What makes us defiled/unclean and causes division?

22 Sunday Ordinary Time, year B | Deut 4:1-2, 6-8; Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

We have all probably heard the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. “Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again.” Humanity could perhaps be compared to Humpty Dumpty. It has fallen and broken into pieces. Our society and even our Church seems quite divided. This separation appears to be growing. Can we be put back together again?

By Denslow's_Humpty_Dumpty.djvu: W. W. Denslowderivative work: Theornamentalist [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

At the core of the Gospel (from Mark 7), is the following question: what separates a person or group of people from God and the rest of the community? In other words, what break us apart and creates division? The answer hinges upon the important - but complicated - concepts clean/unclean and pure/defiled (for an overview, see Fr. Neyrey, SJ). Put simply, if you were considered unclean or defiled, then you were considered unfit to worship God and were separated from the community. If, on the other hand, you were deemed clean or pure, then you would be deemed fit to worship God and be a part of the community. Although there are numerous reasons why you could be considered defiled, two are especially important for the Gospel. First, you would be considered unclean if you violated one of the numerous dietary laws (cf. Lev 11) - what can and cannot be eaten - that were given by God through Moses. As the first reading from Deuteronomy makes clear, observing God’s laws is imperative. Second, some argued that if you violated one of the Traditions of the Elders, then you were unclean. The Tradition of the Elders were a collection of detailed laws of human origin (i.e. not found in the Law of Moses). The Gospel mentions some of the Traditions of the Elders that were held in great importance by the scribes and Pharisees, for example, the washing of hands before a meal and the purification of cups and other utensils. The Pharisees accused the disciples of violating the Tradition of the Elders, thereby making themselves unclean, which would have made them unfit to worship God and separated them from the community.

Jesus’ teaching about what makes someone clean/unclean reveals something very important about how he understood his identity. There is a certain argument out there that goes as follows (e.g. see here). Jesus never claimed to be God. He saw himself as a prophet or teacher. Sure, there are some texts in which Jesus claims Divinity (e.g. Jn 8:58), but these are late texts and reflect more the beliefs of later followers of Jesus rather than Jesus himself. Today’s Gospel, taken from Mark, which is generally considered to be the oldest of the Gospels, argues against this. Jesus’ actions manifest his self understanding. First, Jesus saw himself as a teacher who had the authority to challenge the validity of the Tradition of the Elders. Elsewhere in Mark 7, Jesus shows how following the Tradition of the Elders can lead people to transgress the commandments of God (Mk 7:9-13). Jesus, however, goes further than this. Jesus says, “nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person; but the things that come out from within are what defile.” Since this goes against the dietary laws that were passed down from God through Moses, here Jesus is claiming the authority to revise the law of God. Although in Mark’s Gospel (unlike in John’s) Jesus never explicitly says he is the one God of Israel, we have here a clear example of how Jesus’ actions show that he understood he was the very embodiment of God’s presence walking the earth. God’s law can only be changed by God himself.

Jesus, the very embodiment of God, teaches us that we become unclean/defiled and therefore separated from God and others on account of malicious thoughts, words and actions that originate within ourselves and are directed towards others. We are not separated from God and others on account of what we eat, or on account of some “human tradition”. Rather, it is what comes from within, our hateful thoughts, words and actions that make us unclean/defiled. This is what creates divisions between us and God and within the community. This is an important message because we can all consider individuals to be separated from God or the community on account of some “human tradition”. We have replaced the Pharisees’ concern for the washing of cups, jugs and kettles with other preoccupations. We can consider people “defiled” on account of the political party they ascribe to, the news they watch, the country they are from (or, more specifically, the part of a country or even city they are from), the school they went to, the job they have or even the sports team they support. Within the Church we create division between ourselves and others because they are too conservative or too liberal, too traditional or too progressive or because they are or are not part of a particular group or movement. In the Gospel, Jesus invites us focus on what truly causes division: cruel thoughts, words and actions that we direct towards others.

An important principle follows from Jesus teaching. If malicious thoughts, words and actions create division, then it follows that loving thoughts, words and deeds create unity. “All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again”. Jesus, who we have seen in the Gospel is God, can put us back together. He has shown us both what breaks us apart and divides us, as well as how we can work to put together the broken pieces of humanity. Unity or division begins within the heart of each on of us and is furthered by our words and actions. Today we can ask ourselves whether we will add to the division in the world, or help build unity.

How should we deal with doubt?

21st Sunday Ordinary Time, year B | John 6:60-69

Some year ago, I had an experience in confession that was very important for me. I was in university at the time and experiencing doubts when it came to religion. Was Jesus really who he said he was? Was the Catholic Church really founded by Jesus? Are the teachings of the Church right? While waiting to go to confession, I was looking through an examination of conscience that was sitting in the Church. What I read seems to suggest that doubting in God was a sin. This surprised me so I brought it up with the priest in confession. Was I sinning by having doubts? What the priest said to me in response was very helpful. He said that having doubts is normal, it is not a sin. What is important is what we do when we experience doubts. Do we keep searching, seeking to understand? Or, do we just give up?

Elihu Vedder [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

In the Gospel today (John 6:60-69), many of Jesus’ disciples let their doubt overcome them and leave Christ. This passage is found at the end of Jesus’ Bread of Life discourse. In this, Jesus has explained to people that he is the Bread of Life both because his teaching nourishes and gives life and because he gives himself to us in the Eucharist. If we eat Jesus, the Bread of Life, both in the Eucharist and by following his teaching, we will have eternal life. Jesus will raise us up after we die. For many who heard Jesus, this teaching was beyond belief. “This saying is hard; who can accept it.” Many, in fact, could not accept Jesus’ teaching and were overcome by their doubts. As a result, “many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him”.

When we experience doubts about God or the Church, it is very helpful and necessary to focus our attention - our heart and thoughts - squarely on Jesus. After many of his disciples leave him, Jesus says to the twelve, “do you also want to leave?” To this, Peter responds, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.” Do Peter’s words indicate that he was not experiencing doubts like the others? It seems that Peter too doubted. Peter’s response, however, shows he has experienced something incredibly powerful by living close to Jesus and hearing his words. He had experienced life and holiness. Perhaps he struggled to accept all that Jesus had said. At the same time, nothing else mattered except staying close to Jesus. To whom else would he turn? Peter is an example for us when we have doubts. Perhaps we struggle with accepting some teaching, whether it be on the Eucharist or some moral issue. Or, with all the revelations that have arisen recently abuse the terrible crimes and cover-ups committed by leaders in the Church, it is only natural to have doubts. Can this really be the Church that Jesus founded? Or, maybe in the midst of suffering, whether it be with your health or in a relationship, you struggle to see how God is with you. Where is Jesus when I am in this pain? These doubts can be unnerving. To get through them, we, like Peter, need to focus on Jesus. We need to remind ourselves of the life and goodness we have experienced by following Jesus. He will strengthen us and show us the way forward. To whom else will we turn if not to Jesus?

In order to stay close to Jesus during times of doubt, we need to stay in close contact with his words. Remember that Peter said “to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”. Although we can hear the words of Jesus in various ways, an indispensible way is by reading the Gospels. There we encounter Jesus and hear his words. These words give encouragement, direction, and strength. At times of doubt and struggle, therefore, it is important to read the Gospels. Now, it is true that we hear the Gospel each time we come to Mass. There is, however, a difference when we sit down and read an entire Gospel, or a large chunk of it. When we do this, we get a more real, complex and compelling picture of who Jesus is and what he said. Reading a Gospel takes less time than we think. For example, the Gospel of Mark takes less than an hour and a half to read. This is about the same amount of time that, according to one study, the average person spends a day watching Netflix. If we don’t like to read, it is easier than ever to listen to the Gospels, whether it be in a podcast or audiobook. It is even possible to buy a recording of a famous person, like Johnny Cash, for example, reading the Gospel. We can listen to a Gospel, or large part of one, on our commute or when we are out for a walk.

Having doubts about God, the Church or certain teachings is a normal part of our lives. What is important is what we do with these doubts. When we experience doubt, let us, like Peter, focus our attention on Jesus.  “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life”. He will encourage us and show us the way forward. What will you do to make sure that you will hear the life-giving words of Jesus in the Gospel?

Is the Eucharist just a myth like the fountain of youth?

20th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B | John 6:51-58

You have probably heard the myth about the fountain of youth. It has been told in various forms for over two and a half thousands years. The myth relates that somewhere in the world there exists a special fountain. Anyone who bathes in this fountain, the story goes, will be restored to their youth. As a result, anyone with access to this fountain would never die. In short, the fountain of youth could rightly be called a cure for death. It is a guarantee of immortality.

The Fountain of Youth, Lucas Cranach (1546) [source]

In Jewish tradition, there was an ancient expectation that one day there would be a remedy for death. We all probably remember what happened to Adam and Eve after they gave in to the serpent’s temptation and ate the fruit that God forbade them to eat. One of the results of their sin was that they were expelled from Eden and no longer had access to the tree of life (Gen 3:24). As a result of their sin, they and their descendants would die. Before Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden, God told the serpent that there will be an ongoing conflict the serpent's offspring and the descendants of Eve. God said that the woman’s descendants would strike at the head of the serpent and that the serpent's offspring would strike at their heal (Gen 3:15). In some ancient Jewish texts (e.g. Targum Jonathan and Targum Neofiti, Aramaic translations/paraphrases of the Bible), we find an insertion after this line, which expresses a particular interpretation of this passage of scripture. These texts expand God’s speech to the serpent. After stating that the descendants of the woman and the serpent would be caught in a battle, harming one another, God says that for the woman’s descendants there would be a “cure”, whereas for the snake's offspring there would be no “cure”. This cure was to come in the days of the messiah. It seems, therefore that the author of these texts expected that there would, at the time of the messiah, come a cure for the effects of sin and temptation. In other words, there would be a remedy for death, the terrible consequence of sin.

In the Gospel today (John 6:51-58), Jesus presents himself as the cure for death. Jesus, the Messiah, says to the people, “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day”. Here, the flesh and blood that we are invited to eat and drink is the Eucharist, which is Jesus himself. For this reason, Ignatius of Antioch (died 107) called the Eucharist the “medicine of immortality”. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life. Since Jesus destroys sin, he has conquered death (cf. 1 Cor 15:55-57). Therefore, the Eucharist, which is the very flesh and blood of Jesus, is the cure for death.

It takes faith to believe that Jesus is the medicine of immortality. Even though we receive the Eucharist, we will still eventually die. How can we believe Jesus’ promise that he will raise us up on the last day? What prevents us from thinking that what Jesus offers is no better than the mythical fountain of youth? To my mind, there is only one answer: faith in the resurrection of Jesus. If we believe that Jesus rose from the dead, then we can believe that he will be true to his word and raise us up as well. Speaking personally, believing in the resurrection can be a difficult thing. Sometimes it is extremely difficult. Yet, I continue to believe. I believe because of the testimony of the apostles who claimed to witness the risen Jesus. Peter and the others - who were so afraid when Jesus was crucified that they all fled - gave their lives for the message that Jesus rose from the dead. I believe because of the holiness of the saints. Recently, with the revelations of terrible sexual abuse and coverup within the Church, we have seen once again that some people who call themselves Christians have committed horrendous crimes. Yet, there are still Christians who have lived and continue to live lives of extraordinary service and love. These saints (whether they be the famous ones or those who live their lives in obscurity) give me hope. They fill me with faith that the Risen Christ lives in them. I believe because I have experienced some small part of the life Jesus comes to bring. I have experienced his forgiveness and love. I have been inspired by his words I read in the Gospel. Believing in the resurrection of Jesus is not easy, but there are reasons to believe. If we have faith in the resurrection, then we can believe in Jesus’ words that if we eat his flesh and drink his blood we will live forever.

At every Mass, we have the opportunity to reaffirm our faith that Jesus, truly present in the Eucharist, is the medicine of immortality, the cure for death. When we receive the Eucharist, we say “amen”, a word that means “I believe” or “I trust”. What do we believe? Who do we trust? Let us think about what we are saying. When we say “amen”, let us make it an act of trust in Jesus, showing that we believe his words: “whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day”.