POPE FRANCIS

ANGELUS

Saint Peter's Square Sunday

August 30, 2015

This Sunday's Gospel presents a dispute between Jesus and some Pharisees and scribes. The disagreement concerns the value of the "tradition of the elders" (Mark 7:3), which Jesus, referring to the prophet Isaiah, defines as "precepts of men" (v. 7) and which must never take the place of "the commandment of God" (v. 8). The ancient precepts in question included not only the precepts of God revealed to Moses, but also a series of imperatives that specified the instructions of the Mosaic Law. The interlocutors applied these norms very scrupulously and presented them as the expression of genuine religiosity. Consequently, they reproach Jesus and his disciples for transgressing them, particularly those concerning the external purification of the body (cf. v. 5). Jesus' response has the force of a prophetic declaration: "You have set aside the commandments of God," he said, "and are holding on to human traditions" (v. 8). These are words that fill us with admiration for our Master: we feel that in Him lies the truth and that His wisdom liberates us from prejudice.

But beware! With these words, Jesus wants to warn us today, too, against thinking that outward observance of the law is enough to make us good Christians. Like the Pharisees of that time, we too are in danger of considering ourselves righteous or, worse, better than others simply by observing principles and customs, even if we don't love our neighbor, if we are hard-hearted, vain, and proud. Strict adherence to precepts is sterile if the heart does not change and is not reflected in concrete actions: opening ourselves to encountering God and his Word in prayer, seeking justice and peace, and helping the poor, the weak, and the oppressed. We all know, in our communities, in our parishes, in our neighborhoods, how much harm and scandal are caused to the Church by those who claim to be very Catholic and who often go to church, but who then, in their daily lives, neglect their families, gossip, and so on. This is what Jesus condemns, for it constitutes a counter-witness to Christianity.

Continuing his exhortation, Jesus focuses attention on a deeper aspect and affirms: “There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him” (v. 15). In this way, he emphasizes the primacy of interiority, that is, the primacy of the “heart”: it is not outward things that make us saints or not, but the heart that expresses our intentions, our choices, and the desire to do everything out of love for God. Outward attitudes are the consequence of what we have decided in our hearts, but not the other way around: with an outward attitude, if the heart does not change, we are not true Christians. The boundary between good and evil does not lie outside us but rather within us. We can ask ourselves: where is my heart? Jesus said: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” What is my treasure? Is it Jesus, his teachings? Then the heart is good. Or is the treasure something else? It is therefore our heart that must be purified and converted. Without a purified heart, one cannot truly have clean hands and lips that speak sincere words of love—everything is twofold, a double life—lips that speak words of mercy and forgiveness. Only a sincere and purified heart can do this.

Let us ask the Lord, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, to grant us a pure heart, free from all hypocrisy. This is the adjective Jesus uses for the Pharisees: "hypocrites," because they say one thing and do another. A heart free from all hypocrisy, so that we may live according to the spirit of the law and attain its goal, which is love.