Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, cycle B

MARK 7: 1-8, 14-15, 21-23
A MAN WAS DRIVING ALONG ONE DAY WHEN HE FOUND HIMSELF STOPPED BEHIND A WOMAN WHO WAS ON HER CELL PHONE.  THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN; SHE DIDN'T MOVE; THE LIGHT TURNED RED AGAIN.  THE MAN SHOOK HIS FIST AT HER, POUNDED HIS STEERING WHEEL, AND BECAME RED IN THE FACE.  ALL OF THIS WAS OBSERVED BY THE POLICEMAN IN THE CAR BEHIND HIM, WHO PROMPTLY ARRESTED HIM AND TOLD HIM TO GET OUT OF THE CAR.  THE MAN WAS PUT IN HANDCUFFS WHILE THE POLICEMAN WENT THROUGH ALL THE PAPERS, OPENED THE GLOVE BOX AND THE TRUNK, MADE A FEW CALLS, AND THEN FINALLY UNLOCKED THE MAN'S HANDS AND TOLD HIM HE WAS FREE TO GO.  THE MAN WAS SEETHING. “I'LL HAVE YOUR BADGE! HE SAID.  I'LL SUE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO STOP SOMEONE IN HIS OWN CAR.  MY WINDOWS WERE ROLLED UP AND NO ONE COULD HEAR ME!”  THE OFFICER REPLIED, “WELL, I DIDN'T STOP YOU BECAUSE OF THE TANTRUM YOU WERE THROWING.  I SAW A CROSS DANGLING FROM  YOUR MIRROR, YOU HAVE ONE OF THOSE BUMPER STICKERS WITH A FISH ON IT AND ANOTHER ONE THAT SAYS “JOHN 3:16; AND YOU HAVE A DECAL THAT SAYS “KEEP CHRIST IN CHRISTMAS.”  I ARRESTED YOU BECAUSE I THOUGHT YOU HAD STOLEN THE CAR FROM A CHRISTIAN.”
AS WE LISTEN TO THE GOSPEL TODAY, WE HEAR ABOUT THOSE HYPOCRITICAL PHARISEES AGAIN.  WE REMEMBER THAT THEY WERE ALWAYS CRITICIZING ORDINARY PEOPLE FOR NOT BEING AS CAREFUL ABOUT THE LAW AS THEY WERE.  IT SEEMS AS THOUGH ANYTIME WE PICK UP ONE OF THE GOSPELS WE RUN INTO ANOTHER PHARISEE, SOMEONE WHO NOT ONLY DOESN'T GET WHAT JESUS IS TRYING TO TEACH, BUT GETS SO MAD THAT THEY PLOT WAYS TO KILL HIM.  OUR JESUS, THOSE PHARISEES.
BUT JESUS NEVER BECAME A CHRISTIAN.  HE LIVED AND DIED A JEW.  WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SCRIPTURES, JESUS HIMSELF DOESN'T DO VERY MUCH TO CONVERT GENTILES; HE SEES HIS MISSION FIRST TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL.  AND POSSIBLY HIS CONFRONTATIONS WITH THE PHARISEES ARE PRECISELY BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONES WHO TAKE RELIGION MOST SERIOUSLY IN JESUS' TIME.  IF JESUS WERE BORN AND RAISED A 20TH CENTURY AMERICAN CATHOLIC HE WOULDN'T BE FIGHTING WITH RABBIS FROM THE LOCAL SYNAGOGUES AND TEMPLES; HE WOULD BE CONFRONTING CATHOLICS, NOT THE ONES WHO HAVE DROPPED OUT OR ATTEND THE ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH ACROSS THE RIVER; NOT THE ONES WHO ARE REGISTERED AS CATHOLICS BUT COME TO MASS ON CHRISTMAS AND EASTER; NOT THE ONES WHO ENROLL THEIR KIDS IN FAITH FORMATION BUT NEVER DARKEN THE DOOR OF THE CHURCH THEMSELVES.  JESUS WOULD BE CONFRONTING FAITHFUL CATHOLICS, MAYBE YOU AND SURELY ME.
HE WOULD CONFRONT ME BECAUSE I'M A HYPOCRITE.  BUT I'M IN GOOD COMPANY, I GUESS.  SAINT PAUL SAID, “WRETCHED MAN THAT I AM! WHO WILL SET ME FREE FROM THE BODY OF THIS DEATH? THANKS BE TO GOD THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD! SO THEN, ON THE ONE HAND I MYSELF WITH MY MIND AM SERVING THE LAW OF GOD, BUT ON THE OTHER, WITH MY FLESH THE LAW OF SIN.”
SOME PEOPLE THINK THAT BEING A HYPOCRITE IS A BAD THING.  IT'S NOT.  IN FACT, PEOPLE WHO ARE HYPOCRITES ARE A STEP ABOVE PEOPLE WHO AREN'T.  A HYPOCRITE IS SOMEONE WHO PROFESSES CERTAIN BELIEFS BUT WHOSE ACTIONS CONTRADICT THOSE BELIEFS.  THAT'S WHAT PAUL IS TALKING ABOUT.  THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF HYPOCRITES.  THERE ARE THE ONES WHO PRETEND TO BELIEVE SOMETHING SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMEONE ELSE.  BUT MOST OF US HYPOCRITES BELIEVE SOMETHING BUT CANNOT BRING OURSELVES TO ACT AS WE BELIEVE.  I BELIEVE THAT CHRISTIANS SHOULD FEED THE HUNGRY, GIVE DRINK TO THE THIRSTY, CLOTHE THE NAKED, GIVE SHELTER TO THE HOMELESS, VISIT THE SICK, VISIT THE IMPRISONED, AND BURY THE DEAD.  I HOPE WHAT MY WIFE AND I GIVE TO CHARITY WILL COVER OUR PART IN THIS, BUT EXCEPT FOR VISITING SOME SICK PEOPLE, I DON'T PERSONALLY DO MANY OF THOSE THINGS; DO YOU?  I BELIEVE I AM CALLED TO INSTRUCT THE IGNORANT; TO COUNSEL THE DOUBTFUL; TO ADMONISH SINNERS; TO BEAR WRONGS PATIENTLY; TO FORGIVE OFFENSES WILLINGLY; TO COMFORT THE AFFLICTED; AND TO PRAY FOR THE LIVING AND THE DEAD. BUT I DON'T REMEMBER ADMONISHING SINNERS, AND I'M NOT VERY PATIENT AND IT'S HARD  TO FORGIVE OFFENSES. MY BELIEFS AND MY ACTIONS DON'T LINE UP.
JESUS CONFRONTED THE PHARISEES NOT BECAUSE THEY WERE SO VERY WRONG, BUT BECAUSE THEY WERE ALMOST RIGHT; THEY TOOK SERIOUSLY WHAT GOD COMMANDED, BUT GOT THE DETAILS WRONG.  THEY FAITHFULLY WASHED  THEIR HANDS BEFORE EATING, AS GOD HAD COMMANDED; BUT FORGOT THAT THEIR RITUAL ACT OF PURIFICATION WAS SUPPOSED TO REFLECT AN INNER PURITY; AND WERE THE INNER PURITY THERE, THEIR OUTWARD BEHAVIOR WOULD BE DIFFERENT.  I THINK WHEN JESUS SPOKE TO THE PHARISEES IN THIS PASSAGE, HE SMILED A LITTLE WHEN HE USED THE WORD “HYPOCRITE”.  HE KNEW THEY WERE TRYING, AND REMINDED THEM TO TRY HARDER, OR PERHAPS, TO TRY SMARTER.
IF JESUS WERE A MODERN AMERICAN CATHOLIC, HE WOULD BE SAYING TO THOSE OF US WHO ARE TRYING TO BE FAITHFUL, WHO ARE TAKING THE CHURCH A LITTLE BIT SERIOUSLY, “COMPARE WHAT YOU SAY YOU BELIEVE WITH WHAT YOU DO.  IT'S NOT CONSISTENT, IS IT?  YOUR TASK AS MY FOLLOWER IS TO SPEND YOUR LIFE NOT ONLY LEARNING WHAT I TEACH, BUT CONFORMING YOUR LIFE TO WHAT YOU LEARN.  THAT'S WHAT IT MEANS TO BE MY DISCIPLE. WE HYPOCRITES ARE JESUS' HOPE FOR THE WORLD.  PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE TENSION BETWEEN WHAT THEY BELIEVE AND WHAT THEY DO ARE NOT GOING TO CHANGE; THEY AREN'T GOING TO HEAR JESUS' MESSAGE.  THEIR ONLY HOPE IS WHEN, THROUGH THE GRACE OF GOD, THEY BEGIN TO HAVE TENSION BETWEEN THEIR BELIEFS AND THEIR  ACTIONS; AND THAT CAN ONLY COME WHEN THEY LOOK AT A PERSON THEY LOVE AND ADMIRE, MAYBE YOU, MAYBE ME, AND SEE THAT HE OR SHE LIVES ACCORDING TO DIFFERENT VALUES THAN  THEY DO.  WHEN HE KNOWS SOMEONE WELL AND BEGINS TO WISH HE HAD HIS JOY, HIS PEACE, HIS INTEGRITY, HIS DEVOTION – THAT'S WHEN TENSION IS INTRODUCED AND  THE POSSIBILITY OF CHANGE BECOMES REAL.  THAT'S WHEN HE BECOMES A  HYPOCRITE.
SO DON'T THINK THIS GOSPEL IS MEANT TO CONTRAST THOSE HYPOCRITICAL PHARISEES WITH US CHRISTIANS, WHO KNOW BETTER.  AND PLEASE DON'T READ INTO THIS PASSAGE THE IDEA THAT MARK IS CRITICIZING JEWS BECAUSE OF THE EXTERNAL PRACTICES THEY FOLLOW IN ATTEMPTING TO LIVE GOD'S LAW.  RATHER, ASK YOURSELF WHERE YOU ARE A HYPOCRITE; WHERE YOU COULD DO BETTER, COULD DO DIFFERENTLY, WHERE PEOPLE COULD WATCH YOU AND SAY, “I KNOW WHAT HE BELIEVES”.  AND MAY NO ONE EVER THINK YOU STOLE YOUR CAR FROM A CHRISTIAN.