DGeMs- Daily Gospel eMessage
Dear Friend in the Lord,
“Jewish Rituals – Faith”: In today’s Gospel, Jesus proclaimed to the Pharisees, “You observe human traditions, but put aside God’s Commandments. Thus, evil intentions like: fornication, theft, murder, adultery. . . emerge from the heart.” Ponder on, “Do we observe our Church’s rituals, but fail to show mercy, justice, care and love for others, especially the needy?”
Fr Philip Heng, S.J.
Mark 7:1-2a, 5, 8, 14-15, 21-23
The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands. So they asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’
Jesus said: ‘You put aside the commandment of God to observe human traditions.’ He called the people to him again and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into someone from outside can make that person unclean; it is the things that come out of someone that make that person unclean. For it is from within, from the heart, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a person unclean.’