Genesis 1:20—2:4a / Mark 7:1-13

Today the evangelist Mark tells us about the dialogue between the Pharisees and Jesus about Jewish cultural and religious traditions.

The Pharisees asked Jesus why His disciples ate their meals with unwashed hands. Without answering the question, Jesus said that the Pharisees disregarded/set aside God's commandment, nullifying the Word of God, in order to uphold their traditions.

Jesus gave an example: the Pharisees allowed a person to dedicate to God the goods that might be used to help/honor his father and mother, according to the fourth commandment.

As a reminder, the Pharisees were a group of Jews who supposedly followed the Law of Moses radically. They were religious leaders in the synagogues, which were the official place of worship on the Sabbath. The Pharisees monitored people to see if they were following the Law of Moses correctly.

The Pharisees dangerously mixed human precepts and religious doctrines, prioritizing their own customs.

Quoting the prophet Isaiah, Jesus said that the people honored God with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him.

Unfortunately, there is also pharisaism among us Christians, that is, people who exchange authentic Christian doctrine for human precepts, teaching others to do the same. Christian Pharisees monitor others, feeling morally superior. Like Jesus, we must have the courage to unmask the pharisaism present in our communities.

Yesterday we began reading the book of Genesis. Chapter one tells us about the first account of creation, in six days, with the Creator's rest on the seventh day.

As a reminder, the first eleven chapters of Genesis are not historical, but poetic, inspired by the universal wisdom collected and rewritten by the Jews. The intention of these chapters is to present God as the Creator of the universe and of human beings, to value the Lord's Day, to emphasize the mission of man and woman in the world, to address the origin of evil as disobedience to God, highlighting divine mercy.

Let us learn to read, interpret and correctly transmit the teachings of the book of Genesis, abandoning the fundamentalist reading of the Bible.

Local: Springfield, MA, EUA

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