The three readings speak to us about this theme. And all three say to us that it is not enough to hear and to know intellectually the law, what is needed is to live bent toward the vulnerability of our sisters and brothers.
THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY
Ø This
book is called in the Hebrew Bible דְּבָרִים “These
are the words” and in the Greek translation it has been given the name of Deuteronomy: deuteros (second) nomos
(law).
Ø These
words are the words of Moses addressed to his people before entering the Promised
land.
Ø The
book is composed of 4 sermons that the
authors put in the mouth of Moses, who is portrayed as a leader, a prophet and
a legislator.
Ø In the Biblical tradition the authors of some
books like to attribute to important characters the teachings which the authors
want to transmit. These words have not been necessarily pronounced by the
person to whom they are attributed, but to the authors themselves.
Ø The
renewal or reformation which is found in the Deuteronomy is as follows:
o
The centralization of worship which leads to
o
The centralization of justice and
o
To other religious and social measures.
FIRST READING: Dt 4:1-2.6-8
« In
the first chapters of the book “Moses” does a synthesis of the history up to
that moment
« In
reality it is not Moses who makes it or who pronounces the speech or the
exhortation, but the authors of the Deuteronomy.
« Israel
is asked to listen to the commandments and decrees which Moses is teaching them
in the name of God.
« If
they are faithful to the precepts and decrees they will live in the land that
God promised to their fathers.
« Israel
cannot remove from or add anything to the law that God is given to them through
Moses.
o
Nothing can be removed from the law, because it
is God who is the LAW Himself, who has given it for the good of the people.
o
Nothing can be added because whatever is added
to the law comes from the pride of men and women who think that they are “gods themselves”.
o
The law belongs to God not to us. We are not
allowed to make is easier or harder.
« Our
wisdom and prudence is to put the law, God’s commandments, into practice.
« The
author asks, what people is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our
God is to us? Yes, anyone who follows the law that God has put in the heart
of every human being, discovers that he or she is very close to God who leads
and protects him or her.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Ps 14
The psalmist asks himself: Lord who may abide in
your tent?
And he answers THE ONE WHO DOES JUSTICE WILL
LIVE IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD. What kind of justice?
o
That is the one who does not harm his or her
neighbor,
o
who lends not money at usury,
o
who does not accept any bribe….
will live with the Lord.
GOSPEL Mark 7:1-8.14-15.21-23
ü Mark
presents to us a discussion between Jesus and the Teachers of the Law.
ü The
Teachers are upset, are scandalized, angry, worried because the disciples eat
without washing their hands, indirectly they are questioning an attitude of
Jesus, but they only mentioned the disciples.
ü Jesus
answers with vehemence quoting Isaiah
29:13.
ü Jesus
says words against the cult that man and woman have invented.
ü In
the Old Testament we find in Is 1:10-20 the same passion against the cult
invented to make us feel good about ourselves, not for worshiping the Lord.
ü We
follow the liturgical rules which we have made; but at the same time we forget
o
the laws about fraternal love or our neighbor,
about justice and respect for all who suffer, are exploited and humiliated.
o
The laws about the respect for the dignity of
every human being included ourselves.
ü We
say prayers, and this is good, but at the same time we do not question ourselves
about the many discriminations which we make in our heart, the pride and the
self satisfaction about ourselves feeling that we are better than the rest, the
lack of forgiveness of those who have offended or hurt us.
ü And
Jesus invites us every day to be like Him, to act like Him who gave his life
for his friends and for his enemies, for all. Jesus who loves us all, those I
like and those I do not like.
To live in this way we need to allow Him to liberate us, in
order to be really free. Only then we will be able to live according to his
commandments.
LETTER OF JAMES
§ Since
the end of the II century the letters not written by Paul are called Catholic
Letters: James, 1 and 2 Peter, 1,2 and 3
John, Jude.
§ They
are addressed to the universal Church. .
§ In
the New Testament we find several men called James:
o
James the son of Zebedee and brother of John (Mk
1:17; 3,17; Acts 1:22)
o
James the son of Alpheus (Mc 3,18; Hch 1,13)
o
James the brother of the Lord (Gal 1,19; 2,9)
This letter can be attributed only to “the brother of the
Lord”, called also James the Less. He was the leader and bishop of the
community of Jerusalem.
SECOND READING 1:17-18;21-27
o
James reminds those who have been baptized that, all that we have ,has been given by God the
giver of all that is good.
o
God who has chosen us as firstfruits of his
creatures.
o
He invites us also to accept them with humility,
that is with a thankful heart, the word
which God himself has sowed in us. The Word which is the Gospel of Jesus.
o
The word is not only to be listen to, but for
acting according to it: caring for
orphans and widows in their affliction. We can make a list of all those who are
in need of our love, today: in our
society, in our faith community, in our family, in our workplace…
o
God does not need our plans, our programs, our
courses, our prayer groups, our movements, our documents etc… we are the ones who need all of these. What
God needs from me is that I love as He loves every human being, and this will
lead me to do good to all, according to what each one needs from me.
CLARETIAN CORNER
At sea as well as in land, in the cities as well as in the
desert the missionary of Christ must not be careless of self. If he cannot do
all his readings, at least he should read two chapters of “The Imitation of Christ”, one in the morning and one in the
evening, don’t ever abandon this faithful friend and always he be his adviser.
Do not kill the spirit of the holy prayer no matter the many things he has to
do. Jesus Christ our Lord and most perfect Master during the day did mission
work and at night he prayed. María Antonia París, Foundress
of the Claretian Missionary Sisters. The
Apostolic Missionary 2:18-20
I had
observed that the holy virtue of poverty not only edified people and upset the
idol of mammon but also helped me greatly to grow in humility and advance in
perfection. I can sum up what I learned by experience in the following comparison:
The virtues are like the strings on a harp. Poverty is the shortest and
thinnest chord and hence gives the highest sound. The shorter we are in life's
conveniences, the higher we reach on the scale of perfection. Thus we see that
Jesus spent 40 days and nights without anything to eat. He and his Apostles ate
barley loaves, and they even ran out of these at times. Once the Apostles were
so short of food that they took ears of grain and rubbed them in their hands to
kill their hunger with the grains. They were even criticized for this by the
Pharisees because they did it on a sabbath. Saint Anthony Mary Claret,
Founder of the Claretian Missionary Sisters. Autobiography 370.
BIBLIOGRAFÍA
CLARET, Antonio María . Autobiography.
DESCLÉES DE BROUWER. Jerusalem
Bible, new Spanish edition.
PARIS, María Antonia. “The Apostolic Missionary”.
RAVASSI, Gianfranco. Según las
Escrituras. Año B (According
to the Scriptures. Year B.) Bogotá Colombia 2005
SAGRADA BIBLIA, official
translation of the Conference of Bishops of Spain. Madrid 2011 .
