Understanding the Word

By Br. John R. Barker, OFM

The thrust of the book of Deuteronomy is that the Promised Land  that Israel is about to enter is a gift to them from God, but one that  they accept as part of a covenant relationship. For them to continue  to enjoy the land they must be faithful to this relationship (otherwise,  there really is no relationship). Thus the first part of the reading  stresses fidelity to the covenant. The second part of the reading  alludes to the formation of Israel as a people who are destined to  introduce their God to the rest of the world by manifesting the  wisdom and justice of that God. Thus, fidelity to the covenant is not  just to the benefit of Israel, but to the nations as well. 

The Letter of James begins with an exhortation to persevere in  times of trial and temptation. The author challenges those who claim  that their temptations have come from God as a test, arguing instead  that what comes from the unchanging God is not testing but “all  good giving and every perfect gift.” The greatest of these gifts is new  birth in the “word of truth” (the gospel). For this word of truth to  bear fruit, however, it must be “done,” that is, acted on and lived by,  rather than passively accepted in an abstract or purely intellectual  sense. Caring for the vulnerable and avoiding contamination by the values of the “world” (that aspect of reality opposed to God) are  ways that we live the word of truth we have received. Just as earlier in Mark’s Gospel questions had been raised about  the Jesus’ disciples and fasting (3:18–22), now the Pharisees note  that Jesus’ disciples also do not engage in ritual hand-washing before  meals. Jesus suggests by quoting from Isaiah that such cleansing  can be simply a superficial observance that conceals a failure to  observe “God’s commandment.” He goes on to assert that cleaning  the outside of the body as a form of purification means nothing if  the inside remains defiled by the various sins he lists. These are not  purified by washing; only repentance can accomplish that. 

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