When the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem
gathered around Jesus,
they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals
with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.
—For the Pharisees and, in fact, all Jews,
do not eat without carefully washing their hands,
keeping the tradition of the elders.
And on coming from the marketplace
they do not eat without purifying themselves.
And there are many other things that they have traditionally observed,
the purification of cups and jugs and kettles and beds. —
So the Pharisees and scribes questioned him,
"Why do your disciples not follow the tradition of the elders
but instead eat a meal with unclean hands?"
He responded,
"Well did Isaiah prophesy about you hypocrites, as it is written:
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.
You disregard God's commandment but cling to human tradition."
He summoned the crowd again and said to them,
"Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile.
"From within people, from their hearts,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile."
CONOCE A NUESTRA FAMILIA EXTENDIDA:
meet our extended family
Blessed Maria Mercedes Prat (Feast Day July 24)
March 6, 1880 - July 24, 1936
Born in Barcelona, Spain, Blessed Maria Mercedes Prat showed a great love for her neighbor and tried to inspire that type of love in others. She attended Mass daily and gave herself to God completely as a child. Maria was a devoted student, painter, and excelled in sewing. After her parents’ deaths, she helped care for her younger siblings. As an orphan and the eldest daughter, she combined successfully her prayer life, her responsibilities in the home, her artistic talent, and her apostolate as a catechist and a member of the Teresian Arch-confraternity.
Once her siblings were old enough, she entered the Society of St. Teresa of Jesus in Tortosa and eventually went back to Barcelona for her assignment at the motherhouse. There, she taught joyfully in the community school for sixteen years until the sisters were forced to flee due to the unrest from the Spanish Civil War and the persecution of Catholics. She was arrested and shot for being a religious sister. The words of the Our Father were the last words on her lips. The sisters in the order described her as a “true Teresian—a religious according to the heart of God.”
TOMA TIEMPO PARA COMPARTIR
Take time to chat
⦁ Why does Jesus call the Pharisees and scribes hypocrites?
⦁ Jesus teaches us that peoples’ words and actions can cause evil. In what way do words and actions hurt people today?
⦁ In what way do people use words and actions on social media for good or for bad?
⦁ Compare the life of Blessed Maria Mercedes Prat to the Pharisees and scribes in today’s Gospel story. In what way does her life exemplify how Jesus is calling us to live?
