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A good Sunday to all.

For five Sundays in a row, the reading of the Gospel according to Mark has been interrupted because the liturgy prompted us to meditate on the sermon that Jesus delivered in the synagogue of Capernaum after having given the sign of the distribution of the loaves and fishes. Today, we resume reading the Gospel according to Mark, which will accompany us until the beginning of Advent.

We meet again with Jesus, who is in the middle of his public life. The evangelist has already pointed out that since he moved to Capernaum from Nazareth, he had some very heated disputes with the scribes and Pharisees about fasting and the forgiveness of sins, which he freely granted. He did not even ask whether a person had repented. Jesus also faced severe criticism for dining with tax collectors and sinners, feasting with them, and not observing the Sabbath rules.

The evangelist Mark tells us in chapter 3 that, in Jerusalem, the religious authorities began to worry and sent a group of scribes to investigate the situation and to warn the people about the spiritual danger they were facing, which involved being diverted from the right path, telling them that Jesus was teaching heresies. The people reacted by saying, 'But Jesus heals the sick; he performs miracles,' and the spiritual guides answered: 'He heals people because he is in league with Beelzebub.'

Beelzebub is not a demon but a pagan god worshipped by the Philistines. His very famous shrine was at Ekron, in the Mediterranean plains of Sharon. He was renowned for curing diseases, so much so that even the Jews went there secretly when they were sick. When their God did not heal them, they turned to this Beelzebub. The religious authorities claimed that Jesus performed healings only because he was in league with Beelzebub. Beelzebub wants to divert them from the right path and adherence to the true God; he wants to lead them astray.

Today, these spiritual leaders feel compelled to come down from Jerusalem for the second time because they heard in Jerusalem the news that Jesus is violating a very serious precept and is teaching his disciples to do the same.

Let's hear what he had done that was so serious:

 

"Now when the Pharisees gathered to him, with some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed.”

 

This is the scandalous behavior of Jesus: he did not perform the ritual purifications, and he taught his disciples not to give importance to this practice. Let's start by clarifying that this was not a practice related to hygiene; all purifications were always performed after thorough washing. These purifications were carried out to cleanse any impurity from contact with something impure. The book of Leviticus contains six chapters dedicated to distinguishing between what is pure and what is impure. Certain animals were considered pure and could be eaten, while others, such as swine, camels, and hares, were considered impure and should be avoided. The conditions of impurity also indicate everything that in any way reminds one of death, blood, and diseases like leprosy. There has been an evolution in the concept of pure and impure in the bible, but at the time of Jesus, we can say that it was considered impure everything that had any reference to death, the estrangement from the God of life. Those who had contracted any impurity clearly could not approach the Lord; they had to undergo purification.

The book of Exodus outlines the purification rituals that need to be performed. The regulations applied explicitly to the priests in the temple who, being constantly connected to God, the sacred and the pure, were required to maintain a state of purity. As such, they were prohibited from contacting the deceased; they were not permitted to attend a burial and then fulfill their duties in the temple. They were not allowed to wear sandals and had to go barefoot when serving in the temple, even during the winter. This was because sandals were made of leather, and using leather meant coming into contact with a deceased animal, so they were not permitted to wear them.

At the time of Jesus, the Pharisees had succeeded in inculcating in the minds of the people that these relative prescriptions to the priests were to become a regular practice in the daily life of all Israelites, for the Israelites are a pure people, while the pagans are unclean. Here is today's discussion between Jesus and the scribes who came down from Jerusalem about a particular purification: that of the hands that were washed before meals and were called נטילת ידייים (netilat yadayim), which means to raise one's hands. This gesture had a beautiful meaning; it reminded the Israelites that he touched something pure concerning life when he took bread. It was a gift from God, and we know that gifts have another meaning besides their economic value because they contain love. Let's consider a wife who gazes at her engagement ring, which may not hold significant monetary value but holds immense significance for her as it reminds her of her many years of a life of love with her husband.

This washing of hands reminded the Israelites that he was to take that bread as a gift from heaven and then share it with all the sons and daughters of God. Of course, the sons of God were those of his people, not the unclean pagans. It is a rite that, however, at the time of Jesus, had become a semi-magical rite for protection from the forces of evil that could enter when one was eating and protecting oneself from these forces of death; it had lost the original meaning, which was beautiful.

And now, the evangelist Mark, who writes for an audience in Rome that does not know these customs of the Jews, feels the need to explain to his readers this obsession of the Jews with purifications.

Let us listen:

 

“For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands properly, holding to the tradition of the elders, and when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups and pots and copper vessels and dining couches.”

 

The one who goes to the market inevitably meets people and touches objects, food, etc., which can be carriers of impurity. They may have inadvertently touched a pagan, an idolatrous object, or a woman during her cycle. And returning home, he must do the purifications. As the Talmud prescribes, the netilat yadayim rite must be followed meticulously. I will describe it, and if you ever go to Jerusalem, you will understand what you are seeing. The vessel with which the purification is to be performed must have two handles, as you can see in the background, and it must have a smooth and undamaged upper rim. Remember the following instructions for hand purification: Pour water over the hands without placing them directly into the container. The water should be clean and clear, with at least a quart for each hand. Begin by pouring water into the right hand three times, keeping the fingers wide open to allow the water to penetrate well; make sure not to wear any rings and that the purification reaches at least to the wrist. In Jesus’ times, it reached the elbow. After purifying the right hand, use the right hand to hold the vessel and purify the left hand, or use a napkin to hold the vessel. Do not touch the napkin with the left hand. Finally, leave a little water in the left hand to spread over the right hand, then raise both hands upwards.

This is the netilat yadayim, the raising of the hands to pronounce the beautiful blessing: "Blessed are You, our God, Lord of the universe; You sanctify us with Your commandments and have prescribed the purification of the hands.” In Hebrew: “Baruch atah Adonai Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, shehecheyanu v-ki'y'manu v-higianu la-z'man ha-zeh.” This blessing is beautiful. Only after that can you dry your hands, and from that moment on, you should not pronounce a word before eating the bread; otherwise, you must repeat the rite.

Why did I insist so much on this attention to the very meticulous execution of the rite? With the excessive focus on every detail and insistence on its meticulous execution, the rite loses its value. Perhaps when one concentrates on the external aspect of the rite, on the perfect execution, he loses sight of its meaning. I mentioned the meaning of this rite, but in the time of Jesus, it had become an expression of the fear that something impure could enter the person through the food.

We must also be careful about these scrupulously executed rites because they can be dangerous, the meaning can be forgotten, and it can calm down the conscience because a rite has been performed. Still, the value of this rite, the rite's memory, is lost. And this also happens to us. Let's think about a sacred rite we often do: the sign of the cross. Do we consider what it means when we know it is a somewhat superstitious gesture for many people?

Let us listen to how Jesus responds to the accusation directed at him of neglecting the tradition of the ancestors:

 

"And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders but eat with defiled hands?’ And he said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.’”

 

The hands symbolize the actions of our deeds; with the hands, one can do good or evil, and one can give life or death. Touching an object, shaking hands with a pagan, caressing a leper, burying a dead does make the hands unclean? Jesus answers NO because no creature or person is impure to God. Then how do you make the hands pure? For the Pharisees, the hands that have carefully performed the rite of netilat yadayim are pure. Jesus does not accept purifying the hands with a rite because that rite calms your conscience, making you think that your hands are pure. The hands that have provided food to the hungry are pure for Jesus, as are the hands that have quenched the thirst of others. Also, the hands that have clothed the naked and sheltered the homeless are pure in His sight. The hands that have healed the sick and lifted up those who have fallen are also considered pure.

In the eleventh chapter of Luke's Gospel, Jesus is still arguing with the scribes and Pharisees about purification, saying, 'You purify the outside of the cup and the platter. I tell you how to make the cup and the platter pure: by giving the poor person what is inside the cup and inside the dish, everything becomes pure.' Here is the difference between the pure hands for the Pharisee who performed the ritual and for Jesus who goes to the essential: works of love purify the hands.

And then Jesus continues, "How well did Isaiah prophesy of your hypocrisy." The term 'hypocrite' does not have the meaning we have from a moral point of view. For us, the Pharisee and the hypocrite are identical. We refer to the Pharisee as a false person who preaches well and works evil. No, this is not true. The Pharisees were not bad people. Paul, a Pharisee, says in chapter 10 of his letter to the Romans, 'I give them credit that they are zealous people before God, people who scrupulously observe the Torah.' But they were slaves of their religious traditions, and not even Jesus was able to set them free, lead them to freedom, and introduce them to the freedom and joy of God's unconditional love.

What did this term hypocrite mean then? 'Hypocrites' refers to the actors of the theatre. The actor was hypocretés because, at that time, he never showed his face in theatrical performances, but he was always wearing a mask and, therefore, pretended that he was not. Perhaps he was a poor peasant and presented himself as a philosopher. When Jesus refers to the Pharisees and the scribes, he does not say they are bad people but comedians. He says God does not need their religious comedies; he feels sorry for them. It is very different from what he expects and refers to the prophet Isaiah: "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart (i.e., their mind, their thoughts, the decisions they make) are far from me." The prophet Isaiah, at the beginning of his book, in the first chapter, presents the religious comedy that was taking place in Jerusalem: ‘God says: When you perform your religious comedy, I look the other way; when you perform your prayers, I look the other way. I close my ears; the smell of incense and burnt offerings makes me nauseous.' Why? 'Because your hands commit violence, they drip blood, and then you come here to do their liturgies. I am not interested in them; what you do is a farce.'

Here, Jesus takes up this prophet to say that he expects another relationship with him, another purification. It is the purification of those who do works of love, which are the only ones that interest God, the only worship that pleases him. And now Jesus explains to all what makes a person impure. Let us listen:

 

"And he called the people to him again and said to them, ‘Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’”

 

Jesus is very concerned about avoiding confusion between what is pure and what is impure; certain things are considered impure, such as certain foods such as pork, or certain persons, such as the pagans or lepers, and these things or people can transmit their impurity externally. This fear of contamination was deeply rooted in Israel and among all the peoples of the ancient Middle East, creating many problems. Even the disciples found it difficult to detach themselves from their conception to adhere to the Master's. Let us remember Peter in Jaffa, who, during prayer, had that revelation coming from heaven: "Peter, eat; all animals are pure because they are God's creatures." Immediately after that, Peter goes to Caesarea, enters the house of Cornelius, and baptizes his household, but when he returns to Jerusalem, his brethren of faith reproach him severely. They say to him, 'Peter, what have you done? You have entered into the house of a pagan; therefore, you have made yourself unclean.'

Jesus wants to clarify this concept of purity and impurity very well. He had a dispute with the scribes and the Pharisees and immediately met with the disciples. The dialogue with them is not mentioned in today's Gospel passage, but Jesus is angry with them. At one point, he says: "But do you also still not understand?" says our translation, but 'asúnetoi' in Greek means 'but you are so foolish that you do not understand that what goes into a person ends (the translation reads: expelled from the body), but Jesus was outraged, 'aphedron' in Greek means in the restroom, so he used strong words.

He desired to ensure that this concept of purity was clearly understood. He summoned the crowds, and we were also present among the masses because we require a reminder about purity, distinguishing between what is pure and what is impure. Even today, some individuals hesitate to receive communion in their hands due to concerns about their hands being clean, and some use a napkin. NO. Enough of these practices. All beings are pure, especially the hands of human beings.

Jesus says: listen to me, all of you, and try to understand what I am saying; there is nothing outside of man that can make him impure; it is from within the heart of the people. The term ‘heart’ doesn't refer to the seat of emotions as we know it today but rather to the mind, the awareness, and the origin of choices and decisions. And now, he presents 12 behaviors that come from within, from the person's heart, which makes him impure. Impure means that it kills the human, which destroys them as a person. There are twelve behaviors, six in the plural and six in the singular. Let us examine them quickly, one by one, to have a reason for meditation for the whole week, and we can verify if purity or impurity comes from us.

The first: 'Prostitutions' in plural because there is not only one form of prostitution that we know of, but there are many; all situations in life in which one sells oneself for interest is prostitution, and that's why there are many prostitutions. Sacrificing moral values and self-respect to get ahead with personal gain or favor is similar to selling one's conscience and dignity. Engaging in insincere flattery to gain an advantage is essentially selling oneself for personal gain and is a dehumanizing act that originates from the innermost being.

Secondly, the thefts: Not 'theft' because there are many forms of stealing. It's not just taking something from someone else but managing this world's goods as owners. It is theft because the goods of this world are all of God. It is also stealing when one has a surplus of things while others suffer destitution. Damaging a person's good name is also stealing, as is taking a job or position that rightfully belongs to someone else by leveraging connections. Several forms of theft stem from one's innermost being, such as those actions that strip away one's humanity.

Homicide: Not only the homicide of murder, which is to take the life of a person with a gun, but any reduction of another person's life is murder. One can take away a smile or the joy of life with a curse; with slander, one can kill with the tongue; many homicides are born from the heart and do not come from outside.

Adulteries: There are so many betrayals, unfaithfulness to love, and all the pursuits of selfish pleasure that presuppose the submission of the other is adultery, betrayals of love.

Covetousness (plural): Greed always leads you to want to have more, accumulate, and put happiness in having more; it is insatiable greed. For Jesus, the joy of a person does not consist in having more but in giving more; 'there is more joy in giving than in receiving' is a phrase of Jesus found in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 20:35), but not in the gospels but from Paul. We know very well that a child often says, 'All is mine,’ and everything he sees is his or hers. It is the impulse that leads you to have everything for yourself; it is the child's impulse; you have not grown up. The child of God in you grows when you give the goods you have available to make your brother or sister happy; then you grow as a child of God; otherwise, you remain a child. Let us not forget that we accumulate, but this is madness; we always long for more and forget that all we have and are not given will be taken away very soon.

The sixth behavior that comes from within is Malice (plural): evil thoughts, always thinking evil of others, and always looking for evil in others. How many pious and devout people feel this uncontrollable need to keep the lives of others between their eyes! They are suspicious, have negative thoughts, and enjoy sharing their doubts with others, sometimes even resorting to slander. These rumors have a devastating impact on the Christian community. These individuals constantly view others' actions with suspicion, always looking for malicious and concealed motives.

Now, we come to the singular behavior of deception: The behavior of those who think in their interests and are willing to do anything to achieve their goals. In Greek, this is called δόλος,—'dolos,' deceit.

The eighth behavior is wantonness: The Greek term ἀσέλγεια - asélgueia. What is meant by this wantonness? Unbridledness is not so much in the sexual field but in all senses. To have no restraint in anything, such as drinking, eating, or having fun, is a lack of self-control; it is the behavior of one who has as the rule of life, 'I do whatever I want.' This is the ἀσέλγεια, the lack of control.

The ninth behavior is envy. In Greek, it is the evil eye: ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός - 'oftalmós ponerós,' an expression which is found in the Old Testament and means the fear that someone will always take something from me, so I keep an eye on him, and I feel sad when someone else has what I can't have. That is envy. Let's be aware that we experience an unutterable joy when we envy someone successful, life smiles on him, and then something terrible happens to him. When we have those feelings in our hearts, it's the envy we have; it's the evil eye.

Tenth- blasphemy: 'Blasphemy' our translation says, but blasphemy in Greek is the rejection of the truth, the opposition to the truth because it does not suit me, and so I try by all means to obstruct the truth, to hide it. This is blasphemy.

Eleventh behavior – arrogance: When one wants to be the center of attention. When we open our mouths, others must listen to us in religious silence because only oracles come out of our mouths. This is arrogance.

The last behavior that comes from the heart and ruins a person is foolishness and stupidity. In Greek: ἀφροσύνη - afrosine. A stupid may not even be guilty; the poor thing is like that, but this is not the stupidity spoken of here. The ἀφροσύνη - afrosine in the gospels is the failure to orient in the right way the choices of one's life. In the gospel, 'ἀφρον' is the rich man, of whom Jesus' parable in Luke chapter 12 tells us. He has accumulated the goods; he is not considered evil or lazy but foolish because instead of sharing the possessions he's been fortunate to acquire, he has expanded his storage to keep them for himself. He acts foolishly... 'tonight, everything will be taken from you.' The foolishness lies in sacrificing everything to accumulate instead of giving, and then you have built nothing; you are a person who has ended up in nothing because you have not built love.

All these things—Jesus concludes—are bad because they come from within; they contaminate the person; they make the person unclean; it means that it makes you die as a person. It is this impurity, this inner death, that we must purify, and you do not purify it with the water of purifications. What purifies the heart is the voice of the Spirit that Christ gave us; his word purifies us.

I wish you all a good Sunday and a good week.