(Optional Memorial for Saint Callistus
I, Pope and Martyr)
 |
| “Jesus Rebukes the Pharisees” by James Tissot, 1886-96 |
Reading 1: Galatians
5:1-6
Brothers
and sisters:
For
freedom Christ set us free;
so
stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery.
It
is I, Paul, who am telling you
that
if you have yourselves circumcised,
Christ
will be of no benefit to you.
Once
again I declare to every man who has himself circumcised
that
he is bound to observe the entire law.
You
are separated from Christ,
you
who are trying to be justified by law;
you
have fallen from grace.
For
through the Spirit, by faith, we await the hope of righteousness.
For
in Christ Jesus,
neither
circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything,
but
only faith working through love.
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Commentary on
Gal 5:1-6
St.
Paul begins addressing the concept of Christian freedom with a prohibition
against Christians accepting circumcision.
His vehemence stems from his thorough understanding of Mosaic Law. He knows that circumcision to the Jew is akin
to baptism for the Christian and once a person has accepted circumcision, they
have taken upon themselves the burden of the law (…bound to observe the entire law.” See also James 2:10).
His
visceral statement “You are separated
from Christ…” provides us with a view of the emotion with which this
argument is made. By accepting the sign
of the Jew (circumcision) the Christian has elected a different path than the
one of faith. They seek to earn Christ’s
salvation through works of the law rather than the freedom brought in Christ
who removes the burden of the law from them.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm
119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48
R. (41a) Let your mercy
come to me, O Lord.
Let your love come to me,
LORD,
salvation in accord with
your promise.
R. Let your mercy come to me,
O Lord.
Do not take the word of
truth from my mouth,
for in your edicts is my
hope.
R. Let your mercy come to
me, O Lord.
I will keep your teachings
always,
for all time and forever.
R. Let your mercy come to
me, O Lord.
I will walk freely in an open
space
because I cherish your
precepts.
R. Let your mercy come to
me, O Lord.
I
delight in your commands,
which
I dearly love.
R. Let your mercy come to
me, O Lord.
I lift up my hands to your
commands;
I study your laws, which I
love.
R. Let your mercy come to
me, O Lord.
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Commentary on
Ps 119:41, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48
Psalm
119 is a hymn in praise of the law and those who keep it. While at times within
its structure it takes the form of an individual lament and at others a song of
praise, the strophes presented in this reading emphasize its main theme –
praise for the Law of Moses and those who follow it. We see this passage as ironic given the
readings that frame it today.
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Gospel: Luke
11:37-41
After
Jesus had spoken,
a
Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He
entered and reclined at table to eat.
The
Pharisee was amazed to see
that
he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The
Lord said to him, “Oh you Pharisees!
Although
you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside
you are filled with plunder and evil.
You
fools!
Did
not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But
as to what is within, give alms,
and
behold, everything will be clean for you.”
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Commentary on
Lk 11:37-41
St.
Luke regularly associates Jesus with the Pharisees; in this case he is again
dining with a member of that group. The Lord is challenged for his failure to
observe the strict ritual cleansing required by pharisaic law. In response, he
chastises the Pharisee for mistaking external hygiene for purity of spirit,
saying that it is more important to demonstrate spiritual purity, especially
through giving alms for the poor, than acts of religiosity for the sake of
appearance (see also Matthew 23 and Mark 12:38).
As
in Matthew 23:26ff, the final part of this section is concerned with “…a metaphor illustrating a
concern for appearances while inner purity is ignored (see also Mark 7:4)”[4].
There is a strong reference here to the lack of self-control shown by these
leaders.
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Reflection:
The poor Pharisee who invites
Jesus into his home-little did he expect what he received. He invited a prominent Rabbi, a teacher into
his home and displayed his surprise when Jesus did not perform the ritualized
purification of the hands before sitting down to eat (probably a late lunch).
Seeing his condescension,
Jesus teaches again the lesson about the importance of spiritual purity above
ritual purity. It is an important lesson
for us Catholics. We place a lot of
emphasis on ritual in our worship and the general practice of our faith
discipline. It’s easy for us to fall
into the trap of the Pharisee and start judging others based upon how
scrupulously they follow the rituals we think are necessary for holiness. We forget that much of what we do is based
not so much on dogma as on tradition.
Of course, as in all matters
of faith, there is a line we walk between rationalizing that we are not
obligated to follow tradition (after all – I am a good person and have a good
relationship with God even if I don’t go to Mass.) and becoming judgmental
(following this example- without trying to understand that other things might
be affecting a person who didn’t attend Mass).
On the one hand, weekly Mass attendance is a precept of the Church and
required of the faithful. On the other,
one who is physically or emotionally unable to attend (e.g. a person who has
experienced a profound loss [relationship or death] and Mass attendance is too
painful) can receive absolution.
Without getting into this
complex issue too deeply, let us just say that the next time we see a person
not following our ritualized traditions, let us not rush to judgment lest the
Lord later look at us and cry “hypocrite”.
For ourselves, let us focus on that interior cleanliness that makes all
other things clean.
Pax
[1]
ALTRE
[2]
The image used is “Jesus Rebukes the Pharisees” by James Tissot, 1886-96
[3]
The readings are taken from the New American Bible with the exception of the
Psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This
re-publication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4]
See NAB footnote on Matthew 23:26
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