Daily Readings - Sun Sep 02 2018

¹"And now, O Israel, listen to the precepts and judgments which I am teaching to you, so that, by doing these, you may live, and you may enter and possess the land, which the Lord, the God of your fathers, will give to you²You shall not add to the word which I speak to you, neither shall you take away from it. Preserve the commandments of the Lord your God which I am teaching to you⁶And you shall observe and fulfill these in practice. For this is your wisdom and understanding in the sight of the peoples, so that, upon hearing all these precepts, they may say: ‘Lo, a wise and understanding people, a great nation.⁷Neither is there any other nation so great, which has its gods so near to them, as our God is present to all our petitions⁸For what other nation is there so renowned as to have ceremonies, and just judgments, and the entire law that I will set forth today before your eyes

James

Chapter 1

¹⁷Every excellent gift and every perfect gift is from above, descending from the Father of lights, with whom there is no change, nor any shadow of alteration¹⁸For by his own will he produced us through the Word of truth, so that we might be a kind of beginning among his creatures²¹Because of this, having cast away all uncleanness and an abundance of malice, receive with meekness the newly-grafted Word, which is able to save your souls²²So be doers of the Word, and not listeners only, deceiving yourselves²⁷This is religion, clean and undefiled before God the Father: to visit orphans and widows in their tribulations, and to keep yourself immaculate, apart from this age

Mark

Chapter 7

¹And the Pharisees and some of the scribes, arriving from Jerusalem, gathered together before him²And when they had seen certain ones from his disciples eating bread with common hands, that is, with unwashed hands, they disparaged them³For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat without repeatedly washing their hands, holding to the tradition of the elders⁴And when returning from the market, unless they wash, they do not eat. And there are many other things which have been handed down to them to observe: the washings of cups, and pitchers, and bronze containers, and beds⁵And so the Pharisees and the scribes questioned him: "Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but they eat bread with common hands?⁶But in response, he said to them: "So well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, just as it has been written: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me⁷And in vain do they worship me, teaching the doctrines and precepts of men.⁸For abandoning the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men, to the washing of pitchers and cups. And you do many other things similar to these.¹⁴And again, calling the crowd to him, he said to them: "Listen to me, all of you, and understand¹⁵There is nothing from outside a man which, by entering into him, is able to defile him. But the things which proceed from a man, these are what pollute a man²¹For from within, from the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders²²thefts, avarice, wickedness, deceitfulness, homosexuality, an evil eye, blasphemy, self-exaltation, foolishness²³All these evils proceed from within and pollute a man.

Sermon

Today’s readings invite us to reflect on the relationship between faith, tradition, and the heart. In the first reading from Deuteronomy, Moses reminds the Israelites of the importance of following God’s commandments without adding or subtracting from them. This emphasizes the sacredness of God’s word and the need to live by it. The reading from James complements this by urging us to be “doers of the word” and not merely listeners. True religion, James says, is about caring for the vulnerable and keeping oneself pure in a world often dominated by sin. The Gospel from Mark challenges us to examine our priorities. Jesus criticizes the Pharisees for focusing on external rituals, like washing hands, while neglecting the deeper truths of God’s commandments. He reminds us that what defiles a person comes not from outside but from the heart—evil thoughts, adulteries, murders, and greed. These readings are connected by a common theme: the call to live a life of integrity and authenticity. Deuteronomy warns against distorting God’s word, James emphasizes putting faith into action, and Mark’s Gospel exposes the hypocrisy of prioritizing human traditions over God’s will. Together, they remind us that true faith is not about outward appearances or rituals but about the condition of our hearts and how we live out our beliefs in daily life. As we apply these readings to our lives, let us ask ourselves: Are we living by God’s word, or are we adding our own twists to it? Are we merely going through the motions of faith, or are we allowing it to transform us from within? Let us strive to be people of integrity, whose actions reflect the love and justice of God. May we keep our hearts pure and our lives aligned with the teachings of Christ, so that we may truly be his disciples, living in a way that honors him not just with our lips but with our lives.