Inside Job

Homily for August 30, 2015 (22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time)
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8; Psalm 15; James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27; Mark 7:-18, 14-14, 21-23

Inside Job

Several years ago, Dr. Sylvia Boorstein wrote a book entitled, Happiness Is an Inside Job: Practicing for a Joyful Life.  Drawing from the Buddhist tradition, she noted how practices such as mindfulness, right effort and concentration, along with the cultivation of relationships could bring a greater sense of well-being.  In a world where we are so often told that happiness comes from externals, from how we look or what we possess, her message is countercultural.

Today’s readings could be summed up in a similar title:  Holiness Is an Inside Job…with Outside Consequences.  When Jesus was confronted by some of the scribes and Pharisees about his disciples’ failure to observe some of the customary washings before eating, he expressed his frustration with their seeming preoccupation with legal observance, tradition and ritual purity and their use as cudgels of criticism rather than models of the fruits of cultivated virtue.  Just as the thought is the father of the deed, he observed:  “From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.”

It’s not that our external behavior doesn’t matter.  On the contrary, as our other readings emphasize, it is vitally important and has real consequences for us and others.  In Deuteronomy 4, Moses emphasizes to the people of Israel how their obedience to God’s law is an expression of their commitment to their covenant as well evidence of their wisdom and intelligence.  More concretely, it’s the key to them having a long life on the land that God had given them.  Many scripture scholars believe that the Book of Deuteronomy was written in the 6th Century BCE, during the time of the exile to Babylon.  It was a time of widespread death and destruction, when many were taken away from their land; and many saw this disaster as the consequence of their infidelity and disobedience.

Psalm 15 reminds us that, “The one who does justice will live in God’s presence.”It also gives examples of what “doing justice” means:“thinking the truth” in our hearts, i.e. letting God’s truth be our moral compass and guide for action; not hurting others, even with our words; honoring those who “fear” (reverently respect) God; avoiding usury (think about that the next time you pay your credit card bill); and refusing to accept a bribe, particularly against those who are innocent.

Similarly, James 1 encourages us to be “doers of the word, not hearers only,” and he cites caring for the most vulnerable (widows and orphans) as a form of “pure and undefiled” religion.Those works, however, are the fruits of those who have allowed the word of God to be planted and rooted in them.How open are we to receiving that life-giving and life-changing word?How often outside of the liturgy do we seek it out? What difference does it make in our lives?How well do we translate it into words and deeds of compassion, healing, justice and love? +