the disciples not of transgressing the law, but the commands of the elders, He sharply confounds them, calling them hypocrites, as looking with reverence upon what was not worthy of it. He adds, however, the words of Isaiah the prophet, as spoken of them; as though He would say, As those men, of whom it is said, that they honor God with their lips, whilst their heart is far from him, in vain pretend to observe the dictates of piety, whilst they honor the doctrines of men, so you also neglect your soul, of which you should take care, and blame those who live justly.

PSEUDO-JEROME; But Pharisaical tradition, as to tables and vessels, is to be cut off, and cast away. For they often make the commands of God yield to the traditions of men; wherefore it continues, For laying aside the commandments of God, you hold to the traditions of men, as the washing of pots and cups.

14. And when he had called all the people to him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:
15. There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

PSEUD-CHRYS. The Jews regard and murmur about only the bodily purification of the law; our Lord wishes to bring in the contrary. Wherefore it is said, And when he had called all the people to him, he said to them. Hearken in unto me every one, and understand; there is nothing from without a man, that entering into sin can defile him but the things which come out of a man, those are they which defile a man; that is, which make him unclean. The things of Christ have relation to the inner man but those which are of the law are visible and external, to which, as being bodily, the cross of Christ was shortly to put an end.

THEOPHYL. But the intention of the Lord in saying this was to teach men, that the observing of meats, which the law commands, should not be taken in a carnal sense, and from this He began to unfold to them the intent of the law.

21. For from within, out of time heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,
22. Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:
23. All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

BEDE; Thus then it is not meat that makes men unclean, but wickedness, which works in us the passions which come from within; wherefore it goes on: And he said, That which comes out of a man, that defiles a man.

GLOSS. The meaning of which He points out, when He subjoins, from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts. And thus it appears that evil thoughts belong to the mind, which is lucre called the heart, and according to which a man is called good or bad, clean or unclean.

BEDE; From this passage are condemned those men who suppose that thoughts are put into them by the devil, and do not arise from their own evil will. The devil may excite and help on evil thoughts, he cannot be their author.

GLOSS. From evil thoughts, however, evil actions proceed to greater lengths, concerning which it is added, adulteries, that is acts which consist in the violation of another man's bed; fornications, which are unlawful connections between persons, not bound by marriage; murders, by which hurt is inflicted on the person of one's neighbor; thefts, by which his goods are taken from him; covetousness, by which things are unjustly kept; wickedness, which consists in calumniating others; deceit, in overreaching them; lasciviousness, to which belongs any corruption of mind or body.

THEOPHYL. An evil eye, that is, hatred and flattery, for he who hates turns an evil and envious eye on him who he hates, and a flatterer, looking askance at his neighbor's goods, leads him into evil; blasphemies, that is, faults committed against God; pride, that is, contempt of God, when man ascribes to God, which he does, not to God, for it to his own virtue; foolishness, that is, an injury against one's neighbor.

GLOSS. Or, foolishness consists in wrong thoughts concerning God; for it is opposed to wisdom, which is the knowledge of divine things. It goes on, All these evil things come from within inn, and defile the man. For whatever is in the power of a man, is imputed to him as a fault, because all such things proceed from the interior will, by which man is master of his own actions.

Catena Aurea Mark 7

A pharisee and a publican

Basilica of St. Apollinare Nuovo

late 5th-early 6th century
Ravenna

A Christian Pilgrim

JESUS REBUKED THE PHARISEES FOR RELYING ON OUTWARD PURIFICATION

(A biblical refection on THE 22^nd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME [YEAR B] – August 30, 2015)

Gospel Reading: Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23

First Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8; Psalms: Psalm 15:2-5; Second Reading: James 1:17-18,21-22,27

The Scripture Text

Now when the Pharisees gathered together to Him, with some of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of His disciples ate with hands defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they purify themselves; which they observe, the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with hands defiled?” and He said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.”

And He called the people to Him again, and said to them, “Hear Me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him.”

For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man.” (Mark 7:1-9,14-15,21-23 RSV)

As the Son of God who took on our humanity, Jesus knew two universal truths about the human heart: First, that we were created with a deep longing to be united with God; and second, that because of sin, we are constantly found loving ourselves more than anyone else. We are unable to remain united with God because of our sinful desires: “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these things come from within, and they defile a man” (Mark 7:21-23).

Jesus knew how easily we can deceive ourselves about what lies within us. Religious discipline – which controls exterior action – can sometimes result in a stale, legalistic piety. By avoiding gross sin, we may presume to reach a comfortable plateau in our relationship with God.

Knowing this tendency, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for relying on outward purification. He did not condemn their traditions from any persevere rebellion against authority. He wanted them as Israel’s spiritual leaders, to realize that laws and regulations while affecting outward behavior can leave interior drives unchanged. Jesus knew that in order to abide with God, we must constantly be purifying the way we live.

Jesus was not condemning religious rituals; rather He was condemning inner inclinations which can be masked by participation in religious ceremonies. Jesus, however, through the Holy Spirit, truly transforms the wicked heart. He alone can remove the obstacles that prevent us from loving God and other people. He give us genuine power to love, not based on moral will-power or efforts toward self-improvement, but from a true reflection of God’s boundless love for all: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27).

The human heart finds it natural to be wary of the Lord’s call for constant purification. Yet we must not deny the interior longing within each of us to come into God’s presence. Centuries ago the psalmist expressed thing longing: “LORD, who may abide in Your tent? Who may dwell on Your holy mountain?” (Psalm 15:1 NAB). Jesus was the first to ascend to God for our sake, as our high priest. He invites us to be purified by the power of His blood, by becoming one with His body. Let us respond to Him, confident that Christ will complete the purification He has already begun.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You alone can remove the obstacles that prevent us from loving God and other people. Through the Holy Spirit, transform our wicked hearts, and make us Your faithful disciples. Amen.

Marriage = One Man amd One Woman Until Death Do Us Part

Daily Marriage Tip for August 30, 2015:

“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.” (Mk 7:6-7) Preach the Gospel, but also live the Gospel. Your children need to see both sides in order to understand.

Sunday Scripture Study

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time- Cycle B

August 30, 2015

Click here for USCCB readings

Opening Prayer

First Reading: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8

Psalm: 15:2-5

Second Reading: James 1:17-18,21b-22,27