Sitting with the Sacred

Readings for September 1:

1. Deuteronomy 4:1–2, 6–8
2. Psalm 15:2–3, 3–4, 4–5
3. James 1:17–18, 21b–22, 27
4. Mark 7:1–8, 14–15, 21–23

What this week’s readings say to me:

This week, the theme of the passages is more apparent than it sometimes is. I’m tempted to express that theme using all kinds of clichés: “Don’t just talk the talk; walk the walk. Practice what you preach.

There. I just succumbed to cliché temptation. They’re clichés, and the second version doesn’t exactly include people like me, who use wheelchairs, but the non-cliché versions that bounced around in my head sounded unnecessarily stilted.

And whose word am I called to preach? Whose walk am I called to walk? Whose hands am I called to be? God’s.

This is one of those weeks in which each passage contains a verse or verses that popped out at me for encapsulating the central message for me. I don’t feel like I could convey that message in a more accessible way then these verses do. So this week, this section will feature them.

In your observance of the commandments of the LORD, your God, which I enjoin upon you, you shall not add to what I command you nor subtract from it. . . . Observe them carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence to the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, ‘This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people.’

Deuteronomy 4:2 and 6

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

the refrain sung between verses during Mass that also functions a statement of theme for Psalm 15

Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves . . . .
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

James 1:22 and 27

This people honors me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines human precepts.

Isaiah 29:13 quoted in Mark 7:6-8

Beyond this week’s readings:

The refrain that is used with the September 1 psalm got me thinking about what it means to “do justice.” I got to thinking about this because I noticed some resistance in me as I read it. I think this resistance comes from my gut reaction to the word “justice. ” My initial reaction tends to associate it with revenge and punishment.

But when I give the word further thought, I’m reminded that justice means recognizing the negative consequences of an action, taking steps to prevent further negative consequences, and extending mercy. One part of extending mercy is seeking to heal the wounds that led to the injustice. Another part is recognizing that any of us could have suffered those wounds. If we haven’t, it’s only thanks to the grace of God and neighbor. We’re all in need of forgiveness and healing. Because I think many of us want forgiveness and healing and have received them from God and hopefully from our neighbors (though not always in the ways I want or expect, in both cases), we have mercy and healing to share with others. This sharing is an essential component of mercy.

What someone else is sharing about this week’s readings:

Hope, in the biblical context, doesn’t mean to stand still and quiet, but rather groaning, crying and actively striving for new life. Just as in childbirth, we go through a period of intense pain, but new life springs forth. It’s not enough for us to be listeners!

Susana Réfega, in her reflection on this week’s readings

This week’s prayer:

Our Father,
Who are in heaven,
hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven

Give us this day
our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,
but delivery us from evil. Amen

Work cited (but not linked to):

Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc. ” 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time — 1 Sept. 2024: Readings at Mass.” The New American Bible, 2001. Universalis for Windows, Version 2.192, Universalis Publishing Ltd., 30 July 2024, https://universalis.com/n-app-windows.htm.