WHAT DEFILES MAN?

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

It-22 Ħadd matul is-Sena

Messalin B pp 452

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

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. 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. Observe them carefully,  for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, 'This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.' For what great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the LORD, our God, is to us whenever we call upon him? Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?"

L-Ewwel Qari  --   mill-Ktieb tad-Dewteronomju 4, 1-2, 6-8

Mose' kellem lill-poplu u qal:  "U issa, Iżrael, agħti widen  għal-liġijiet u l-ordnijiet li qiegħed ngħallimkom tagħmlu ħalli  tgħixu, u tidħlu tieħdu l-art li se jagħtikom il-Mulej, Alla ta' missirijietkom.  La żżidu xejn ma' dak li qiegħed nordnalkom u l-anqas tnaqqsu  minnu;  qisu li tħarsu l-liġijiet tal-Mulej, Alla  tagħkom, bħalma qiegħed   nagħtihomlkom  jien.  Ħarsuhom u agħmluhom, għax hekk tidhru għorrief u għaqlin f'għajnejn   il-ġnus li, kif jisimgħu b'dawn  il-liġijiet kollha, igħidu, 'M'hemmx poplu  ieħor għaref u għaqli għajr dan il-ġens kbir." Għax liema ġens hu hekk kbir li għandu ‘allat hekk qrib tiegħu daqs kemm  hu qrib tagħna l-Mulej, Alla tagħna,kull x'ħin insejħulu?   Jew liema ġens  hu hekk kbir li għandu liġijiet u ordnijiet hekk sewwa daqs dak kollu li fiha din il-liġi li qiegħed noffrikom illum jien?" Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm   --   Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5

     R/    One who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord

Whoever walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.                                            R/

Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
by whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.                         R/

Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
Whoever does these things
shall never be disturbed.                                                            R/

Salm Responsorjali     -    Salm 14

                R/   Mulej, min jgħammar fid-dar tiegħek?

Min jimxi bla ħtija u jagħmel  it-tajjeb,

min igħid is-sewwa f'qalbu,

min ma jqassasx bi lsienu.                                                          R/

Min  ma jagħmilx deni lil ġaru,

u ma jgħajjarx lil-għajru;

min ma jistmax lill-bnedmin ħażin,

imma jweġġaħ lil dawk li jibżgħu mill-Mulej.   R/

Min jislef u ma jitlobx  imgħax,

u ma jixxaħħamx  kontra  min hu bla ħtija.

Min jagħmel dan qatt ma jitħarrek.                                        R/

Reading 2                 James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27

Dearest brothers and sisters: All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no alteration or shadow caused by change. He willed to give us birth by the word of truth that we may be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.  Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you and is able to save your souls. Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding  yourselves.   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.

It-Tieni Qari   --   mill-Ittra ta' Ġakbu Appostlu 1, 17-18, 21-22,27

Għeżież,  kull ħaġa tajba li tingħata u kull don perfett jiġi mis-sema,  jinżel mingħand il-Missier, l-għajn tad-dawl, li fih ma hemm ebda  tibdil u anqas dell ta' tidwir.   Għax ried hu, wellidna  bil-kelma tal-verita',   biex inkunu l-ewwel frott tal-ħlejjaq tiegħu. Ilqgħu bil-ħlewwa l-Kelma mħawla fikom, li tista' ssalvalkom ruħkom.  Kunu intom dawl li jagħmlu l-Kelma, u mħux tisimgħuha biss u hekk  tqarrqu bikom innifiskom. Quddiem Alla u Missierna r-reliġjon ġenwina  u bla tebgħa  hija din:   iżżur l-iltiema u r-romol fil-hemm tagħhom, u żżomm ruħek bla  tinġis 'il bogħod mid-dinja. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel   -  Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands. --For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews, do not eat without carefully washing their hands, keeping the tradition of the elders. And on coming from the marketplace they do not eat without purifying themselves. And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed, the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. -- So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him, "Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?"  He responded, "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, teaching as doctrines human precepts.  You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition." He summoned the crowd again and said to them, "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."

L-Evanġelju   -    skont San Mark 7, 1-8, 14-15, 21-23

F'dak iż-żmien,   il-Fariżejj u xi wħud mill-kittieba li ġew minn  Ġerusalemm  inġabru ħdejn Ġesu', u raw li xi wħud mid-dixxipli tiegħu kienu qeghdin  jieklu b'idejhom mhumiex indaf, jiġifieri,  mhumiex maħsulin.  Għax il-Fariżej u l-Lhud  kollha, biex iħarsu t-tradizzjonijiet ta' missirijiethom, ma jmissux ikel  qabel ma jkunu ħaslu idejhom sewwa; hekk ukoll wara li jerġgħu  lura mis-suq,  ma jiklux jekk ma jinħaslux; u għandhom bosta drawiet  oħra li baqgħu  marbutin magħhom minn żmien għal ieħor, bħalma huma l-ħasil tat-tazzi u  tal-buqari u tal-tkieli tal-bronż.   Mela,  l-Fariżej u l-kittieba staqsewh:   "Dan l-għala d-dixxipli tiegħek ma jġibux ruħhom skond it-tradizzjoni ta'  missirijiethom, imma jieklu b'idejhom  m'humiex indaf?   Iżda hu weġibhom:  "Sewwa ħabbar Isaija fuqkom, ja nies ta' wiċċ b'ieħor,  bħalma  hu miktub,  'Dan il-poplu, bix-xofftejn biss jagħtini ġieh, imma  qalbhom hija 'l bogħod minni.  Fiergħa hi l-qima li jagħtuni; jgħallmu  dutttrina li mhijiex għajr preċetti tal-bnedmin.'    Hekk intom,  twarrbu  l-kmandamenti  ta' Alla biex tħaddnu t-tradizzjoni tal-bnedmin." Raġa' sejjaħ in-nies lejh u qalilhom:   "Isimgħuni, intom ilkoll,u ifhmuni!   Ma hemm xejn minn barra li meta jidħol fi bniedem itebbgħu; imma dak  li joħroġ minnn ġol-bniedem,  dak hu li jtabba'  lill-bniedem.   Għax hu  minn ġewwa,  mill-qalb tal-bniedem, li joħorġu  il-ħsibijiet il-ħżiena: żina, serq, qtil, adulterju, regħba, ħażen, qerq, libertinaġġ, għijra   malafama suppervja u bluha.  Dal-ħażen kollu minn ġewwa joħroġ u  jtabba' lill-bniedem ." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Fr Raniero Cantalamessa on "Ecology of the Heart"

What defiles man?

In the passage from this Sunday's Gospel (Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23), Jesus cuts at the root the tendency to give more importance to external gestures and rites than to the heart's dispositions, the desire to appear better than one is, in short, hypocrisy and formalism.

But today we can draw from this page of the Gospel a teaching not only of an individual order but also social and collective. The distortion that Jesus criticized, of giving more importance to external cleanliness than to purity of heart, is reproduced today on a worldwide scale.

There is very much preoccupation about exterior and physical contamination from the atmosphere, the water, the hole in the ozone layer; instead, there is almost absolute silence about interior and moral defilement.

We are indignant on seeing marine birds emerging from waters contaminated with petroleum stains, covered with tar and unable to fly, but we do not show the same concern for our children, vitiated and spent at an early age because of the mantle of wickedness that already extends to every aspect of life.

Let's be very clear: It is not a question of opposing the two kinds of contamination. The struggle against physical contamination and care of hygiene is a sign of progress and civilization which must not be given up at any price. However, Jesus told us, on that occasion, that it was not enough for us to wash our hands, our vessels and all the rest; this does not go to the root of the problem.

Jesus then launches the program of an ecology of the heart. Let us take some of the "defiling" things enumerated by Jesus: slander with the related vice of saying evil things about one's neighbor.

Do we really want to undertake the task of healing our hearts? If so, we must engage in an all out battle against the habit of gossiping, of criticizing, of murmuring against absent persons, of making quick judgments. This is a most difficult poison to neutralize once it has spread.

Once a woman went to confession to St. Philip Neri, accusing herself of having spoken badly of some people. The saint absolved her, but gave her a strange penance. He told her to go home, to get a chicken and return to him, plucking its feathers along the way. When she was in his presence again, he said to her: "Now go back home and collect one by one the feathers that you let fall when you were coming here."

"Impossible!" exclaimed the woman. "In the meantime the wind has dispersed them in all directions." That's the point St. Philip wished to make.  "Now you see -- he said -- how it is impossible to take back murmuring and slander once they have left the mouth."    [Translation by ZENIT]   © Innovative Media Inc.

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