GET CLEAN
Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
September 02, 2012
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8; James 1:17-18,21-22, 27; Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
In a job interview the boss
opened the session with the applicant: “See, we are very keen on cleanliness.
Did you wipe your feet on the doormat as you came in?” The applicant said: “Yes,
sir. I did”. Then the boss replied: “We are also very keen on truthfulness. But
there is no mat at the door. You fail the test”.
The culture of cleanliness
The modern society attaches premium
to the value of cleanliness. The saying “cleanliness is next to godliness” is
adopted as the gospel principle of the modern business enterprises and market
economy. Indeed, we live in an era of cosmetic and sanitary revolution. The markets
are flooded with cosmetic and sanitary products. Over 60 percent of the advertisements
and commercials on media are on cosmetics sanitary and beauty products. Beauty
pageants have become recurrent celebrations of pride and achievements calling
every individual on earth to invest in beauty products. The image-conscious
culture of our time has trapped us into a web of unwritten laws, traditions and
practices regarding beautification, maintenance, sanitization and purification.
In the Biblical times, especially the Jewish culture was thriving on well-developed
laws and traditions partly from the Torah and mostly from their religious interpretations.
Most of these traditions on ritual
cleansing and purification had assumed practical significance as marks of
religious perfection. The violation of any of these traditions or laws was
considered scandalous and sinful. The Pharisees and scribes confront Jesus with
such an issue: the ritual and physical impurity of some of his disciples at the
table. The irony of the episode is that the Lord who is the source of
sanctifying grace is now accused of impurity by those whose hearts were shown
to be unclean!
Purity—the mark of a True Christian
Jesus turned the tables on a
legalistic and “image conscious” society by inviting them to check “what is
within” even as they present a seemingly clean external. Jesus exposed the
paradox of their “clean periphery” and the “unclean center”. In the final
analysis it becomes clear that this high culture of purity, in fact, floats and
thrives on the low culture of impurities. Further more, Jesus inverts the
measure of purity—purity as a virtue does not consist in the cleanliness of the
externals such as the body, the clothing, food and the environment, rather in
the purity of the inner chamber of the heart. Jesus is not negating the need
for external purity, but is emphasizing the order of priority. Physical
cleanliness follows the purity of heart. To be a Christian, then, is to be a
clean person, pure in thoughts, intentions and dealings. “Blessed are the pure
in heart, for they shall have the vision of God” (Mt 5: 8). No wonder, Jesus
has made it an imperative for His disciples to wash themselves in the waters of
baptism and cleanse in the sanctifying grace of the Holy Spirit.
This purity is now made possible by
three elements: 1) The Word of God, 2) The sacraments, and 3) Charity.
The Word of God: The Source of Purity
The incarnate Word, Jesus Christ,
is the norm and source of purity. He is the Holy One, Who became man that mankind
may be made holy. It is in and through Him that we have the vision of God. The
fallen humanity, which languishes in the filth of sin, has come to know what it
means to be clean and pure by gazing on the Crucified and risen Lord. We have
come to understand how to live in purity primarily by accepting the person of
Jesus, in His teachings, examples and abiding presence. Indeed, the one who
follows the precepts of the Lord will always have His abiding presence (the
first reading).
The Word of God sanctifies us from
all impurities (1 Timothy 4:5). Keeping the covenantal relationship with God
and observing His commandments and precepts will help us live in grace and
cleanse our hearts, minds and attitudes. Jesus criticized the Pharisees and
scribes for being selective in their acceptance of the Sacred Scripture as they
emphasized some traditions and ignored the major precepts of the Law of God. But
for the Christians, the Scripture is to be accepted and interpreted in its
entirety. St Augustine has warned us of the danger of the selective manner of
approaching and interpreting the Scripture, as he said: “If you choose to
follow the teachings of Jesus that are appealing to you, and neglect those that
are difficult for you to practice, you are not following Jesus, but your own
self-interest”. Therefore, know your God and yourself by knowing the Word of
God. Read the Bible on a daily basis, reflect on it relating it to your life
experiences and live on the commandments and covenant of God. This way you will
walk in the path of holiness.
Sacraments: The visible signs of sanctifying grace
Rituals are part of any culture.
Christian culture is rooted on sacramental rituals. The seven sacraments of the
Church impart to the believer the grace necessary for his/her life. In baptism one
is washed clean of all his/her sins and impurities accumulated in his life and
shared from the original sin. It is a sacrament of re-birth, being born again
as a child of God who is pure, holy and immaculate. The sacrament of reconciliation
ritually sanctifies the sinner from all the impurities of his actions and
omissions. Repentance is a necessary condition for the sanctifying grace. The
Holy Eucharist allows the Christian to enter into the sacrificial grace of
Christ, to wash His impurities in the blood of the Divine savior. In the
Eucharist, what is impure is made pure and filled with the strength of grace
that no more one may live in guilt, sin and impurity. The other sacraments
(confirmation, marriage, holy orders, and the anointing of the sick) also
impart to the recipient sanctifying grace along with the specific grace
necessary for the state of life he/she enters. So, frequent reception of
sacraments is necessary for a life of purity.
Love: manifestation of sanctifying grace
Now, rituals, devoid
of the spirit can remain just that—rituals. The sanctifying grace of the
rituals are to be lived and practiced in the virtue of charity—selfless love.
Love has the power to heal and cleanse. Any ritual without love is ineffective.
Love impels one to put into action what he/she celebrates in the sacraments.
Love teaches us that clean hands and clever minds are not substitutes for a
clean conscience. A clean conscience is the manifestation of a loving heart.
The nursery rhyme “Clean little hands are nice to see” teaches the children of
the beauty of cleanliness, but the “commandment of love” teaches us of the
beauty of a life well founded purified in the sacrifice of love. This is what
St James asserts to us: Obey the commandments. Be doers, not just listeners of
the Word of God. By love and charity we enflesh the Word of God. In your love
incarnate the Word of God in the present. We are not only called to read, learn
and interpret the scripture, but we are challenged to become the Word by doing
God’s Holy Will. This is the essence of our religion. “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: 27)
Heart is the center of purity. We
need to avoid the extremities of ritualism and self-validation. Love and
rituals are not contradictory. They compliment our life of purity.
How clean am I? Do I pay attention
to the purity of my thoughts, words, intentions and dealings as much as I care
for the cleanliness and grooming of my body? How often do I notice impurities
in my thoughts, words, dealings and intentions? What steps do I take to cleanse
my conscience and sanctify my life?
Thought Capsule:
“Show me a people's bathhouses and bathrooms, and
I will show you what they desire, what they ignore, sometimes what they fear –
and a significant part of who they are.”
(Katherine Ashenburg in her book Clean: An Unsanitised
History of Washing)
