Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time – 01st September 2024

The first reading this Sunday is taken from the Old Testament; the Book of Deuteronomy. Moses, the great leader of the Israelites speaks to them and encourages them to keep the Law, the commandants which God had given them. These laws helped to guide and lead the people as they lived their lives as the People of God. Sadly, by the time of Jesus, the Scribes and Pharisees had literally taken control of the Law and had turned it into a countless list of rules and regulations. They took the heart and spirit of the Law away and replaced it with a cold list of do’s and don’ts. They took it upon themselves to interpret and proclaim the law; they decided who broke the law and who kept it.

In the gospel this Sunday, Jesus, the Scribes and Pharisees, as usual are disagreeing with each other publicly. As far as they are concerned, Jesus and his disciples are not following the Law as it laid down by them. They ask Jesus, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ Jesus challenges them even more when he calls them hypocrites, and quotes the Prophet Isaiah who said, ‘this people honour me (God) only with lip-service, while their hearts are far from me…. You put aside the commandments of God and cling to human traditions.’ Strong and challenging words indeed!   In another gospel, Jesus is even more direct and hard hitting when he says to the Pharisees, ‘You occupy the seat of Moses… you tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but will you lift a finger to move them? No! Everything you do is done to attract attention.’