22nd Sunday of Year B

CATHOLIC PRODUCTIONS (4:10) – In this intro videoFor the Mass Readings on the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Dr. Brant Pitre discusses how the Pharisees approach Jesus to ask him why his disciples do not follow certain ceremonial laws (like washing their hands before eating). In response, Jesus will reject certain — though not all — human traditions, in particular ones that undermine, supplant, and/or contradict the revealed law in the Old Testament.

OUR SUNDAY VISITOR

OUR SUNDAY VISITOR

Key Points to the Readings

Dr. Kieran J. O’Mahony, OSA

HEARERS OF THE WORD (PDF)

Navarre Bible

SUNDAY COMMENTARY (PDF)

Raymond E. Brown

Introduction to the New Testament

Ave Maria Press

A Catholic Study of God’s Word

Niell Donavan

Sermon Writer

saint louis university

Scripture in Depth

PREACHING THE LECTIONARY by Reginald Fuller

FIRST READING: This passage comes from the prologue to the Deuteronomic law. The prohibition to add or subtract anything was a regular feature of ancient legal codes (cf. the Code of Hammurabi, where, however, the prohibition comes toward the end, not at the beginning as here). The second paragraph underlines the great privilege Israel enjoys through the possession of the law.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Almost the same selection of verses from this psalm is used on the sixteenth Sunday in series C. This is one of the so-called entry psalms, sung by pilgrims as they approached the temple. It describes the character of the pilgrim whom God will accept—a person of justice, sincerity, and integrity.

SECOND READING: For the next five weeks the second reading will be from the so-called Letter of James. Traditionally this letter has been accepted as the work of James the brother of the Lord, though the author simply calls himself  “a servant (slave) of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Jas 1:1).

GOSPEL:  Like so many passages in the Gospel tradition, this pericope has a long and complicated history behind it. To begin with, the parenthesis [or dash] in Mark 7:3-4 is a note by the evangelist for the benefit of his Gentile readers, who were of course unfamiliar with Jewish customs.

22nd Sunday of Year B

The Human Versus the Divine

In the Gospel Reading, Jesus corrects the Pharisees on their interpretation of what makes one ritually “clean” and fit for worship or ritually “unclean” and a sinner who is unfit to enter into communion with God.  The Pharisees were the most influential religious party in the first century AD.  They were more powerful than the Sadducees who were mostly composed of the chief priests and the Herodian aristocracy.  As the Pharisees expanded their authority over all religious matters in the first century BC, they preached a doctrine that the ritual purity practices required for the priests should also apply for the covenant people.  They added their own rules for religious customs to the Mosaic Law, making the Law more of a burden for the people and less of a tutor and a guide for holiness.  Jesus chastises them for their hypocritical hard hearts and for their rigid interpretation of the Law that lost the concept of God’s mercy and the joyful practice of right religion that is the path to salvation.

Excerpts from Michal E. Hunt’s Agape Bible Study.  Material slightly reformatted. Used with permission.

FIRST READING

AGAPE BIBLE STUDY

Obedience and Wisdom of God’s Law

Meditating on the Law in the First Reading, Moses saw the danger of human interpretation developing into added traditions that could obscure the original will of God for His people.  That is why the people of God needed one central authority to interpret the spirit of the Law as God intended, and to maintain the authoritative voice of God in the command: “you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it” (Dt 4:2).  Jesus repeats the same command at the end of the last chapter of the last book of the Bible where He says: “I warn everyone who hears the prophetic words in this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words in this prophetic book, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city described in this book” (Rev 22:18-19).   That is why St. Peter wrote: At the same time, we must recognize that the interpretation of scriptural prophecy is never a matter for the individual (2 Pt 1:20).  The authority Jesus established to interpret the of the Word of God is His Kingdom of the Church.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

AGAPE BIBLE STUDY

Practicing God’s Justice

Response: The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

In the Psalm Reading, the psalmist urges worshippers to repent all temptations to sin and right any wrongs against others before entering the presence of God in the liturgy of worship.  Each worshiper must demonstrate the rightness of heart and conduct to separate himself from sin.  A holy God deserves a holy people.  The psalmist assures the faithful who repent their sins and live in harmony with others of God’s forgiveness, as we affirm as a community in our response: “The one who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.”

Psalm 15 is a psalm attributed to David, king of Israel and Jesus’ ancestor (Mt 1:1; Lk 1:32-33).  In verse 1, the psalmist asks the question: Lord, who may abide in your tent?  Who may dwell on your holy mountain?  In verses 2-5, the psalmist answers his own question by offering what he believes is a necessary examination of conscience at the entrance to the Temple court.  The worshipper must ask what conduct he has demonstrated that is appropriate for admission in God’s holy precincts.  Notice that the emphasis is on virtues relating to love of neighbor:

1. One who practices justice (verse 2)
2. One who refrains from slandering or doing harm to another (verse 2b-3)
3. One who avoids the wicked (verse 4a)
4. One who keeps company with those who revere the Lord (verse 4b)
5. One who does not practice taking advantage by charging interest for lending money and does not accept bribes (verse 5a)

Such a person has demonstrated the rightness of heart and conduct to separate him or herself from human sin to take part in worshipping the One True God by offering his or her life as an unblemished sacrifice.  It is an examination of conduct and conscience St. Paul urges all Christians to practice before entering the holy inner court of the Mass that is the celebration of the Eucharist.  Paul wrote to the Christians of Corinth: Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord.  A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body [of Christ], eats and drinks judgment on himself (1 Cor 11:26-32).

Excerpts from Michal E. Hunt’s Agape Bible Study.Material slightly reformatted. Used with permission.

SECOND READING

AGAPE BIBLE STUDY

Act in Response to God’s Divine Word

In the Second Reading, St. James the Just writes that God set the universe in motion and gave the plants and stars their celestial paths.  But unlike the heavenly bodies which alter their positions with the changing seasons and cast different shadows, there is no variation in God.  God is constant and unchanging through eternity.  Therefore, we can depend on God to do what is right for us, as He calls us to demonstrate our faith in Him through obedience to His command to do right by our brothers and sisters in the human family.  In his letter to the universal Church, St. James urged all Christians to live in imitation of Christ by being “doers and not just hearers of the word.”

GOSPEL

AGAPE BIBLE STUDY

The Tradition of the Elders and the Parable of Clean and Unclean

In the Gospel Reading, Jesus corrects the Pharisees on their interpretation of what makes one ritually “clean” and fit for worship or ritually “unclean” and a sinner who is unfit to enter into communion with God.  The Pharisees were the most influential religious party in the first century AD.  They were more powerful than the Sadducees who were mostly composed of the chief priests and the Herodian aristocracy.  As the Pharisees expanded their authority over all religious matters in the first century BC, they preached a doctrine that the ritual purity practices required for the priests should also apply for the covenant people.  They added their own rules for religious customs to the Mosaic Law, making the Law more of a burden for the people and less of a tutor and a guide for holiness.  Jesus chastises them for their hypocritical hard hearts and for their rigid interpretation of the Law that lost the concept of God’s mercy and the joyful practice of right religion that is the path to salvation.

22nd Sunday of Year B

FIRST READING

LIFE RECOVERY NOTES

God’s Directions are Not to be Tampered With

DEUTERONOMY4:2 God’s directions are not to be tampered with. It is tempting to add to or take away from God’s provisions. But if we are to have victory, we must accept God’s way—as it is, not as we might wish it to be. These requirements were offered for Israel’s guidance; they were a gracious provision of God’s love. God, through his Word and loving presence in our life, also provides us with all we need to live with fulfillment and contentment.

Each day we make a decision whom we will serve, either God or this world. What a wonderful experience to be able to firmly assert that you will serve only the Lord!

SOURCE: Content taken from THE LIFE RECOVERY BIBLE notes by Stephen Arterburn & David Stoop. Copyright © 1998, 2017. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.

THE PREACHER’S COMMENTARY

The Difference that Would Draw Others to God

DEUTERONOMY 4:5-8 The law and obedience to it are required to make Israel morally and spiritually unique among all other nations. Israel’s strength would not be in military might or human skills. Other nations not comprehending the beauty of obedience would marvel at Israel’s wisdom and understanding. It was not by learned discussion or arguments that their wisdom was to be displayed but by childlike, unquestioning obedience. All the wisdom was in the statutes and judgments of God, not in their own thoughts or reasonings (vv. 5–6). The profound and marvelous providence of God as revealed in His Word was what the nations were to see and admire.

Moses made two deductions about the law that was given to Israel (vv. 7–8). First, God’s law given to Israel pointed to an intimate relationship between Him and the descendants of Abraham. This type of kinship existed in no other religion. Second, God’s law, which surpassed all other laws in righteousness, should be the pride of Israel. Obedience to this great law was Israel’s only hope for success and for the drawing of other nations to God.

Forty-two times in the Bible we read that the blessings of God are contingent on our obedience. One of the many examples is Psalm 25:10. “All the paths of the LORD are mercy and truth, / To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.” Too many Christians use the “dip and skip” method of Christian living. They dip into His promises and skip His commands. This type of living did not please God in the day of Moses and it does not please Him now.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

LIFE RECOVERY NOTES

Essential Elements of Any Personal Inventory

PSALM 15:1-3 If we want to experience recovery, we must be committed to honesty, integrity, and right living. We must quit lying to ourself and to others, and we must stop doing things that hurt other people. These are all essential elements of any effective personal inventory if we hope to bring reconciliation to our relationships.

SOURCE: Content taken from THE LIFE RECOVERY BIBLE notes by Stephen Arterburn & David Stoop. Copyright © 1998, 2017. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.

THE PREACHER’S COMMENTARY

Prescription for Life

PSALM 15:1-5  In a famous debate between theologians Paul Tillich and Karl Barth, Tillich claimed that our theology should be an “answering theology.” This means that the world asks the questions which theology then answers. For Tillich the issue was one of relevance. Psychologists teach us that we should address “felt needs.” Barth, however, replied No, and he went on to say that the world doesn’t know the right questions to ask. God must reveal the questions as well as the answers. Here in Psalm 15 God reveals the right questions and the right answers. This psalm begins with life’s critical issue: who may “abide” in God’s tent and “dwell” in His holy hill?

Psalm 15 is a didactic wisdom poem establishing guidelines for living that will usher us into God’s presence. It covers our walk, our works, and our words (v. 2). While the psalm could be interpreted legalistically, this would be wrong. The psalmist is concerned with our attitude, not just our action. As C. S. Lewis points out in The Great Divorce, through out our lives we are either growing closer to God or further from Him. This psalm is a directive into His presence.

SECOND READING

LIFE RECOVERY NOTES

Who or What is in Control of Our Life?

James1:19-20 Who or what is in control of our life? Is it God? Is it other people? Is it a controlling dependency or compulsion or an overpowering emotion? The issue of control is vital to our spiritual growth and recovery. For some of us, the emotion of anger is overpowering. James advises us to listen before we speak, to have self-control, and to be patient, not letting anger control our actions in any situation. We may be angry over our past as well as over current events. To control our anger, we need to give our life over to God. Even when we feel out of control, he can help us maintain our composure. He can give us the strength and wisdom to think and listen before we speak or act.

SOURCE: Content taken from THE LIFE RECOVERY BIBLE notes by Stephen Arterburn & David Stoop. Copyright © 1998, 2017. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.

AFRICA STUDY BIBLE

Who Am I?

JAMES 1:17-27 – The Hausa people of northern Nigeria have a story about a cattle dealer who went down south to sell some cattle. He made a lot of money. On his way home, however, he got into the company of some robbers who tricked him into drinking a drugged beverage when they stopped for lunch. He fell asleep, and the robbers took all his money, shaved his head clean, and left. When the dealer woke up, he was all alone. His mind went immediately to his money, so he touched his pockets to see if the money was there. When he realised his pockets were empty, he put his hands on his head, preparing to cry out in distress. He discovered that there was no hair on his head, so he paused, nodded, and said, “Aha! I certainly know I am not the one who was robbed!”

Of course, trying to assure himself that he was not the one was a form of denial due to his distress at his great loss of money. James tells us that the one who hears the Word of God and does not do it is like the person who looks into a mirror but forgets who he is as soon as he turns away (James 1:23-24).

The Bible—God’s mirror—reveals our true person, our origin, our past, our present, and our future. When we look into the Word, we must not go away without allowing the Word to change us. There is nothing that is as powerful to transform our lives as the Bible. We must put into practice the principles of God’s Word. Merely repeating the Bible or even memorizing it gets us only halfway there. Obeying God’s Word brings true change. When you read a passage, ask what God would have you do in response.

SOURCE: Excerpt taken from THE AFRICA STUDY BIBLE

GOSPEL

LIFE RECOVERY NOTES

The Root of Our Problems

MARK 7:14-23  Jesus explained that defilement does not come from our external behavior, but that it comes from within our heart. Most of us have tried to control our dependency by changing various aspects of our external behavior. The fact that this never worked for long is clear evidence that our real problems lie within. We should find it encouraging that God goes right to the root of our problems; he works his healing from the inside out. By recognizing our need for internal healing, we open our life to God’s healing power.

SOURCE: Content taken from THE LIFE RECOVERY BIBLE notes by Stephen Arterburn & David Stoop. Copyright © 1998, 2017. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.

AFRICA STUDY BIBLE

Words and Deeds

MARK 7:1-23 – A well-known Egyptian proverb translates to say, “When I hear your talk, I believe you, but when I see your behaviour, I wonder.” This proverb is used when someone’s behaviour contradicts his words.

Jesus reminded the Pharisees and teachers of Israel of Isaiah’s words: “These people … honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Isaiah 29:13). Jesus said these words applied in his day as well. Behaviour is a good indicator of what is in the heart. If hypocrisy is rejected and hated by people, how will it be judged by God? Our behaviour must line up with our words so that we are not guilty of hypocrisy.

SOURCE: Excerpt taken from THE AFRICA STUDY BIBLE

FEASTING ON THE GOSPELS

Hypocrisy

MARK 7:1-23 In verses 18–19, we come up against one of Jesus’ most radical statements concerning purity: “Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile?” With these words Jesus calls into question the rationale behind the entire Levitical structure of dietary laws and regulations. In so doing, he locates the roots of impurity, and hence of sin, where they belong: within the mind, the heart, and the soul. Appearances, he argues, external factors, conditions, and influences count for nothing. As Robert Burns once put it:

The heart ay’s the part ay
That makes us right or wrang.

Pure or impure? Clean or unclean? It is not a matter of ritual observance or of outward appearance, but of what is going on deep inside a person. Of that, in the last resort, only God can be the judge. Perhaps John Milton put it best of all:

For neither man nor angel can discern
Hypocrisy, the only evil that walks
Invisible, except to God alone.

SOURCE: EXCERPT taken from FEASTING ON THE GOSPELS—MARK. All rights reserved.

22nd Sunday of Year B

MARK 7:1-13

1. Then came together unto him the Pharisees, and certain of the Scribes, which came from Jerusalem.

2. And when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with defiled, that is to say, with unwashen, hands, they found fault.

3. For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

4. And when they come from the market, except they wash, they eat not. And many other things there be, which they have received to hold, as the washing of cups, and pots, brasen vessels, and of tables.

5. Then the Pharisees and Scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?

6. He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

7. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

8. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.

9. And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

10. For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

11. But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free.

12. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother;

13. Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

COMMENTARY

BEDE. (in Marc. 2, 29) The people of the land of Gennesareth, who seemed to be unlearned men, not only come themselves, but also bring their sick to the Lord, that they may but succeed in touching the hem of His garment. But the Pharisees and Scribes, who ought to have been the teachers of the people, run together to the Lord, not to seek for healing, but to move captious questions; wherefore it is said, Then there came together unto him the Pharisees and cerlain of the Scribes, coming from Jerusalem; and when they saw some of his disciples eat bread with common, that is, with unwashen hands, they found fault.

THEOPHYLACT. For the disciples of the Lord, who were taught only the practice of virtue, used to eat in a simple way, without washing their hands; but the Pharisees, wishing to find an occasion of blame against them, took it up; they did not indeed blame them as transgressors of the law, but for transgressing the traditions of the elders. Wherefore it goes on: For the Pharisees and all the Jews, except they wash their hands oft, eat not, holding the tradition of the elders.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) For taking the spiritual words of the Prophets in a carnal sense, they observed, by washing the body alone, commandments which concerned the chastening of the heart and deeds, saying Wash you, make you clean; (Isa. 1:16) and again, Be ye clean that bear the vessels of the Lord. (Isa. 52:11) It is therefore a superstitious human tradition, that men who are clean already, should wash oftener because they eat bread, and that they should not eat on leaving the market, without washing. But it is necessary for those who desire to partake of the bread which comes down from heaven, often to cleanse their evil deeds by alms, by tears, and the other fruits of righteousness. It is also necessary for a man to wash thoroughly away the pollutions which he has contracted from the cares of temporal business, by being afterwards intent on good thoughts and works. In vain, however, do the Jews wash their hands, and cleanse themselves after the market, so long as they refuse to be washed in the font of the Saviour; in vain do they observe the washing of their vessels, who neglect to wash away the filthy sins of their bodies and of their hearts. It goes on: Then the Scribes and Pharisees asked him, Why walk not thy disciples after the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with common hands?

JEROME. (in Matt. 15) Wonderful is the folly of the Pharisees and Scribes; they accuse the Son of God, because He keeps not the traditions and precepts of men. But common is here put for unclean; for the people of the Jews, boasting that they were the portion of God, called those meats common, which all made use of.

PSEUDO-JEROME. He beats back the vain words of the Pharisees with His arguments, as men drive back dogs with weapons, by interpreting Moses and Isaiah, that we too by the word of Scripture may conquer the heretics, who oppose us; wherefore it goes on: (Isa. 29:13) Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites; as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) For since they unjustly accused the disciples not of transgressing the law, but the commands of the elders, He sharply confounds them, calling them hypocrites, as looking with reverence upon what was not worthy of it. He adds, however, the words of Isaiah the prophet, as spoken of them; as though He would say, As those men, of whom it is said, that they honour God with their lips, whilst their heart is far from him, in vain pretend to observe the dictates of piety, whilst they honour the doctrines of men, so ye also neglect your soul, of which ye should take care, and blame those who live justly.

PSEUDO-JEROME. But Pharisaical tradition, as to tables and vessels, is to be cut off, and cast away. For they often make the commands of God yield to the traditions of men; wherefore it continues, For laying aside the commandments of God, ye hold to the traditions of men, as the washing of pots and cups.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) Moreover, to convict them of neglecting the reverence due to God, for the sake of the tradition of the elders, which was opposed to the Holy Scriptures, He subjoins, For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death. (Exod. 21:17.)

BEDE. (ubi sup.) The sense of the word honour in Scripture is not so much the saluting and paying court to men, as alms-giving, and bestowing gifts; honour, says the Apostle, widows who are widows indeed. (1 Tim. 5:3.)

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) Notwithstanding the existence of such a divine law, and the1 threats against such as break it, ye lightly transgress the commandment of God, observing the traditions of the Elders. Wherefore there follows, But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; understand, he will be freed from the observation of the foregoing command. Wherefore it continues, And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother.

THEOPHYLACT. For the Pharisees, wishing to devour the offerings, instructed sons, when their parents asked for some of their property, to answer them, what thou hast asked of me is corban, that is, a gift, I have already offered it up to the Lord; thus the parents would not require it, as being offered up to the Lord,z (and in that way profitable for their own salvation). Thus they deceived the sons into neglecting their parents, whilst they themselves devoured the offerings; with this therefore the Lord reproaches them, as transgressing the law of God for the sake of gain. Wherefore it goes on, Making the word of God of none effect through your traditions, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye; transgressing, that is, the commands of God, that ye may observe the traditions of men.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) Or else it may be said, that the Pharisees taught young persons, that if a man offered a gift in expiation of the injury done to his father or mother, he was free from sin, as having given to God the gifts which are owed to a parent; and in saying this, they did not allow parents to be honoured.

BEDE. (ubi sup. v. Hier. in Matt. 15. et Orig. in Matt. Tom. xi. 9) The passage may in a few words have this sense, Every gift which I have to make, will go to do you good; for ye compel children, it is meant, to say to their parents, that gift which I was going to offer to God, I expend on feeding you, and does you good, oh father and mother, speaking this ironically. Thus they would be afraid to accept what had been given into the hands of God, and might prefer a life of poverty to living on consecrated property.

PSEUDO-JEROME. Mystically, again, the disciples eating with unwashed hands signifies the future fellowship of the Gentiles with the Apostles. The cleansing and washing of the Pharisees is barren; but the fellowship of the Apostles, though without washing, has stretched out its branches as far as the sea.

MARK 7:14-23

14. And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one of you, and understand:

15. There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.

16. If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.

17. And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.

18. And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;

19. Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?

20. And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.

21. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,

22. Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:

23. All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

COMMENTARY

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) The Jews regard and murmur about only the bodily purification of the law; our Lord wishes to bring in the contrary. Wherefore it is said, And when he had called all the people unto him, he said unto them, Hearken unto me every one, and understand; there is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him, but the things which come out of a man, those are they which defile a man; that is, which make him unclean. The things of Christ have relation to the inner man, but those which are of the law are visible and external, to which, as being bodily, the cross of Christ was shortly to put an end.

THEOPHYLACT. But the intention of the Lord in saying this was to teach men, that the observing of meats, which the law commands, should not be taken in a carnal sense, and from this He began to unfold to them the intent of the law.

PSEUDO-CHRYSOSTOM. (Vict. Ant. e Cat. in Marc.) Again He subjoins, If any man have ears to hear, let him hear. For He had not clearly shewn them, what those things are which proceed out of a man, and defile a man; and on account of this saying, the Apostles thought that the foregoing discourse of the Lord implied some other deep thing; wherefore there follows: And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable; they called it parable, because it was not clear.

THEOPHYLACT. The Lord begins by chiding them, wherefore there follows, Are ye so without understanding also?

BEDE. (ubi sup.) For that man is a faulty hearer who considers what is obscure to be a clear speech, or what is clear to be obscurely spoken.

THEOPHYLACT. Then the Lord shews them what was hidden, saying, Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot make him common?

BEDE. (ubi sup.) For the Jews, boasting themselves to be the portion of God, call common those meats which all men use, as shellfish, hares, and animals of that sort. Not even however what is offered to idols is unclean, in as far as it is food and God’s creature; it is the invocation of devils which makes it unclean; and He adds the cause of it, saying, Because it entereth not into his heart. The principal seat of the soul according to Plato is the brain, but according to Christ, it is in the heart.

GLOSS.a It says therefore into his heart, that is, into his mind, which is the principal part of his soul, on which his whole life depends; wherefore it is necessary, that according to the state of his heart a man should be called clean or unclean, and thus whatsoever does not reach the soul, cannot bring pollution to the man. Meats therefore, since they do not reach the soul, cannot in their own nature defile a man; but an inordinate use of meats, which proceeds from a want of order in the mind, makes men unclean. But that meats cannot reach the mind, He shews by that which He adds, saying, But into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats. This however He says, without referring to what remains from the food in the body, for that which is necessary for the nourishment and growth of the body remains. But that which is superfluous goes out, and thus as it were purges the nourishment, which remains.

AUGUSTINE. (Lib. oct. Quæs. 73) For some things are joined to others in such a way as both to change and be changed, just as food, losing its former appearance, is both itself turned into our body, and we too are changed, and our strength is refreshed by it.b Further, a most subtle liquid, after the food has been prepared and digested in our veins, and other arteries, by some hidden channels, called from a Greek word, pores, passes through us, and goes into the draught.

BEDE. Thus then it is not meat that makes men unclean, but wickedness, which works in us the passions which come from within; wherefore it goes on: And he said, That which cometh out of a man, that defileth a man.

GLOSS. (non occ.) The meaning of which He points out, when He subjoins, for from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts. And thus it appears that evil thoughts belong to the mind, which is here called the heart, and according to which a man is called good or bad, clean or unclean.

BEDE. (ubi sup.) From this passage are condemned those men who suppose that thoughts are put into them by the devil, and do not arise from their own evil will. The devil may excite and help on evil thoughts, he cannot be their author.

GLOSS. (non in Gloss. sed v. de Lyra in loc.) From evil thoughts, however, evil actions proceed to greater lengths, concerning which it is added, adulteries, that is, acts which consist in the violation of another man’s bed; fornications, which are unlawful connexions between persons, not bound by marriage; murders, by which hurt is inflicted on the person of one’s neighbour; thefts, by which his goods are taken from him; covetousness, by which things are unjustly kept; wickedness, which consists in calumniating others; deceit, in overreaching them; lasciviousness, to which belongs any corruption of mind or body.

THEOPHYLACT. An evil eye, that is, hatred and flattery, for he who hates turns an evil and envious eye on him whom he hates, and a flatterer, looking askance at his neighbour’s goods, leads him into evil; blasphemies, that is, faults committed against God; pride, that is, contempt of God, when a man ascribes the good, which he does, not to God, but to his own virtue; foolishness, that is, an injury against one’s neighbour.

GLOSS. (non occ. sed v. Summa 2, 2. Qu. 46. 1. et 1, 2. Qu. 1, 1) Or, foolishness consists in wrong thoughts concerning God; for it is opposed to wisdom, which is the knowledge of divine things. It goes on, All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. For whatsoever is in the power of a man, is imputed to him as a fault, because all such things proceed from the interior will, by which man is master of his own actions.

SOURCE: eCatholic 2000 Commentary in public domain.

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