Readings: Deut. 4:1-2:6-8, James 1:17-18,21-22,27, and Mk. 7:1-8,14-15,21-23.
“Who shall be Admitted into the Lord’s Presence?”
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
1. I recalled having been in a Parish as a Seminarian on Apostolic Work. I was opportune to witness the send-off feasting ceremony of the chairman of the Parish Pastoral council. I enjoyed the speeches that were made. Everyone who spoke regretted the departure of the Chairman. He was a teacher and was transferred to another village in a different parish. The next day, I commented about the feast the previous day to the Catechist indicating how much the parishioners missed the Chairman. The speeches were just so good listing all the achievements during his reign as Parish Chairman. The Catechist told me that I was really a stranger in their parish. Do not mind what people were saying at that celebration – none of them meant what s/he said. Almost everyone is happy he is leaving. We had resolved not to re-elect him for the next term of office. He is a disgrace to say the least. He has three children out of wedlock that we all know of; the wife is often sad and disappointed. As if that is not enough, he is dating several women; with the least opportunity he helps himself from the running finances of the Parish Pastoral Council through the exaggeration of bills. God loves him that he is not leaving for prison but on transfer. I just hope he changes in the next place. He is of bad taste, a bad example to others.
2. Yes, Jesus had warned us against the Scribes and the Pharisees: “Don’t pay attention to what they say, they don’t speak from the heart”. The Scribes and the Pharisees have asked Jesus: “Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?” Jesus answered: “Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts. You disregard God’s commandment but cling to human tradition.” We are thus invited to carefully examine our words and actions to see to it that they march with practical living, with the ordinances of the Gospel. It is one thing to say something and another thing to do it. Hypocrisy is one of the things that angered Jesus very badly in his encounters with the Scribes and the Pharisees. Jesus condemned their ways of life in very strong terms: “Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves… Woe to you blind guides… You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgement and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done without neglecting the others… You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.” (Matt. 23:13-26).
3. It is not uncommon to come across people who give the impression that they are holy and pious, occupying positions of leadership when they are consciously very far from doing the will of God. One thing we must know is that good people do not go to heaven; it is holy people that go to heaven. You can be good without holiness of life, but you cannot be holy without being good. Come to think of it. We often are worried and concerned about what people and others think of us and we seem not to border about what God thinks or knows of us. That is why we can deceive others to believing that we are what we are not, but God knows us through and through. Fear God alone. Our relationship with God should come first. Sincere and honest living with one another is paying honor to God who created you and them.
4. Among the things listed in the Gospel that makes us unworthy of God and possibly unworthy of the Eucharistic meal are “unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these come from within, and they defile.” Yes, they come from the heart. First on this list is unchastity. Allow me to dwell a little on this. The virtue that enhances us here is the virtue of chastity. This is most sensitive and delicate because one can easily pretend and get away with it. True, chastity is impossible without God’s grace. What does chastity consist of?
- That you have nothing to do sexually with anybody outside of marriage.
- That as a married man/woman, you are faithful to your spouse, - one man, one woman till death do you part. This is fidelity, honoring and respecting each other.
- If you are a priest or a consecrated person, you will not have anything to do with a woman or man sexually speaking.
- It follows then that actions, like touches, kisses etc. that may serve as a preparation for that act meant for married people are not allowed among those who are not married.
5. It equally follows that all forms of sexual deviations are to be shunned for they go against the virtue of chastity. Such includes all practices of Lesbianism, homosexuality, masturbation, bestiality etc. These are grave sins. In his letter to the Ephesians St. Paul writes: “Try to imitate God as children of His whom he loves and try to follow Christ, by loving as he loves you, giving himself up in our place as a fragment offering and a sacrifice to God. Among you there must not be a mention of fornication, or impurity in any of its forms or promiscuity: these would hardly become the Saints. There must be no coarseness or salacious talk and jokes. All these is wrong for you; raise your voices in thanksgiving instead. For you can be quite certain that nobody who indulges in fornication or impurity or promiscuity which is worshipping of false God can inherit anything of the Kingdom of God. Do not let anyone deceive you with empty arguments. It is for this loose living that God’s anger comes down on those who rebel against Him. Make sure that you are not included in them. (Eph. 5:1-8).
6. We grow with our sexual feelings. The media deceive us that they must be satisfied at all costs, using all means available. The church teaches that we control and direct our feelings rightly. We use our sexual feelings for the purpose for which it was intended by God in marriage, for procreation, the wellbeing of the spouses and the upbringing and education of children. The consequences abound when they are wrongly used - Children are born out of lust and not out of love; we advocate for abortion and for the use of contraceptives, and other sexual deviations simply because we have chosen not to be reasoning beings but simply emotional beings. Take sexual activity outside of marriage the outcome is pain and disappointment. The key to success is chastity before marriage and fidelity in marriage. Anything else is not God’s will.
7. I have dwelled much on chastity as if that was the only thing Jesus warned about in the gospel text. This covers only two of the ten Commandments of God, 6th and 9th. We are to keep the ten commandments of God entirely and not only two. Love God and you will forever be with Him both here and here after. The psalmist had asked and then answered: “Lord who shall be admitted to your Tent? The man with clean hands and pure heart, who desires not worthless things”, that is, a holy person. May we strive to cooperate with God’s grace to be worthy servants of his both here and hereafter. To God be the glory and honor forever and ever. Amen.
Fr. Anthony D. Lawir,
Pastor (St. Agnes and Our Lady of Snows Parishes, Pittsfield and Dexter)