“You have a clever way of rejecting God’s law in order to uphold your own teaching.” (Mk 7:9)

 “You have a clever way of rejecting God’s law in order to uphold your own teaching.” (Mk 7:9) 

Today’s Passages: Mk 7:1-13; Gen 1:20-2:4a

Meditation: In today’s meditation verse we hear about God’s judgment against man and his unfaithfulness: “You have a clever way of rejecting God’s law in order to uphold your own teaching.” (Mk 7:9) A close observation into the salvation history undoubtedly proves this aspect in all its lucidity. In the first book of the Bible itself we read, “When the Lord saw how great was man’s wickedness on earth, and how no desire that his heart conceived was ever anything but evil, he regretted that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was grieved.” (Gen 6:5-6)

Through the prophet Isaiah the Lord again says, “Since this people draws near with words only and honors me with their lips alone, though their hearts are far from me, and their reverence for me has become routine observance of the precepts of men, I will again deal with this people in surprising and wondrous fashion; the wisdom of its wise men shall perish and the understanding of its prudent be hid.” (Is 29, 13-14) Man the crown of creation has gone away from God.

Why is he now away from God, his creator? In the first reading we heard that “God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them.” (Gen 1:27) However, after sometime we find man listening to the words of Satan rather than to his own creator God. Both the story of the original sin narrated in the third chapter of Genesis and making of the Golden Calf narrated in the thirty-second chapter of Exodus underscore this fact.

This shifting of dependence made him go astray and disobedient. It is said that “man molds idols, and idols mold man.” The people of Israel first molded a Golden Calf and this Golden Calf later led them astray from God and disobeyed God. In the gospel reading we heard, “You have a clever way of rejecting God’s law in order to uphold your own teaching.” (Mk 7:9) They have rejected God’s law and made their own laws like the Israelite who rejected Yahweh and worshiped the Golden Calf. 

     

Prayer: Lord God, we thank you and praise you for your daily eternal bread. Lord God, we confess you as our creator and worship you with all our heart. Have mercy on us! We ask pardon for all those moments where we failed to acknowledge you and went astray. Guide us with your Holy Spirit that we may not listen to the ancient serpent and be deceived. We ask for this grace through Christ our Lord. Amen!

Greetings: God is with you! Wish you a blissful Tuesday!