Sunday Gospel Comment
Alberic Jacovone OSB
YEAR B TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY OF THE YEAR -3.9.06 Dt 4,1-2.6-8; Jas 1,17-18.21-2.27; Mk 7,1-8.14-15.21-23 God’s “Tradition” & human ones Every
culture has its taboos. This Sunday, we resume the continuous reading of Mark’s Gospel, with
his carefully outlined lesson plan & concentric, ‘chiastic’ format. We
left him at the end of Chapter 6 at the miracle of multiplication of breads,
which was replaced by Chapter 6 of John’s Gospel, & we read for 5 weeks,
the multiplication of breads & the long discourse on ‘the bread of
life’. Today’s story is written in 5 ‘chiastic’ or concentric parts plus
an introduction. It reflects the polemics on what’s clean & what’s not,
which were argued among Jesus’ disciples, at a time well after the death of
Jesus. It would be unfair to attribute all the details of the story to Jesus
& the Pharisees. The story has a lot to say about the disciples themselves
(& us readers, as we deal with our traditions!). They failed to understand
what Jesus asked of them & were confused as to what traditions to follow.
See the story as it is told against the theme of ‘traditions’ which the
Hebrew ancestors, had stubbornly resisted at Mt. Sinai at the time of Moses.
They got it wrong, just as Jesus’ disciples did, & just we today get it
wrong when we fail to perceive God’s way. Today, take time to follow carefully
the structure of the story: there are first, 5 verses of introduction where Mark
poses the question about traditions. Then Jesus gives the reply, which is
divided in 5 concentric parts, each being introduced by the formula: ‘He was
saying (& is saying to us)...’. Notice also that parts 3, 4 & 5 of
Jesus’ reply resonate the explanation that Mark gives to the parable of the
sower in Mc. 4,1-20. The lesson for us all is: when it comes to traditions,
never feel too sure & never condemn other traditions. It’s never easy to
fathom God’s ways & line them up with our ways. Church
taboos, yesteryear & now. As we resume Mark’s reading, let us focus on some points he wants us
to impress on us: Jesus is the Son of God, our Saviour, who has come to live
among us. However, -amazingly!- he was expelled by his hometown, rejected by his
family, abandoned by all: first by the crowds, then by his disciples, &
finally even by us when we sin. Still, God’s merciful plan is such that He
never abandons us. Let’s also recap where Mark had left us: Jesus had sent his
disciples on a Mission ahead of himself. He did that, when John the Baptist was
executed at a macabre banquet of death. The disciples returned full of
themselves, since they had even performed miracles. Yet, they had failed to size
the power of evil in the world, the
enormity of needs coming from people all around them & the immense
limitations of their resources to meet such need. Typical of Mark, he hits us
with a ‘sober logic of failure’. God’s plan is mysterious indeed: -as you
live your Christian life-, do not be
afraid of obstacles, crosses & human failures. Like it or not, most people
in society seek a culture of instant gratification & end up in a macabre
culture of death. This was the case at the time of Jesus, when he sent his
disciples on their 1st mission, & is still the case now, when we take up our
apostolate. So, as we move to take our task in the Church, let’s take Mark’s
advice: be strong & do not be afraid to accept Jesus’ logic, even if at
times it seems a logic of failure. Do not be daunted by the huge wave of needy
people around you nor let this burn you out, beyond your resources &
limitations; give what you can & leave the rest to the Lord. In today’s
structure, focus on Jesus’ emphatic words: ‘Listen to me, all of you &
understand... (CFI with chapter 4,17) that all evil comes from our inner heart.
In your life, always obey God & not man; follow your customs but never at
the cost of making God’s will null & void... ______________________________________ |
